“Oh, there’s no need for that.” I was shocked that she did not realize a great house such as ours provided food and lodgings for wayfarers as a matter of course.

“I’ll pay, Clodagh. I’ll give you three tales, and they’ll be worth every scrap of food I eat while I enjoy the hospitality of your father’s hall.”

“Thank you,” I said after a moment. The old woman’s stories would probably be well worth hearing. She’d obviously led a long life and, if she was a traveler, it would have been full of adventures of one kind or another. “What is your name?”

“Which one do you want?”

I might have told her it made no difference to me what her name was. Instead I said, “I’d like your storytelling name.”

The crone chuckled. “Agood answer, young woman. My name’s Willow. I’ve had a few over the years, but that will serve.”

“Just Willow?”

“A tree is never just a tree,” she said. “It’s bigger and deeper and wiser than a girl like you will ever be. Now I’d like to rest; this forest of yours makes journeys longer than they should be. Any corner will do for me, providing it’s quiet. Tonight I’ll give you a story after supper. You like tales?”

Perhaps she had seen something in my eye. “I love them,” I said. “Especially the more magical ones. But of course, you must tell whatever story you choose.”

“That’s one good thing about getting old, young woman. Folk expect you to break rules, lose your temper, do exactly what you want. Don’t worry, I’ll behave myself while I’m under your father’s roof. He’s a strong man, Sean of Sevenwaters; strong in wisdom and goodness. He’ll need all his strength for the season to come. But you know that already.”

Her words chilled me. She had only just arrived at Sevenwaters; how could she know about my mother and the specter of the impending birth? But then, Dan Walker’s folk were no ordinary breed; the gift of Sight was common among them. I did not ask her what she meant. I feared the possible answer.

Willow didn’t want to be in the main part of the keep, where the family quarters were located, and she didn’t want to share the communal sleeping area of our maidservants. In the end I housed her in the little room adjoining the stables. There was a comfortable smell of clean leather and horses. A quick brushing of the floor and the provision of a blanket or two were all the accommodations our guest seemed to think necessary.