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to like it. He reined in the horse and waved Fitz Alan ahead, remaining silent until he was sure their conversation would be private.
    "I'm all ears," he drawled sarcastically.
    "I told a lie to the priest." She spoke so softly that Kenric had to lean forward to hear. He frowned but waited for her to continue. "I told him I did not want to marry."
    "Tell me the rest of it, Tess." Kenric's voice was quiet but there was no missing the fury lurking there.
    " 'Tis rare that I tell a lie, milord, and never before to a priest," she hurried to explain. "I would not blame you if you think me wicked, but I did so want this to end without bloodshed."
    "Well?" he growled.
    "Well, when we met in the chapel I was not displeased with the idea of marrying you, but I had to try to avert this war and the convent plan seemed like such a good one. Then again, since I was asking to become a nun, I couldn't very well admit to Father Olwen that I was taken with you right from the start and the idea of being your wife was quite appealing. Nuns do not have such earthy thoughts. Oh… I mean… I really didn't have much time to think about being your wife, but I was quite intrigued with the notion. Even though I shouldn't have thought about being a wife at all, not if I truly was of a mind to become a nun. Oh, Lord!" Tess felt her cheeks flame red, surprised at everything that had somehow fallen out of her mouth. Curse and rot her tongue! Why not just openly admit that she lusted after the man? Her poor husband looked stunned. He was certainly wondering what kind of woman he'd married. Tess looked away. Gaining his trust by admitting the lie was the stupidest idea she'd ever imagined.
    "Look at me, Tess," he demanded sternly. She lifted her gaze, her eyes filled with embarrassed tears. He cupped her cheek with one hand and brushed his thumb across the creamy surface. "You are telling me the truth now?"
    "Aye," she admitted. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, unable to look him in the eye another moment. "Though I did not intend to tell quite so much."
    The smile she saw curve his mouth astonished Tess. She leaned back to see the rest of his face and watched in amazement as his eyes changed from a dark, steely color to a soft shade of gray.
    It
was
him, she realized in stunned disbelief. Kenric of Montague was the man she saw in her dreams! The image that had suddenly come to life before her eyes stirred other realizations. Ian had once said her grandmother had the ability to catch small glimpses of the future, but Tess never knew she too possessed the strange skill until this instant.
    She needed to think more on such an important revelation, but at the moment she couldn't seem to think beyond her husband's captivating smile. She lifted one hand to his cheek, fascinated by the rough growth that said he'd been a day without shaving. Kenric's smile disappeared the moment her hand touched his face.
    "Your eyes are gray," she said softly, their gazes meeting.
    "I'm glad you told me."
    "You didn't know your eyes were gray?" she asked, her hand falling to his shoulder.
    It took Kenric a moment to get his own thoughts gathered enough to follow the conversation. Those eyes of hers were enough to bewitch a saint. They actually changed color with her mood. Sapphires one moment, amethysts the next.
    "I knew," he replied. He lifted Tess's hand and placed a kiss in the palm, smiling over the shiver he felt go through her. "I'm glad you told me how you felt when we first met . 'Tis no sin to appreciate your king's choice."
    She blushed and tried to turn away again, but Kenric easily caught her chin, curious to see her reaction in the color of her eyes. Deep, dark blue, he mused, his lips curving into a smile.
    "Are you angry that I lied to Father Olwen?" she asked hesitantly.
    "Nay, Tess." Kenric couldn't resist placing a light kiss on her forehead. He immediately liked the feel of her beneath his lips, but forced himself to pull away. Her shy confession would be