Alasdhair. His nameâthe name she hadnât allowed herself to think, never mind say, for fear of the pain it causedâshimmered into her mind.
Her Alasdhair, heâd been once. Fleetingly.
Somehow, Ailsa found the courage to step through the gate and into his presence. It were better they get this over now, with no one else around. It had to be done. The pain would ease after this, as it did when a wound was lanced.
âAlasdhair?â
Pain, pure and bright as the sharpest needle, pierced him.
Ailsa.
She sounded different. Her voice was older, of course, and lowerâhusky rather than musicalâbut heâd recognise her anywhere.
âAilsa.â Her name felt rusty with disuse. His voice sounded hoarse.
They stared silently at each other. Six long years. They stood as if set in amber, drinking in the changes the years had wrought â¦
Highland Scots have a long and successful history of emigration to North America. Jacobites on the run, impoverished lairds and dispossessed crofters alike sought fame and fortune in the New World in their droves during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in a bid to escape persecution or poverty. Some failed, some returned home, but many, like Alasdhair my hero, carved out a very successful life for themselves.
At the same time entrepreneurial Glaswegian merchants were taking advantage of the favourable Trade Winds to cross the Atlantic quicker than their English counterparts. Their clippers laden with consumer goods difficult to obtain in the New World, these canny Scots willingly granted the plantation owners credit with which to buy their goodsâsomething their English counterparts were reluctant to do. Returning with a cargo of tobacco (and, sadly, in many cases slaves), the Tobacco Lords, as they came to be known, became rich on the proceeds, and by the middle of the eighteenth century completely dominated the trade. It was a logical step for plantation owners such as Alasdhair to enter into a business deal with these distributors, ensuring the best price for his own produce. It was actually the research I did for an article about Glasgowâs Merchant City, home of the Tobacco Lords, which planted the seed for Alasdhairâs story.
As a historian and writer of historical romances, authenticity matters a lot to me. As a Scot, evoking the true ambience of the Highlands is also something Iâm passionate about. Though Errin Mhor, where this story is set, doesnât actually exist, I know exactly where it is: on the west coast, near Oban. All the surrounding places mentioned in Alasdhair and Ailsaâs story are real places in my native Argyll. The Tigh an Truish, a droversâ inn on the Isle of Seil, so called because it was where Highlanders going any further south swapped their plaids for trews, is still there today, as are many of the little ferry and droversâ inns which would have provided my hero and heroine with shelter on their journey. They visit Inverary at the time the present-day castle was being built. In order to secure the view, the Duke of Argyll really did have the original fishing village âmovedâ a few hundred yards along the banks of Loch Fyne, where the town, with its Palladian frontage, remains to this day.
If you visit Argyll you wonât find Errin Mhor, but I hope that youâll discover for yourself the essence of it, which is far more beautiful than anything I could ever describe.
Born and educated in Scotland, MARGUERITE KAYE originally qualified as a lawyer but chose not to practiseâa decision which was a relief both to her and to the Scottish legal establishment. While carving out a successful career in IT, she occupied herself with her twin passions of studying history and reading, picking up first-class honours and a Masters degree along the way.
The course of her life changed dramatically when she found her soul mate. After an idyllic year out, spent travelling round the Mediterranean, Marguerite decided to take the plunge and pursue her life-long ambition to write for a living.
Marguerite has published history and travel articles, as well as short stories, but romances are her passion. Marguerite describes Georgette Heyer and Doris Day as her biggest early influences, and her partner as her inspiration.
Marguerite would love to hear from you. You can contact her at: [email protected]
Previous novels by the same author:
THE WICKED LORD RASENBY
THE RAKE AND THE HEIRESS INNOCENT IN THE SHEIKHâS HAREM (part of Summer Sheikhs anthology) THE GOVERNESS AND THE SHEIKH THE HIGHLANDERâS REDEMPTION*
*Highland Brides
and in Mills & Boon>® Historical Undone! eBooks:
THE CAPTAINâS WICKED WAGER
THE HIGHLANDER AND THE SEA SIREN BITTEN BY DESIRE TEMPTATION IS THE NIGHT CLAIMED BY THE WOLF PRINCE BOUND TO THE WOLF PRINCE THE HIGHLANDER AND THE WOLF PRINCESS THE SHEIKHâS IMPETUOUS LOVE-SLAVE
For J, my own Highland hero! Again. And again.
And always. Just love.
The Highlands, ScotlandâSummer 1742