From the grassy bank, one could see Kinlochleven’s imposing walls above the rugged cliffs that plummeted down to the cold waters of the loch. Joanna looked around with a sigh of pleasure as she nibbled on a pastry. This was surely one of the loveliest places in Scotland. The pristine reflection of puffy clouds in the lapis lazuli sky, snowcapped mountaintops, and verdant forests shimmered in the turquoise water. The pastoral scene reminded her of the tapestry hanging in her bedchamber. Only the knight and his lady were missing from this colorful tableau, but her vivid imagination could easily conjure them out of the crisp spring air. A handsome, stalwart, courageous knight attired in shining armor would ride up on his mighty steed, dismount in a graceful leap, and stride to where she sat alone amid the primroses…In his hand, he’d carry a bouquet of wildflowers that grew along the riverbank. He’d drop to one knee and pledge his undying devotion…Shyly, she’d take the violets and bluebells and softly demur, but his courtly manner would overcome her maidenly resistance…He’d come to rescue her from— “Och, what a shot!
