He turned his head toward the side of the shop that had no windows. Against the wall stood racks of glass, each sheet stacked on end and arranged by hue. There were cobalts and sky-blues, deep greens and mints, sun yellows and rich golds, royal-purples and pale violets, and every color in between. Truly, the room bore so much color that it seemed magical.

Yet the colors were not so much what caught him as Kat herself. Gathered with her lads around her at a table, Kat stood in one of her plain gray gowns. She was looking down at a seemingly finished piece of glasswork, a large square that depicted a unicorn grazing in a grass field.

She traced a line between two colors with one finger. “I’ve never seen such a horrid piece of work.”

Simon rubbed his chin. “Do ye think we can—” He caught sight of Devon. Simon’s jaw clenched.

Kat’s gaze followed Simon’s. Her face reddened. “St. John.”

Never had his name sounded so unwelcoming. He had to stifle yet another surge of irritation for Murien’s clinging ways. There was nothing for it but the truth. “Kat, I am sorry I am late. I was detained at the castle by a very determined committee of one.”

Kat’s brow cleared. “Murien.”

“Aye. I tried to get away, but she made it impossible.”

There was a short moment of silence, and then Kat shrugged. “We can go riding another day.”

Another day? He’d be damned if he’d return to the castle without spending at least a little time with her. Besides, he wanted their kiss. For some reason, the thought of going without that simple embrace made his jaw set. Ignoring the hostile gazes of the lads, Devon clasped his hands behind him and walked to the table. “You know…you did promise to show me your workshop.”

“Indeed I did.” She gestured around them. “Here ’tis.”

He looked at the glasswork before them. “Did you just make this?”

Kat looked startled. “This?”

Simon spat on the dirt floor. “We’re good at our trade. Don’t think we aren’t.”

“Easy, Simon,” Kat said, unrolling her sleeves and buttoning them back around her wrists. “’Tis time ye were all back to work. Simon and I will find a way to at least make this better, if not fix it all together.”

The lads left to go about their work, except Simon, who stayed in listening range.

Devon managed a rueful smile for Kat. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about glasswork. What’s wrong with this piece that it offends you so?”

“A thousand things.” She tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowed. “See the line of the solder, how ’tis thicker on one side than t’other?”

He nodded.

“That is poor workmanship. Now see here, where the corner is patched and you can tell? Again, poor workmanship.”