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Flecks of light danced over her cheeks, scattered by the nearby perforated iron firepots at the stall. It made her appear to sparkle like a creature out of Scottish lore. Beautiful women were often dangerous in those stories: disguised as a water spirit or a witch, to ensnare a hapless male and lead him to his fate. No escape, no mercy. As a young boy, Keir had always wondered why the men hadn't tried to resist.
"Ah, weel," his father had explained, "they're enchanters of men, bonnie women are, and when they beckon, we can't help but follow."
"I wouldn't!" Keir had said indignantly. "I'd stay home and take care of Mither."
There had come a chuckle from the stove, where his mother had been frying potatoes. "A good laddie, y'are," she'd called out.
His father had grinned and stretched out before the hearth, lacing his fingers together over his middle. "Someday, lad, you'll ken exactly why a man falls to temptation, even knowing the better of it."
And, as in most things, Keir thought ruefully, his father had been right.
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