“This cannot be!” Bayard wished his denial would make it so. He stared at the vine, stunned that he could be responsible for its presence.
“Nonetheless it is,” Angus retorted.
“But ’tis illogical. No plant grows in this manner. No song prompts a plant to grow!”
“’Tis not so devoid of sense as that.”
“What is that to mean?”
“Why do you court my sister-in-law?”
Bayard felt his gaze narrow, for he was not prepared to confess his secret to another, not even this knight of such similar experience as his own. “Because I have need of a bride,” he said mildly.
“Bah!” Angus kicked the vine. “That would not account for your diligence. Nay, there is another reason for your suit, a greater reason than the mere desire for a wife.”
Bayard feared the man knew the truth about Montvieux and Richard
