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Synopsis
HIGHLAND DANGER Ever inquisitive, Lady Alyson MacGillivray embarks on a sea voyage and makes a shocking discovery: The young future king of Scotland is secretly traveling on board. Yet her surprise soon turns to terror when pirates attack the ship, take the boy prince hostage, and leave Lady Alyson to drown. HIGHLAND WOLF Known to the world as the The Wolf, Captain Jake Maxwell had been commissioned by the King to follow the prince's secret transport. When he spies Alyson struggling against a violent sea, he moves swiftly to save her. Soon desire sparks between them, bringing them pleasure-powerful and deep. But the young beauty's connection to the prince's abduction puts her in danger. And if their love is to survive, Alyson and Jake must play a game of intrigue with royal-and lethal-consequences. "One of the best Scottish historical romance authors writing today."-Midwest Book Review
Release date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Print pages: 400
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Highland Lover
Amanda Scott
“4½ stars! Scott’s story is a tautly written, fast-paced tale of political intrigue and treachery that’s beautifully interwoven with history. Strong characters with deep emotions and a high degree of sensuality make this a story to relish.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[Scott’s] colorful characters and their relationships will absorb readers, while her plotting, dialogue, and narration are also excellent. She’s a true master of the Scottish historical romance… We can all look forward to Wolf’s tale in HIGHLAND LOVER. Judging by the first two (and other of Ms. Scott’s fine series), I’m confident enough to highly recommend all three books.”
—RomRevToday.com
“[A] deep early fifteenth century Scottish romance starring a strong cast. As always in an Amanda Scott historical the inclusion of real persona and facts enhances the romance… Readers will enjoy the historical romance between Ivor and Marsi as they escort and protect the future king of the Scots while falling in love.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
“[A] well-written and a really enjoyable read. It’s one of my favorite types of historical—it’s set in medieval times and interwoven with actual historical figures. Without a doubt, Amanda Scott knows her history… If you enjoy a rich historical romance set in the Highlands, this is a book to savor.”
—NightOwlRomance.com
“[A] gifted author… a fast-paced, passion-filled historical romance that kept me so engrossed I stayed up all night to finish it. The settings are so realistic that the story is brought to life right before your eyes… This story is sure to be a favorite… It can be read as a standalone, but for additional enjoyment, do not miss the first book in this series, Highland Master. I look forward to reading Ms. Scott’s next addition… In the meantime, do not miss Highland Hero!”
—RomanceJunkiesReview.com
“A highly enjoyable read with some surprising twists and turns.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Highly recommended! Marvelous Scottish tale of a time in history when various plays for power were held… a powerful story and a piece of history as well as a great tale. Amanda Scott does it again with another fascinating part of Scottish history.”
—Romance Reviews Magazine
“Scott, known and respected for her Scottish tales, has once again written a gripping romance that seamlessly interweaves history, a complex plot, and strong characters with deep emotions and a high degree of sensuality.”
—RT Reviews
“If you like conflicted heroes and the feisty heroine who adds to their conflict, you will love Fin of the Battles and the Mackintosh Wildcat.”
—Romance Reviewers Today
“Great with sensual scenes, Scott escapes the cliché of a masterful male taming a ‘wildcat’ woman; instead, Fin and Catriona learn to communicate and compromise in this solid romantic adventure.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ms. Scott is a master of the Scottish romance. Her heroes are strong men with an admirable honor code. Her heroines are strong-willed… This was an entertaining romance with enjoyable characters. Recommended.”
—FreshFiction.com
“One of the more accomplished and honored romance novelists writing today… If you are one of Scott’s fans, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss this… If you haven’t read Scott before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how she uses her knowledge of Scottish history to weave an engrossing and sexy story.”
—TheCalifornian.com
“Deliciously sexy… a rare treat of a read… Highland Master is an entertaining adventure for lovers of historical romance.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“Passion, swordplay, and exemplary research of the era.”
—Sacramento Bee
“Fast-paced… dynamic… Amanda Scott proves once again she is the Highland Master when it comes to a thrilling tale starring Scottish Knights.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Hot… There’s plenty of action and adventure… Amanda Scott has an excellent command of the history of medieval Scotland—she knows her clan battles and border wars, and she’s not afraid to use detail to add realism to her story.”
—All About Romance
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Scott demonstrates her incredible skills by crafting an exciting story replete with adventure and realistic, passionate characters who reach out and grab you… Historical romance doesn’t get much better than this!”
—RT Book Reviews
“A descriptive and intriguing novel… Scott’s characters are most definitely memorable.”
—Rundpinne.com
“Captivates the reader from the first page… Another brilliant story filled with romance and intrigue that will leave readers thrilled until the very end.”
—SingleTitles.com
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Tautly written… passionate… Scott’s wonderful book is steeped in Scottish Border history and populated by characters who jump off the pages and grab your attention… Captivating!”
—RT Book Reviews
“Another excellent novel from Amanda Scott, who just keeps producing one fine story after another.”
—RomanceReviewsMag.com
“Readers fascinated with history… will love Ms. Scott’s newest tale… leaves readers clamoring for the story of Mairi’s sister in Tempted by a Warrior.”
—FreshFiction.com
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Scott has crafted another phenomenal story. The characters jump off the page and the politics and treachery inherent in the plot suck you into life on the Borders from page one. This is the finest in historical romance.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[Scott] instills life and passion in her memorable characters… Few writers have come close to equaling her highly creative and entertaining stories.”
—ClanMalcolm.com
“Fascinating… fourteenth-century Scotland’s rich history comes alive in this romantic novel full of intrigue.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Scott creates a lovely, complex cast.”
—Publishers Weekly
Falkland Castle, Scotland, 27 March 1402
The man she saw lying awkwardly on the dirt floor was unnaturally thin, little more than skin and bones. Even so, she could sense his pain. She sensed, too, that his parched, dry skin felt too tight for his body. His once silky, fair, shoulder-length hair was straw stiff and dull from grime and lack of nutrients.
He lay curled on one side, as if he had sought to return to his mother’s womb or felt pain in his stomach. One thin arm stretched outward, palm open, to catch cornmeal drifting down on pale beams of light that slipped through narrow spaces between planks of the mill floor high above him. The meal looked like ordinary dust motes dancing in ordinary moonbeams.
Since her view of the scene seemed to emerge from a surrounding black cloud, she was unsure of how she knew about the mill. But she was certain of its presence and certain that the drifting motes were cornmeal, not dust.
Even as that thought passed through her mind, she recognized a stronger perception that could not be hers and must be the man’s own vague awareness of meal in his open palm that he lacked strength to bring to his mouth.
His frustration seemed to add force to his thoughts, making them easier for her to discern. He was as good as telling her that he lacked even strength or will enough to lick his lips, which also bore a coating of meal. It had kept him alive for what he reckoned must be more than a fortnight now. His guards had given him water only twice. But he had known better than to trust those who had imprisoned him, and made each drop last as long as he could.
Almost wryly, he told himself that if he survived this ordeal—if a friend learned of his peril and summoned aid to him before it was too late—right after he hanged his fiendish uncle and the Douglas, he would order the royal dungeons altered. To see sunlight and moonlight only when filtered through corn dust and wood planking was more torturous than never to see light at all.
She knew that it was already too late. He lacked even the strength to acknowledge the pain in his shrunken gut anymore.
As that thought drifted through his mind… or hers… or both together… blackness followed. The last of his pain disappeared, and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks.
Sitting bolt upright to find herself alone and shaking in the familiar darkness of her bedchamber in St. John’s Town of Perth, her tears still streaming, she knew that what she had seen was no nightmare but a truth that she dared speak to no one.
Davy Stewart, the heir to Scotland’s throne, had just died.
Stirling Castle, late February 1403
The English ambassador disapproved of his mission and had from the instant he’d understood its goal. However, it was no business of his to express his opinions to heads of state, not to his own and certainly not to Scotland’s Duke of Albany, who eyed him now across the large table Albany used as a desk in his audience chamber.
Clad elegantly in black, the sixty-two-year-old duke stood second in line for Scotland’s throne. He had, in fact, due to one cause or another, ruled Scotland as regent—or Governor, as the Scots called it—for many years, occasionally even when, as now, he lacked any titular right to do so.
Although his still-dark hair contained increasingly more silver, Albany was as politically astute as ever, and as ruthless.
Having long negotiated secretly with him for Henry IV of England, the ambassador knew that the duke possessed a quick, intelligent mind and was cold-blooded, unpredictable, and skilled in wielding his authority. His usual tone was chilly, but he could be affable if it served his purpose. Above all, he was a man with a deep understanding of power who did all he could to increase his own.
“You will need a royal safe-conduct for your return,” Albany said abruptly.
Reflecting on the fact that the duke had already kept him kicking his heels for a fortnight, the ambassador wondered if his safe-conduct had become an issue.
Warily, he said, “Although our countries enjoy a rare truce, my lord, one does feel safer passing through your Borders with a safe-conduct than without one. However… Pray forgive me, sir. But as his grace, the King, is away…”
When Albany frowned, the ambassador paused again, hoping he’d made his point. After Davy Stewart’s death, many having suspected Albany’s hand in it, the Scottish King and Parliament had refused to name him Governor again.
Albany had waited barely two months before demanding that the King summon his lords again and order them to do so. His grace had submitted, as usual, to Albany’s stronger will and ordered Parliament to meet directly after Easter. But would its ever-unpredictable lords submit as easily to the duke’s demands?
“No one will dare doubt the validity of a safe-conduct bearing my signature,” Albany said flatly. “Now, I’m sure you’ve arranged the details of that matter we discussed before and have everything in train.”
“Yes, my lord,” the ambassador said. “As I said when last we met, we require only the name of the—”
“I received that information yestereve,” Albany interjected curtly, reminding him that the duke also had a passion for secrecy. “Recall that you must not act as intermediary.”
“Indeed, my lord. I shall employ the courier who acted for his… um… for us before. One assumes that the promises we made about the cargo…”
Again, diplomatically, he paused.
“I care only about matters on which your master and I have agreed and not a whit about promises to his minions or about the cargo,” Albany said. “So, unless you have more we must discuss, our business is done. Collect your safe-conduct from my steward as you leave.”
“With respect, my lord, you still have not given me the name I require.”
Albany did.
The Firth of Forth, Friday, March 16
Nineteen-year-old Lady Alyson MacGillivray grasped the urgent fingers clutching her arm and tried to pry them loose, saying, “Prithee, calm yourself, Ciara. If this ship sinks, clinging to me will avail you naught.”
“Mayhap it will not, m’lady,” her middle-aged attire woman said, still gripping her hard enough to leave bruises. “But if this horrid ship drops off another o’ these giant waves as it did afore, mayhap neither o’ us will fly into yon wall again.”
Alyson did not reply at once, having noted that, although the huge vessel still rocked on the heaving waters of the firth, the noises it made had changed. The wind still howled. However, the awful creaks and screeches that had made Ciara fear aloud—and Alyson silently—that the ship would shake itself apart had eased.
“We’re slowing,” Alyson said.
The cabin door opened without warning, and Niall Clyne, Alyson’s husband of two and a half months, filled the opening. He was a handsome, fair-haired, blue-eyed man of mild temperament, whom she’d known for most of her life. He ducked as he entered, to avoid banging his head against the low lintel.
Alyson saw at once that he looked wary.
“Put out that lantern, Allie,” he said. “We must show no light aboard now.”
“Who would see it?” Alyson asked reasonably. “That tiny window—”
“Porthole,” Niall said.
“—is shuttered,” she continued. “Little light would show through it in any event. Surely, on such a dark night—”
“Just put it out,” he said. “It isn’t safe to keep a flame here in such weather.”
Ciara protested, “Sir, please, it be scarifying enough in this place with light! Forbye, in such weather, we ought never tae ha’ left Leith Harbor! Men did say—”
“An overturned lantern would quickly start a fire,” Niall interjected. “And, with no way to escape, a fire at sea would be even more terrifying than one on land.”
“But—”
“Hush, Ciara,” Alyson said, watching Niall. Although the order he’d given was sensible, she was as sure as she could be that he was relaying it from someone else. Without moving to put out the lantern, and glad that Ciara had released her arm when the door opened, she said to Niall, “We have stopped, have we not?”
“Aye, or nearly, for we’ve dropped two of our anchors,” he said. “But you must put out that light, lass. Even the storm lights on deck are dark now.”
“So we don’t want to be seen,” Alyson said. “But who would see us?”
“That is not for you to know.”
“Do you know?” she asked. “Or is your friend Sir Mungo keeping secrets from you as well as from us?”
With audible strain in his voice, Niall said, “You must call him ‘Sir Kentigern,’ Alyson. His friends call him Mungo, because that’s what friends often do call a man named Kentigern. But he is not Sir Mungo to anyone.”
“I keep forgetting,” she said calmly. “Sir Kentigern is such a lot to say. But you do not answer my question. Do you know why we have stopped?”
“I do not,” he said. “I ken only that they’ve sent a coble ashore with six oarsmen to row it. Now, will you put out that light, or must I?”
“I’ll do it. Good night, Niall.”
“Good night, my lady.” Evidently, he trusted her, because he left then and shut the door.
Ciara waited only until he had done so to say with panic in her voice, “Ye’ll no put that light out, m’lady, I prithee! ’Twould be dark as a tomb in here!”
“Do you want Sir Kentigern to come down here?” Alyson asked.
“Nay, I do not,” Ciara said. “For all that he may be the master’s friend, I dinna like him.”
“Nor do I,” Alyson said, careful not to reveal the understatement of those three words in her tone. “Lie down on yon shelf bed now and try to sleep when I put out the light. I shan’t need you to undress me.”
“I ken fine that I shouldna sleep in your bed,” Ciara said. “But I’ll take it and thank ye, because get in that hammock and let this storm-tossed ship fling me about with every motion, I will not!”
“Hush now, Ciara. Take advantage of this respite and try to sleep.”
Why, though, Alyson wondered, were they stopping?
They had left Edinburgh’s Leith Harbor at dusk, Sir Kentigern “Mungo” Lyle having insisted they could wait no longer. Mungo was secretary to the Earl of Orkney, whom Niall also served. It was on business of Orkney’s that the men were sailing to France, and since they could be away for months, Niall had agreed to take Alyson with him. Mungo had not concealed his disapproval when they’d met him at the harbor. But Niall’s insistence that he could not send Alyson all the way home to Perth, alone, had been enough. Whether it would satisfy Orkney when he learned that she was with them remained to be seen.
Alyson had met the earl, who was a few years her senior, several times. As the wealthiest nobleman in Scotland, and one of the most powerful, Orkney knew his worth. But he was not nearly as puffed up in his own esteem as Mungo was in his.
But Mungo had doubtless meant only to please the earl by hastening their departure. Storms had delayed and battered their ship, the Maryenknyght, on her voyage from France with her cargo of French wines. Then men had to load the return cargo, and the ship’s captain took two more days to make hasty repairs.
But now, whatever was occurring on deck…
“I am going up to see what’s happening,” Alyson told Ciara. “Prithee, do not argue or fling yourself into a fret, because you won’t dissuade me. We are where we are, but I want to know where that is and what they’re doing on deck.”
“Prithee, m’lady—”
“We can judge our danger better if we have information, Ciara. So just be patient and try to sleep. I’ll hold this lantern until you are safe on that bed but no longer, lest Mungo come down and dare to look in on us.”
If he did come down, he would likely run into her on her way up. But Alyson doubted that Ciara would think of that. Ciara was concerned with her own safety, which was reasonable but irrelevant when one could do naught to ensure it.
Ciara eyed her mistress measuringly. Although she had served Alyson only since her wedding, she evidently knew her well enough to see that further debate was useless, because she quickly unlaced and doffed her kirtle. Then, lying on the narrow bed in her flannel shift, she pulled the quilt over her, gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and nodded for Alyson to put out the light.
Alyson donned her fur-lined, hooded cloak and snugly fitting gloves, then blew out the lantern and found its hook on the wall. Hanging the lantern carefully, she felt for the door latch and raised it, hoping she would not be so unfortunate as to meet anyone before seeing what there was to see.
The cabin door opened onto a narrow, damp passageway ending at a ladder that stretched to the deck. The ship’s hold lay below, no longer containing wine casks but roped piles of untanned hides and bales of sheared wool going to France. That cargo was noisome enough already to fill the passageway with pungent odors.
Wrinkling her nose but relieved to see faint light coming through the open hatchway, Alyson raised her skirts with her left hand, touched one wall with her right for balance, and moved toward the ladder.
Its rungs were flat on top and the ladder just seven feet or so to the hatchway, but ascending it in skirts was awkward. A wooden rail aided her when she climbed high enough to reach it, and she emerged in an area between the shipmaster’s forecastle cabin and a second, smaller one.
The wind was thunderous. But the hatchway, recessed between the two cabins, sheltered Alyson from the worst of it. The hatch cover was up, strapped against the cabin on her left as she faced the stern.
She wondered if it had been so all along or if Niall had opened the hatch and left it so. Surely, it should stay shut to keep the angry sea from spilling into the passageway, the two tiny lower cabins, and the vast hold below.
Above her, black clouds scudded across the night sky. Gaps between them briefly revealed twinkling stars overhead and a crescent moon rising above the open sea to her right amidst flying clouds. Those clouds seemed to whip above, across, and below the moon in a wild, erratic dance.
Since Edinburgh was behind her, she knew she must be facing east. The ship’s prow therefore pointed southward, so they were at the mouth of the Firth of Forth.
Looking aft but still to her right, she saw moonlight playing on glossy black mountains of ocean. To her left, she discerned the firth’s south coast where dots of light twinkled in the distance—perhaps the lights of North Berwick.
When she stepped forward to look due south past the master’s cabin, she had to hold her hood against the whipping wind. But the view astonished her.
At no great distance beyond the ship’s rail, sporadic moonlight revealed a precipitous rock formation looming above tumultuous waves that broke around it in frothy, silver-laced skirts wherever the moonlight touched them.
She could hear that crashing surf despite the howling wind.
Surely, she thought, no boat could land there. But why stop if not to send one ashore or wait for one coming to them? Stepping back into the deep shadows of the alcove between the two cabins, she continued to watch.
Shadowy figures moved on deck, but no one challenged her.
Not long afterward, through the darkness, she saw a boat, a coble, plunging toward them through the waves. In a patch of moonlight, she saw that it was full of people. At least two were small enough to be children.
Not far away, unbeknownst to anyone aboard the Maryenknyght, a smaller ship more nearly akin to a Highland galley than to the merchantman rode the heaving seas. Sir Jacob Maxwell, the Sea Wolf’s captain, kept his gaze fixed on the much larger ship. When its sail had come down as it passed North Berwick, he’d suspected the ship was the one he sought. When it dropped anchors off the massive, nearly unapproachable formation known as the Bass Rock, he was sure of it.
The wind blew from the northeast quarter. The merchantman had anchored well away from the rock and with its prow facing southeastward. Thus its leeward length sheltered its steerboard side when it lowered a boat.
“Be that our quarry, sir?” his helmsman, Coll, asked in Gaelic.
“It must be, aye,” Jake replied in that language.
Although born in Nithsdale, near the Borders, Jake had spent two-thirds of his life on ships. Much of it he’d spent in the Isles, so he believed he was nearly as much a Highlander as his helmsman was. Moreover, most of his men spoke only Gaelic, so most conversation aboard was in that language.
“I cannot make out her flag in this darkness,” Coll said.
“She is the Maryenknyght out of Danzig,” Jake said. “She was flying a French flag when she entered Leith Harbor, and I’d wager she flew that flag when she departed. However, it could be some other flag now.”
He did not add that the Maryenknyght belonged to young Henry Sinclair, second Earl of Orkney. Nor did he mention that Henry had ordered the ship to Edinburgh for this particular, hopefully secret, purpose.
Orkney owned more ships than anyone else in Scotland. But he had not wanted to use one that others would easily recognize as his. Thus had the Maryenknyght made what Jake knew was her first voyage to Scotland.
For a fortnight, he’d kept a man posted at Leith to watch for the ship, harboring his Sea Wolf at a smaller, less frequented site on the firth’s north coast. However, he had learned the Maryenknyght’s name and intended time of departure only that afternoon. Glancing at his helmsman, he knew that Coll was bursting with curiosity, although his expression revealed none.
Looking back at the Maryenknyght, Jake said, “The coble’s returning.”
“I don’t envy them climbing up that hulk in these seas,” Coll muttered.
Jake realized he was holding his breath as he watched the first of the coble’s occupants, clearly its steersman, prepare to climb a rope ladder to the ship’s deck.
Exhaling, Jake forced himself to breathe normally.
One of the six oarsmen caught the ladder’s end while his two comrades on that side did their best to keep the coble from banging against the ship. Meanwhile, fierce winds and incoming waves tried to push ship and coble back to Edinburgh.
“By my soul,” Coll muttered when the steersman had reached the deck and a second, much smaller passenger gripped the ladder. “That be a bairn, Cap’n Jake! What madness goes on here?”
Jake did not answer. His attention riveted to the lad, he felt his pulse hammering in his neck, as if his heart had leaped into his throat.
“Sakes, look at him,” Coll breathed. “He’s going up that ladder as deftly as ye might yourself, sir.”
“I suspect that after being lowered in a basket to a plunging boat from halfway up the sheerest face of Bass Rock, as I heard they would be, climbing a rope ladder must seem easy,” Jake said.
“On a night like this?” Coll exclaimed. “Who the devil would be crazy enough to order such a thing?”
“His grace, the King,” Jake replied.
Aware of Coll’s stunned silence, Jake watched the second lad climb the ladder as lithely as the first. Returning his gaze to the coble to see a tall, slender man grab the ladder next, he felt his jaw tighten again.
Having counted the men in the boat, he knew that this one had to be Henry of Orkney. Jake had known him almost from Henry’s birth and liked him. He did not want the wicked weather to plunge the earl into the ice-cold sea, where he might drown before others could reach him.
However, Henry could swim. And Henry was not Jake’s first priority.
“Am I to know who those lads be, sir?” Coll asked.
Jake hesitated. But he had known Coll for over a decade and trusted him. Moreover, they’d be following the Maryenknyght to her destination. And accidents happened, even to men who had lived their lives aboard ships. If aught happened to him, Coll should understand the exact nature of their mission.
Knowing that the wind would blow his words away before they reached ears other than Coll’s, and that the men were heeding their oars, Jake leaned nearer and said, “Wardlaw said nowt to me in St. Andrews about any second lad, Coll. But one of those two lads will inherit the Scottish Crown.”
In the uncertain moonlight, he saw Coll’s eyes widen. “Jamie Stewart?”
“Aye, sure, for since Davy Stewart’s death—”
“Sakes, sir, that were a year ago!”
“It was, aye. But whilst Davy’s death was still new, James was safe at St. Andrews Castle under Bishop Wardlaw’s guardianship. Forbye, after Parliament proclaimed Davy’s death an accident instead of the murder we all know it was, his grace began to fear for Jamie’s life, too.”
“That explains why the lad has been missing these two months and more,” Coll said. “But how could they have survived so long atop that rock?”
“There is an ancient castle built into it about halfway up.”
“Ye be jesting, sir. Nae one could build a castle there.”
“Believe it,” Jake said. “Sithee, Coll, when his grace recognized the threat to Jamie, he decided to send him to our ally, the King of France, for safety.”
“Aye, well, ye need not tell me who his grace fears might harm the lad,” Coll said with a grunt. “Only one man can be sure to benefit from such, and that be his murderous uncle, the Duke of Albany. But if aught happened to the laddie, would not the country rise in fury against Albany afore he could seize the throne?”
“Likely they would have, had Jamie died last year soon after Davy,” Jake agreed. “But he did not. Recall, too, that folks expected Parl. . .
—RT Book Reviews
“[Scott’s] colorful characters and their relationships will absorb readers, while her plotting, dialogue, and narration are also excellent. She’s a true master of the Scottish historical romance… We can all look forward to Wolf’s tale in HIGHLAND LOVER. Judging by the first two (and other of Ms. Scott’s fine series), I’m confident enough to highly recommend all three books.”
—RomRevToday.com
“[A] deep early fifteenth century Scottish romance starring a strong cast. As always in an Amanda Scott historical the inclusion of real persona and facts enhances the romance… Readers will enjoy the historical romance between Ivor and Marsi as they escort and protect the future king of the Scots while falling in love.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
“[A] well-written and a really enjoyable read. It’s one of my favorite types of historical—it’s set in medieval times and interwoven with actual historical figures. Without a doubt, Amanda Scott knows her history… If you enjoy a rich historical romance set in the Highlands, this is a book to savor.”
—NightOwlRomance.com
“[A] gifted author… a fast-paced, passion-filled historical romance that kept me so engrossed I stayed up all night to finish it. The settings are so realistic that the story is brought to life right before your eyes… This story is sure to be a favorite… It can be read as a standalone, but for additional enjoyment, do not miss the first book in this series, Highland Master. I look forward to reading Ms. Scott’s next addition… In the meantime, do not miss Highland Hero!”
—RomanceJunkiesReview.com
“A highly enjoyable read with some surprising twists and turns.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Highly recommended! Marvelous Scottish tale of a time in history when various plays for power were held… a powerful story and a piece of history as well as a great tale. Amanda Scott does it again with another fascinating part of Scottish history.”
—Romance Reviews Magazine
“Scott, known and respected for her Scottish tales, has once again written a gripping romance that seamlessly interweaves history, a complex plot, and strong characters with deep emotions and a high degree of sensuality.”
—RT Reviews
“If you like conflicted heroes and the feisty heroine who adds to their conflict, you will love Fin of the Battles and the Mackintosh Wildcat.”
—Romance Reviewers Today
“Great with sensual scenes, Scott escapes the cliché of a masterful male taming a ‘wildcat’ woman; instead, Fin and Catriona learn to communicate and compromise in this solid romantic adventure.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ms. Scott is a master of the Scottish romance. Her heroes are strong men with an admirable honor code. Her heroines are strong-willed… This was an entertaining romance with enjoyable characters. Recommended.”
—FreshFiction.com
“One of the more accomplished and honored romance novelists writing today… If you are one of Scott’s fans, you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss this… If you haven’t read Scott before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how she uses her knowledge of Scottish history to weave an engrossing and sexy story.”
—TheCalifornian.com
“Deliciously sexy… a rare treat of a read… Highland Master is an entertaining adventure for lovers of historical romance.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“Passion, swordplay, and exemplary research of the era.”
—Sacramento Bee
“Fast-paced… dynamic… Amanda Scott proves once again she is the Highland Master when it comes to a thrilling tale starring Scottish Knights.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Hot… There’s plenty of action and adventure… Amanda Scott has an excellent command of the history of medieval Scotland—she knows her clan battles and border wars, and she’s not afraid to use detail to add realism to her story.”
—All About Romance
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Scott demonstrates her incredible skills by crafting an exciting story replete with adventure and realistic, passionate characters who reach out and grab you… Historical romance doesn’t get much better than this!”
—RT Book Reviews
“A descriptive and intriguing novel… Scott’s characters are most definitely memorable.”
—Rundpinne.com
“Captivates the reader from the first page… Another brilliant story filled with romance and intrigue that will leave readers thrilled until the very end.”
—SingleTitles.com
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Tautly written… passionate… Scott’s wonderful book is steeped in Scottish Border history and populated by characters who jump off the pages and grab your attention… Captivating!”
—RT Book Reviews
“Another excellent novel from Amanda Scott, who just keeps producing one fine story after another.”
—RomanceReviewsMag.com
“Readers fascinated with history… will love Ms. Scott’s newest tale… leaves readers clamoring for the story of Mairi’s sister in Tempted by a Warrior.”
—FreshFiction.com
“4½ Stars! TOP PICK! Scott has crafted another phenomenal story. The characters jump off the page and the politics and treachery inherent in the plot suck you into life on the Borders from page one. This is the finest in historical romance.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[Scott] instills life and passion in her memorable characters… Few writers have come close to equaling her highly creative and entertaining stories.”
—ClanMalcolm.com
“Fascinating… fourteenth-century Scotland’s rich history comes alive in this romantic novel full of intrigue.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Scott creates a lovely, complex cast.”
—Publishers Weekly
Falkland Castle, Scotland, 27 March 1402
The man she saw lying awkwardly on the dirt floor was unnaturally thin, little more than skin and bones. Even so, she could sense his pain. She sensed, too, that his parched, dry skin felt too tight for his body. His once silky, fair, shoulder-length hair was straw stiff and dull from grime and lack of nutrients.
He lay curled on one side, as if he had sought to return to his mother’s womb or felt pain in his stomach. One thin arm stretched outward, palm open, to catch cornmeal drifting down on pale beams of light that slipped through narrow spaces between planks of the mill floor high above him. The meal looked like ordinary dust motes dancing in ordinary moonbeams.
Since her view of the scene seemed to emerge from a surrounding black cloud, she was unsure of how she knew about the mill. But she was certain of its presence and certain that the drifting motes were cornmeal, not dust.
Even as that thought passed through her mind, she recognized a stronger perception that could not be hers and must be the man’s own vague awareness of meal in his open palm that he lacked strength to bring to his mouth.
His frustration seemed to add force to his thoughts, making them easier for her to discern. He was as good as telling her that he lacked even strength or will enough to lick his lips, which also bore a coating of meal. It had kept him alive for what he reckoned must be more than a fortnight now. His guards had given him water only twice. But he had known better than to trust those who had imprisoned him, and made each drop last as long as he could.
Almost wryly, he told himself that if he survived this ordeal—if a friend learned of his peril and summoned aid to him before it was too late—right after he hanged his fiendish uncle and the Douglas, he would order the royal dungeons altered. To see sunlight and moonlight only when filtered through corn dust and wood planking was more torturous than never to see light at all.
She knew that it was already too late. He lacked even the strength to acknowledge the pain in his shrunken gut anymore.
As that thought drifted through his mind… or hers… or both together… blackness followed. The last of his pain disappeared, and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks.
Sitting bolt upright to find herself alone and shaking in the familiar darkness of her bedchamber in St. John’s Town of Perth, her tears still streaming, she knew that what she had seen was no nightmare but a truth that she dared speak to no one.
Davy Stewart, the heir to Scotland’s throne, had just died.
Stirling Castle, late February 1403
The English ambassador disapproved of his mission and had from the instant he’d understood its goal. However, it was no business of his to express his opinions to heads of state, not to his own and certainly not to Scotland’s Duke of Albany, who eyed him now across the large table Albany used as a desk in his audience chamber.
Clad elegantly in black, the sixty-two-year-old duke stood second in line for Scotland’s throne. He had, in fact, due to one cause or another, ruled Scotland as regent—or Governor, as the Scots called it—for many years, occasionally even when, as now, he lacked any titular right to do so.
Although his still-dark hair contained increasingly more silver, Albany was as politically astute as ever, and as ruthless.
Having long negotiated secretly with him for Henry IV of England, the ambassador knew that the duke possessed a quick, intelligent mind and was cold-blooded, unpredictable, and skilled in wielding his authority. His usual tone was chilly, but he could be affable if it served his purpose. Above all, he was a man with a deep understanding of power who did all he could to increase his own.
“You will need a royal safe-conduct for your return,” Albany said abruptly.
Reflecting on the fact that the duke had already kept him kicking his heels for a fortnight, the ambassador wondered if his safe-conduct had become an issue.
Warily, he said, “Although our countries enjoy a rare truce, my lord, one does feel safer passing through your Borders with a safe-conduct than without one. However… Pray forgive me, sir. But as his grace, the King, is away…”
When Albany frowned, the ambassador paused again, hoping he’d made his point. After Davy Stewart’s death, many having suspected Albany’s hand in it, the Scottish King and Parliament had refused to name him Governor again.
Albany had waited barely two months before demanding that the King summon his lords again and order them to do so. His grace had submitted, as usual, to Albany’s stronger will and ordered Parliament to meet directly after Easter. But would its ever-unpredictable lords submit as easily to the duke’s demands?
“No one will dare doubt the validity of a safe-conduct bearing my signature,” Albany said flatly. “Now, I’m sure you’ve arranged the details of that matter we discussed before and have everything in train.”
“Yes, my lord,” the ambassador said. “As I said when last we met, we require only the name of the—”
“I received that information yestereve,” Albany interjected curtly, reminding him that the duke also had a passion for secrecy. “Recall that you must not act as intermediary.”
“Indeed, my lord. I shall employ the courier who acted for his… um… for us before. One assumes that the promises we made about the cargo…”
Again, diplomatically, he paused.
“I care only about matters on which your master and I have agreed and not a whit about promises to his minions or about the cargo,” Albany said. “So, unless you have more we must discuss, our business is done. Collect your safe-conduct from my steward as you leave.”
“With respect, my lord, you still have not given me the name I require.”
Albany did.
The Firth of Forth, Friday, March 16
Nineteen-year-old Lady Alyson MacGillivray grasped the urgent fingers clutching her arm and tried to pry them loose, saying, “Prithee, calm yourself, Ciara. If this ship sinks, clinging to me will avail you naught.”
“Mayhap it will not, m’lady,” her middle-aged attire woman said, still gripping her hard enough to leave bruises. “But if this horrid ship drops off another o’ these giant waves as it did afore, mayhap neither o’ us will fly into yon wall again.”
Alyson did not reply at once, having noted that, although the huge vessel still rocked on the heaving waters of the firth, the noises it made had changed. The wind still howled. However, the awful creaks and screeches that had made Ciara fear aloud—and Alyson silently—that the ship would shake itself apart had eased.
“We’re slowing,” Alyson said.
The cabin door opened without warning, and Niall Clyne, Alyson’s husband of two and a half months, filled the opening. He was a handsome, fair-haired, blue-eyed man of mild temperament, whom she’d known for most of her life. He ducked as he entered, to avoid banging his head against the low lintel.
Alyson saw at once that he looked wary.
“Put out that lantern, Allie,” he said. “We must show no light aboard now.”
“Who would see it?” Alyson asked reasonably. “That tiny window—”
“Porthole,” Niall said.
“—is shuttered,” she continued. “Little light would show through it in any event. Surely, on such a dark night—”
“Just put it out,” he said. “It isn’t safe to keep a flame here in such weather.”
Ciara protested, “Sir, please, it be scarifying enough in this place with light! Forbye, in such weather, we ought never tae ha’ left Leith Harbor! Men did say—”
“An overturned lantern would quickly start a fire,” Niall interjected. “And, with no way to escape, a fire at sea would be even more terrifying than one on land.”
“But—”
“Hush, Ciara,” Alyson said, watching Niall. Although the order he’d given was sensible, she was as sure as she could be that he was relaying it from someone else. Without moving to put out the lantern, and glad that Ciara had released her arm when the door opened, she said to Niall, “We have stopped, have we not?”
“Aye, or nearly, for we’ve dropped two of our anchors,” he said. “But you must put out that light, lass. Even the storm lights on deck are dark now.”
“So we don’t want to be seen,” Alyson said. “But who would see us?”
“That is not for you to know.”
“Do you know?” she asked. “Or is your friend Sir Mungo keeping secrets from you as well as from us?”
With audible strain in his voice, Niall said, “You must call him ‘Sir Kentigern,’ Alyson. His friends call him Mungo, because that’s what friends often do call a man named Kentigern. But he is not Sir Mungo to anyone.”
“I keep forgetting,” she said calmly. “Sir Kentigern is such a lot to say. But you do not answer my question. Do you know why we have stopped?”
“I do not,” he said. “I ken only that they’ve sent a coble ashore with six oarsmen to row it. Now, will you put out that light, or must I?”
“I’ll do it. Good night, Niall.”
“Good night, my lady.” Evidently, he trusted her, because he left then and shut the door.
Ciara waited only until he had done so to say with panic in her voice, “Ye’ll no put that light out, m’lady, I prithee! ’Twould be dark as a tomb in here!”
“Do you want Sir Kentigern to come down here?” Alyson asked.
“Nay, I do not,” Ciara said. “For all that he may be the master’s friend, I dinna like him.”
“Nor do I,” Alyson said, careful not to reveal the understatement of those three words in her tone. “Lie down on yon shelf bed now and try to sleep when I put out the light. I shan’t need you to undress me.”
“I ken fine that I shouldna sleep in your bed,” Ciara said. “But I’ll take it and thank ye, because get in that hammock and let this storm-tossed ship fling me about with every motion, I will not!”
“Hush now, Ciara. Take advantage of this respite and try to sleep.”
Why, though, Alyson wondered, were they stopping?
They had left Edinburgh’s Leith Harbor at dusk, Sir Kentigern “Mungo” Lyle having insisted they could wait no longer. Mungo was secretary to the Earl of Orkney, whom Niall also served. It was on business of Orkney’s that the men were sailing to France, and since they could be away for months, Niall had agreed to take Alyson with him. Mungo had not concealed his disapproval when they’d met him at the harbor. But Niall’s insistence that he could not send Alyson all the way home to Perth, alone, had been enough. Whether it would satisfy Orkney when he learned that she was with them remained to be seen.
Alyson had met the earl, who was a few years her senior, several times. As the wealthiest nobleman in Scotland, and one of the most powerful, Orkney knew his worth. But he was not nearly as puffed up in his own esteem as Mungo was in his.
But Mungo had doubtless meant only to please the earl by hastening their departure. Storms had delayed and battered their ship, the Maryenknyght, on her voyage from France with her cargo of French wines. Then men had to load the return cargo, and the ship’s captain took two more days to make hasty repairs.
But now, whatever was occurring on deck…
“I am going up to see what’s happening,” Alyson told Ciara. “Prithee, do not argue or fling yourself into a fret, because you won’t dissuade me. We are where we are, but I want to know where that is and what they’re doing on deck.”
“Prithee, m’lady—”
“We can judge our danger better if we have information, Ciara. So just be patient and try to sleep. I’ll hold this lantern until you are safe on that bed but no longer, lest Mungo come down and dare to look in on us.”
If he did come down, he would likely run into her on her way up. But Alyson doubted that Ciara would think of that. Ciara was concerned with her own safety, which was reasonable but irrelevant when one could do naught to ensure it.
Ciara eyed her mistress measuringly. Although she had served Alyson only since her wedding, she evidently knew her well enough to see that further debate was useless, because she quickly unlaced and doffed her kirtle. Then, lying on the narrow bed in her flannel shift, she pulled the quilt over her, gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and nodded for Alyson to put out the light.
Alyson donned her fur-lined, hooded cloak and snugly fitting gloves, then blew out the lantern and found its hook on the wall. Hanging the lantern carefully, she felt for the door latch and raised it, hoping she would not be so unfortunate as to meet anyone before seeing what there was to see.
The cabin door opened onto a narrow, damp passageway ending at a ladder that stretched to the deck. The ship’s hold lay below, no longer containing wine casks but roped piles of untanned hides and bales of sheared wool going to France. That cargo was noisome enough already to fill the passageway with pungent odors.
Wrinkling her nose but relieved to see faint light coming through the open hatchway, Alyson raised her skirts with her left hand, touched one wall with her right for balance, and moved toward the ladder.
Its rungs were flat on top and the ladder just seven feet or so to the hatchway, but ascending it in skirts was awkward. A wooden rail aided her when she climbed high enough to reach it, and she emerged in an area between the shipmaster’s forecastle cabin and a second, smaller one.
The wind was thunderous. But the hatchway, recessed between the two cabins, sheltered Alyson from the worst of it. The hatch cover was up, strapped against the cabin on her left as she faced the stern.
She wondered if it had been so all along or if Niall had opened the hatch and left it so. Surely, it should stay shut to keep the angry sea from spilling into the passageway, the two tiny lower cabins, and the vast hold below.
Above her, black clouds scudded across the night sky. Gaps between them briefly revealed twinkling stars overhead and a crescent moon rising above the open sea to her right amidst flying clouds. Those clouds seemed to whip above, across, and below the moon in a wild, erratic dance.
Since Edinburgh was behind her, she knew she must be facing east. The ship’s prow therefore pointed southward, so they were at the mouth of the Firth of Forth.
Looking aft but still to her right, she saw moonlight playing on glossy black mountains of ocean. To her left, she discerned the firth’s south coast where dots of light twinkled in the distance—perhaps the lights of North Berwick.
When she stepped forward to look due south past the master’s cabin, she had to hold her hood against the whipping wind. But the view astonished her.
At no great distance beyond the ship’s rail, sporadic moonlight revealed a precipitous rock formation looming above tumultuous waves that broke around it in frothy, silver-laced skirts wherever the moonlight touched them.
She could hear that crashing surf despite the howling wind.
Surely, she thought, no boat could land there. But why stop if not to send one ashore or wait for one coming to them? Stepping back into the deep shadows of the alcove between the two cabins, she continued to watch.
Shadowy figures moved on deck, but no one challenged her.
Not long afterward, through the darkness, she saw a boat, a coble, plunging toward them through the waves. In a patch of moonlight, she saw that it was full of people. At least two were small enough to be children.
Not far away, unbeknownst to anyone aboard the Maryenknyght, a smaller ship more nearly akin to a Highland galley than to the merchantman rode the heaving seas. Sir Jacob Maxwell, the Sea Wolf’s captain, kept his gaze fixed on the much larger ship. When its sail had come down as it passed North Berwick, he’d suspected the ship was the one he sought. When it dropped anchors off the massive, nearly unapproachable formation known as the Bass Rock, he was sure of it.
The wind blew from the northeast quarter. The merchantman had anchored well away from the rock and with its prow facing southeastward. Thus its leeward length sheltered its steerboard side when it lowered a boat.
“Be that our quarry, sir?” his helmsman, Coll, asked in Gaelic.
“It must be, aye,” Jake replied in that language.
Although born in Nithsdale, near the Borders, Jake had spent two-thirds of his life on ships. Much of it he’d spent in the Isles, so he believed he was nearly as much a Highlander as his helmsman was. Moreover, most of his men spoke only Gaelic, so most conversation aboard was in that language.
“I cannot make out her flag in this darkness,” Coll said.
“She is the Maryenknyght out of Danzig,” Jake said. “She was flying a French flag when she entered Leith Harbor, and I’d wager she flew that flag when she departed. However, it could be some other flag now.”
He did not add that the Maryenknyght belonged to young Henry Sinclair, second Earl of Orkney. Nor did he mention that Henry had ordered the ship to Edinburgh for this particular, hopefully secret, purpose.
Orkney owned more ships than anyone else in Scotland. But he had not wanted to use one that others would easily recognize as his. Thus had the Maryenknyght made what Jake knew was her first voyage to Scotland.
For a fortnight, he’d kept a man posted at Leith to watch for the ship, harboring his Sea Wolf at a smaller, less frequented site on the firth’s north coast. However, he had learned the Maryenknyght’s name and intended time of departure only that afternoon. Glancing at his helmsman, he knew that Coll was bursting with curiosity, although his expression revealed none.
Looking back at the Maryenknyght, Jake said, “The coble’s returning.”
“I don’t envy them climbing up that hulk in these seas,” Coll muttered.
Jake realized he was holding his breath as he watched the first of the coble’s occupants, clearly its steersman, prepare to climb a rope ladder to the ship’s deck.
Exhaling, Jake forced himself to breathe normally.
One of the six oarsmen caught the ladder’s end while his two comrades on that side did their best to keep the coble from banging against the ship. Meanwhile, fierce winds and incoming waves tried to push ship and coble back to Edinburgh.
“By my soul,” Coll muttered when the steersman had reached the deck and a second, much smaller passenger gripped the ladder. “That be a bairn, Cap’n Jake! What madness goes on here?”
Jake did not answer. His attention riveted to the lad, he felt his pulse hammering in his neck, as if his heart had leaped into his throat.
“Sakes, look at him,” Coll breathed. “He’s going up that ladder as deftly as ye might yourself, sir.”
“I suspect that after being lowered in a basket to a plunging boat from halfway up the sheerest face of Bass Rock, as I heard they would be, climbing a rope ladder must seem easy,” Jake said.
“On a night like this?” Coll exclaimed. “Who the devil would be crazy enough to order such a thing?”
“His grace, the King,” Jake replied.
Aware of Coll’s stunned silence, Jake watched the second lad climb the ladder as lithely as the first. Returning his gaze to the coble to see a tall, slender man grab the ladder next, he felt his jaw tighten again.
Having counted the men in the boat, he knew that this one had to be Henry of Orkney. Jake had known him almost from Henry’s birth and liked him. He did not want the wicked weather to plunge the earl into the ice-cold sea, where he might drown before others could reach him.
However, Henry could swim. And Henry was not Jake’s first priority.
“Am I to know who those lads be, sir?” Coll asked.
Jake hesitated. But he had known Coll for over a decade and trusted him. Moreover, they’d be following the Maryenknyght to her destination. And accidents happened, even to men who had lived their lives aboard ships. If aught happened to him, Coll should understand the exact nature of their mission.
Knowing that the wind would blow his words away before they reached ears other than Coll’s, and that the men were heeding their oars, Jake leaned nearer and said, “Wardlaw said nowt to me in St. Andrews about any second lad, Coll. But one of those two lads will inherit the Scottish Crown.”
In the uncertain moonlight, he saw Coll’s eyes widen. “Jamie Stewart?”
“Aye, sure, for since Davy Stewart’s death—”
“Sakes, sir, that were a year ago!”
“It was, aye. But whilst Davy’s death was still new, James was safe at St. Andrews Castle under Bishop Wardlaw’s guardianship. Forbye, after Parliament proclaimed Davy’s death an accident instead of the murder we all know it was, his grace began to fear for Jamie’s life, too.”
“That explains why the lad has been missing these two months and more,” Coll said. “But how could they have survived so long atop that rock?”
“There is an ancient castle built into it about halfway up.”
“Ye be jesting, sir. Nae one could build a castle there.”
“Believe it,” Jake said. “Sithee, Coll, when his grace recognized the threat to Jamie, he decided to send him to our ally, the King of France, for safety.”
“Aye, well, ye need not tell me who his grace fears might harm the lad,” Coll said with a grunt. “Only one man can be sure to benefit from such, and that be his murderous uncle, the Duke of Albany. But if aught happened to the laddie, would not the country rise in fury against Albany afore he could seize the throne?”
“Likely they would have, had Jamie died last year soon after Davy,” Jake agreed. “But he did not. Recall, too, that folks expected Parl. . .
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