Eliza Knight's Blog, page 18

This Week in History: 9/28 - 10/4

Time for your weekly history lesson!What happened this week in Scottish history?



September 28, 1396: After a failed attempt to assuage a feud between clans, between clans Chattan and Kay, a staged battle was planned on the North Inch, Dundee & Perth, called "Battle of the Clans” (possibly by Sir David de Lindsay) which happened in front of King Robert III and his wife, Annabella. The battle resulted in many deaths, and Clan Chattan was the victor.
September 29, 1621: Sir William Alexander of Menstrie was granted a charter to colonize Nova Scotia.
September 30, 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming, bornin Ayrshire, Scotland and working as a  Professor of Bacteriology at St. Mary's Hospital in London, announces his discovery of penicillin—an introduction to antibiotics and treatment for infections for which there had been no treatment before.
October 1, 1763: The contract was signed to build the North Bridge in Edinburgh, linking the "old town" to the "new town". 
October 2, 1263: The Battle of Largs. The Vikings invading Scotland were defeated.
October 3, 1357: The Treaty of Berwick was signed, which freed King David II from the English who had imprisoned him.
October 4, 1883: Sir William Alexander Smith, a Sunday School teacher and an army officer founded The Boys Brigade was established in Glasgow. It was the first uniformed youth organization in the world, and is now in 60 different countries. The mission of the brigade: “the advancement of God's Kingdom among boys and the promotion of habits of reverence, discipline, self-respect, and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness”.

The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin -- Interview, Giveaway and Review

The Beautiful American by Jeanne MackinPublication Date: June 3, 2014
NAL/Penguin Group
Formats: eBook, Paperback, Audio
352 Pages
 Genre: Historical Fiction

     

As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing sixteen-year-old daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter's life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.

Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920's Paris, when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee's magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever. Will Nora's reunion with Lee give them a chance to forgive past betrayals, and break years of silence?

A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional woman.

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PRAISE"Will transport you to expat Paris." - Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist

"A brilliant, beautifully written literary masterpiece" - Sandra Dallas, author of Fallen Women

"Leaves its essence of love, loss, regret and hope long after the novel concludes." - Erika Robuck, author of Fallen Beauty

"Achingly beautiful and utterly mesmerizing...her vividly drawn characters...come heartbreakingly alive in their obsessions, tragedies and triumphs" - Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France 

"From Poughkeepsie to Paris, from the razzmatazz of the twenties to the turmoil of World War Two and the perfume factories of Grasse, Mackin draws you into the world of expatriate artists and photographers and tells a story of love, betrayal, survival and friendship...an engaging and unforgettable novel" - Renee Rosen, author Doll Face

MY REVIEWThe Beautiful American is quite simply, beautifully written. It is an eye-opening book not only into the elegant, mysterious and wild life of famous model, actress, photographer and war correspondent, Lee Miller, but also the lives of Pablo Picasso, Man Ray and many other famous friends Miller kept. She expertly painted with words the visuals of their work--and I looked because I had to see them for myself!

We see Lee through the eyes of Nora Tours, starting from childhood until the time of Lee's death. I enjoyed Mackin's cleverness in creating a character that paralleled Lee's life. Nora and Lee are almost opposites. Lee is outspoken, adventurous, a risk-taker. Nora is more subdued, often sticks to the sidelines and holds back. But we do see her step out of her shell from time to time. She is a vibrant, loving and deep character. Even when Nora should hate Lee, she can't. There is too much that ties them together. Forgiveness is a major theme in this novel. Forgiveness of parents, self, strangers, friends, lovers.

The novel is stunning look into the lives of Americans and Europeans before the war, during and in the wake of disaster. The suffering, the heartache, the joy. All of it. Mackin has brought to life an extensive time period in sweeping artistic strokes. She brings to light the very real and difficult topic of rape. How women's bodies were used as commodities, and that even children were not safe from predators, before, during and after the war.

Have you ever seen a picture of a delicious meal, and you can almost taste it? Mackin does the same with scent. Be prepared for your olfactory sense to be stimulated. My nose is still tingling. I don't think I will view scents the same way again. I think I may, in fact, have taken scents for granted. I remember with each of my children, when they were born, the scent of their hair, their skin and that I could breathe it in for hours. The same ways, I love the scent of puppy breath, freshly baked bread, my sheets, my house, outside when it rains. When I think of scents, there are some that take me back. Good places, bad, happy, sad. I really enjoyed that Nora thought in scent. Every emotion, every place, every event, it all had a scent.

I fell in love with the characters, hugged Nora and Dahlia to my hearts like they were my own. I suffered and endured right along with them. The good friends and loves she had and lost. The personal victories. I hoped, I dreamed, I cried, I smiled, I railed, I triumphed. Mackin has penned such a beautiful tale that will remain with me for a long time, and I will be eagerly searching out her other books.


AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHORI was thrilled to have a chance to read The Beautiful American and to ask the author a few questions regarding her novel! Enjoy!

Tell us how you came up with the idea for your novel? I've seen a lot of WWII era novels, but this is very unique in the heroine searching for her missing daughter.
Ever since I began writing fiction, many years ago, in the back of the mind was a plan to some day write a novel about World War II.  My father fought in that war, and I know it changed him, and it changed how he felt about his family, how he felt about the world. His war experiences became  a large part of our family dynamic.  So I knew that when I wrote my novel about the war, it wouldn’t be about battles, but about what happens to the women and children who live through the war and suffer it in their own unique ways. So many families were torn apart; so many children went missing.   That became part of Nora’s story
I love that you have such strong and independent women in your book.  Who/what inspired you to write Nora's character?
I have a strong preference for strong women, women who refuse to be passive or victimized or secondary.  Nora loses the father who loves her,  spends years alone with a mother who is too self-absorbed to really love anyone else, and then the boy who is the love of her life turns out to be..Well, I won’t say, and give too much away. But at each turn, at each challenge, Nora gets her emotional footing back, goes on and refuses to surrender.   A friend said once that my novels are so “Damn life affirming!”  and they are; they are meant to be. What’s the point of giving  up? It certainly doesn’t make a good story.  When we give up, we stop learning, we stop experiencing life fully, and those two things are the only reasons to be alive.
Have you lived overseas? Just curious, since your heroines Nora and Lee, both Americans, end up living in Europe.
I’ve traveled quite a bit and visited Paris many times.  I lived in Rome once for half a year.  There’s a large part of me that is most at home in an ancient city, with cobbled streets, medieval churches,  old buildings.  Here in the states I live in the country, surrounded by green hills and, in winter, beautiful landscapes of snow, and that pleases me, too, but every once in a while I just need to walk on very old streets and let myself by surrounded by history.
What sort of research went into writing this novel? What did you do to get into Lee's mind? Did you visit any of her exhibitions?
My fictional version of the very real Lee Miller began in my imagination many years ago, when my best friend was a photographer.  I’m not a very visual person, and it was completely enlightening to me, to see how differently visual people exist in the world, always seeing it in terms of shots and frames, color, shadow, tones, lines.  What my friend taught me about photography turned up in Lee’s imagination and in what she says.  There are also several good biographies of Lee that include many of her photographs – photographs of her as a model,  as well as the  photographs she took when she became a photojournalist and artist.  I studied the photos, tried to imagine her state of mind when she took them. She could very playful and made lots of visual puns. She could also be completely fearless and require people looking at the photographs to be fearless.
 Most authors find they connect very emotionally with their characters. Because of the research subject matter, did you have to take breaks from the book?
I wanted to, but I wouldn’t let myself.  When I write a novel, I am living it in my head as I go along, and to take a break means to let myself  have relief from whatever my characters are experiencing..  And that, I think, would make it less authentic. So, yes, sometimes I cry a little when I write.  Sometimes I get a little depressed or hopeless over the state of the world and the things that happen in it. But sometimes I laugh, too.  It was difficult to read and think about the rape of Lee when she was such a tiny little girl,  that was perhaps the hardest part of the story for me, but I had to be able to be there with her, to experience it in my imagination, so that her character would evolve from that event.  I found myself disassociating, which I think Lee must have done as well.  I had to figure out how to move on from that, as she did. 
What is next for you?
I just published a new novel A Lady of Good Family, about a Gilded Age woman who decides to become a professional landscape designer…the first in this country.  Beatrix Farrand was a real woman (as was Lee – I like to start with true history) who refused to be conventional yet somehow managed to remain well thought of by her peers. Better than well thought of!  Now, I’m working on a novel set again in Paris before World War II, about a very intense rivalry between two fashion designers.

Thanks for letting me visit with you!  Happy reading!

ABOUT THE AUTHORJeanne Mackinís novel, The Beautiful American (New American Library), based on the life of photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller, received the 2014 CNY award for fiction. Her other novels include A Lady of Good Family, about gilded age personality Beatrix Farrand, The Sweet By and By, about nineteenth century spiritualist Maggie Fox, Dreams of Empire set in Napoleonic Egypt, The Queenís War, about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and The Frenchwoman, set in revolutionary France and the Pennsylvania wilderness.

Jeanne Mackin is also the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications) and co-editor of The Book of Love (W.W. Norton.) She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and a keynote speaker for The Dickens Fellowship. Her work in journalism won awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C. She has taught or conducted workshops in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and at Goddard College in Vermont.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

GIVEAWAYTo enter to win a paperback copy of The Beautiful American, please enter via the GLEAM form below. Rules: Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Only one entry per household. All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion ñ Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. The Beautiful American

SPOTLIGHT! Josette by Kathleen Bittner Roth

I'm so pleased to present my good friend, and History Undressed's regular 1st Tuesday blogger, Kathleen Bittner Roth's new release! Josette is out now!

JOSETTEWhen Hearts DareBook Three
Across the oceans, between worlds old and new—two lost souls find themselves at a crossroads. Josette LeBlanc left behind her poverty-stricken life in a Louisiana bayou after marrying the wealthiest man in New Orleans. Now a widow living in luxury, Josette should have it all. Nothing could be further from the truth. Polite society's scorn has forced her into a lonely existence. When a wayward niece overwhelms Josette, she grudgingly turns to someone she once adored—the man she believes to be the girl's father.Wealthy shipping magnate Cameron Andrews possesses everything a man could want, but tragedy shrouded his heart in darkness. He has every intention of escaping a life more suffocating than the sultry heat of the French Quarter. Fate, however, has something else in mind when a precocious young girl storms into his life claiming to be his daughter. Not only is the girl a Cajun raised in the bayou backwaters, she is also the granddaughter of a wicked voodoo priestess.Like a rose bush filled with prickly thorns, an unwanted attraction blossoms between Josette and Cameron. While denying the passion that sparks between them, their verbal sparring heats their blood as nothing ever has, but treacherous forces are at work. Soon, Josette and Cameron are caught in a tangled web of passion and betrayal that could cost Cameron his life.
Author: Kathleen Bittner RothRelease date: September 29, 2015Publisher: Kensington Publishing ™Excerpt: On Website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KoboA SHORT EXCERPT...
“Monsieur Andrews, welcome to my home.”At the smoky, velvet sound, Cameron swung around. Every function in his body—heart, breath, blood—ceased to function.She was lovely. More than lovely.Tendrils of raven hair framed a face so exquisite, it disarmed him. Her mouth, a soft, dewy pink, as though she’d pressed rose petals to her lips, parted. And those eyes, as dark as Creole coffee, intelligent and assessing, roamed over him and then back to take hold of his. But it was her complexion, as flawless as a newborn’s, and with a soft glow to it that mesmerized him, that made him want to step closer and stroke her skin.WATCH THE TRAILER!

Video of the Week: Women's Makeup Throughout History

Thanks again to another amazing Buzzfeed video!!! This week's fun clip, Women's Makeup Throughout History! Enjoy!

This Week in History 9/21 - 9/27

Time for your weekly history lesson!What happened this week in Tudor history?


September 21, 1561: Lady Katherine Grey gives birth to her son Edward Seymour while imprisoned in the Tower of London. (And if you want to read more about that, check out my novel, Prisoner of the Queen!)

September 22, 1515: Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's 4th wife, is born. Dubbed the "Flanders Mare" at Henry's court (by Henry himself), he divorced her very shortly after they were married. They remained friends the rest of his life, and he set her up with a house and a comfortable settlement.

September 23, 1513: Tournai fell to Henry VIII during is campaign in France. (Battle of Spurs)

September 24, 1486: Arthur, Princes of Wales, son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, is christened.

September 25, 1586: Mary Stuart, aka Mary Queen of Scots, is brought to Fotheringhay Castle, after being arrested the previous month by her cousin Elizabeth I for plotting her assassination.

September 26, 1580: Frances Drake, under orders from Elizabeth I, completes his circumnavigation of the world, sailing aboard his ship the Golden Hind. He returns to England, landing in Plymouth, in triumph.

September 27, 1501: Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife, who he set aside in order to marry Anne Boleyn, arrived in England to marry her first husband--Henry's older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales

Historical Fiction Review & Giveaway: The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie

The Sisters of Versailles (Mistresses of Versailles, Book One) by Sally ChristiePublication Date: September 1, 2015 Publisher: Atria Books/Simon & Schuster Formats: Ebook, Paperback
Pages: 432 ISBN-10: 1501102966
Genre: Historical Fiction

  READ AN EXCERPT

 
  
 A sumptuous and sensual tale of power, romance, family, and betrayal centered around four sisters and one King. Carefully researched and ornately detailed, The Sisters of Versailles is the first book in an exciting new historical fiction trilogy about King Louis XV, France's most "well-beloved" monarch, and the women who shared his heart and his bed.

Goodness, but sisters are a thing to fear.

Set against the lavish backdrop of the French Court in the early years of the 18th century, The Sisters of Versailles is the extraordinary tale of the five Nesle sisters: Louise, Pauline, Diane, Hortense, and Marie-Anne, four of whom became mistresses to King Louis XV. Their scandalous story is stranger than fiction but true in every shocking, amusing, and heartbreaking detail.

Court intriguers are beginning to sense that young King Louis XV, after seven years of marriage, is tiring of his Polish wife. The race is on to find a mistress for the royal bed as various factions put their best foot - and women - forward. The King's scheming ministers push Louise, the eldest of the aristocratic Nesle sisters, into the arms of the King. Over the following decade, the four sisters:sweet, naive Louise; ambitious Pauline; complacent Diane, and cunning Marie Anne, will conspire, betray, suffer, and triumph in a desperate fight for both love and power.

In the tradition of The Other Boleyn Girl, The Sisters of Versailles is a clever, intelligent, and absorbing novel that historical fiction fans will devour. Based on meticulous research on a group of women never before written about in English, Sally Christie's stunning debut is a complex exploration of power and sisterhood; of the admiration, competition, and even hatred that can coexist within a family when the stakes are high enough.

ADVANCE PRAISE"A stunning breadth of period detail, offered in a fresh, contemporary voice."  ~ Juliet Grey, author of the acclaimed Marie Antoinette trilogy

"Sally Christie's The Sisters of Versailles is an intriguing romp through Louis XV's France. Filled with lush backdrops, rich detail, and colorful characters, fans of historical fiction will enjoy this glimpse into the lost golden era of the French monarchy."~ Allison Pataki, author of The Accidental Empress
AMAZON US | AMAZON CAN | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKS-A-MILLION | CHAPTERS | ITUNES | INDIEBOUND | KOBO
MY REVIEWOkay, first off, I just have to say, "Oh my God, this book!"

When I was growing up, my grandparents lived in Paris, France. My first time visiting Versailles, I was nine years old, and it was that moment, standing in the grand courtyard and looking at the opulence of the grand palace, gold and flowers and carvings and statues everywhere, that I fell in love with history. I'd already been in love with royalty and castles as an avid fairy tale lover.

Every year that I went back, I visited Versailles, I ran through the marbled halls, twirled through the mirrored hall, smelled the flowers in the vast gardens, ran my fingers through the fountains, and I dreamed. Dreamed of what it was like to live there. Its been about a dozen years since my last trip, and I miss it terribly.

So... back to The Sisters of Versailles... This book allowed me to relive the castle. Full of scandal, intrigue, love--sororal love, treachery, sibling rivalry, I was completely riveted. Ms. Christie is not only a master story-teller, but she is a master at creating characters and staying true to them. Louise, Pauline, Marie-Anne, Diane, Hortense, they were ALL strongly alive in the novel. When I say "strongly alive", I mean that they literally popped off the page and played out before me in my living room. Each one of them was so different, and so fascinating, I was completely addicted.

I have two sisters, and I have three daughters, and one thing I've always remarked on is how so many different personalities can come from the same parentage. Well done, Ms. Christie!

But beyond all this, the actual telling of these five sisters is intriguing and fascinating in itself, especially because they were once real-life people. I know for a fact that the Mailly-Nesle will stay in my mind for a long time, and the next time I'm at Versailles, I will see their little smiles, and curtsies and their laughter and tears, their fears and excitement, dancing around me like ghosts of the past.

The author has a list of her research and resources on her website, which includes memoirs, and because I'm such a fan of reading historical non-fiction, I can't wait to dig into those, too!

Can't wait for more of Ms. Christie's work! Well done! Highly recommend!!!
GIVEAWAYLeave a comment for your chance to win a paperback copy of this book from the publisher! (Sorry, open to U.S. only). But because, I loved this book so much, I'm going to give away an ebook copy to TWO readers, open internationally.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR I'm a life-long history buff - and I mean life-long. One of the first adult books I read was Antonia Fraser's masterful Mary, Queen of Scots. Wow! That book just blew my little ten year old mind: something about the way it brought the past right back to life, made it live again on the page. I date my obsession with history to that time, but I'd been writing ("writing") ever since I was able to hold a pencil.

If you'd told my 12-year old self that I'd not be a writer when I grew up, I would have laughed you out of the tree house. With a few detours along the way, to work overseas in consulting and development, as well as to go to business school, I've finally come full circle to where I think I should be.

 I currently live in Toronto and when I'm not writing, I'm playing lots of tennis; doing random historical research (old census records are my favorite); playing Scrabble, and squirrel-watching (the room where I write has French doors leading out to a deck; I avidly follow, and feed, a scruffy gang).

For more information please visit Sally Christie's website. You can also find her on Goodreads and Pinterest.
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULEMonday, September 14
Review at Reading the Past

Tuesday, September 15
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Interview & Giveaway at Mina's Bookshelf

Wednesday, September 16
Review at Bookish

Thursday, September 17
Review at The Book Binder's Daughter

Friday, September 18
Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Review at History From a Woman's Perspective

Saturday, September 19
Spotlight at Romantic Historical Reviews

Monday, September 21
Review at Leeanna.me

Tuesday, September 22
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Wednesday, September 23
Review & Giveaway at History Undressed

Thursday, September 24
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Friday, September 25
Spotlight at Historical Readings & Views

Monday, September 28
Review & Giveaway at View From the Birdhouse

Tuesday, September 29
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Thursday, October 1
Review at Genre Queen
Review at book ramblings

Friday, October 2
Review at Curling Up By the Fire

Monday, October 5
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Tuesday, October 6
Review at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, October 7
Review at The Lit Bitch

Thursday, October 8
Interview & Giveaway at Reading Lark

Friday, October 9
Review & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession

Video of the Week! How to Put on a Kilt

Today's video of the week shows ye how to dress in a kilt :) Enjoy!

Excerpt Friday! Conquered by the Highlander by Eliza Knight

Happy Friday! Today's excerpt comes from my new novel, Conquered by the Highlander, the first in the new Stolen Brides spin-off series! I shared the prologue here a few months ago. Now how about a snippet from Chapter One? I hope you enjoy!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
A hero determined to have it all...
After losing his betrothed to a Lowlander, Laird Gabriel MacKinnon is charged with saving her cousin along with a brood of children from an impenetrable castle. Though, the lady he’s been tasked to protect has been accused of a heinous crime, Gabriel has no fear of her. In fact, he’s a little irritated at the prospect of delivering her to her kin. But this hardened, cold warrior just may find his heart melting, for the hellion brings out a passionate side he’d thought long buried.
A lady who will stop at nothing to see him fail...

Lady Brenna has had more than her share of hardships and when freedom looks to be on the brink of her horizon, she’s not about to let some moody Highlander take it all away. She’ll stop at nothing to keep her children safe—and to guard her heart—even though the warrior’s heated kiss threatens to change every vow she’s ever made and every belief about love she’s ever known.
EXCERPT:
LAIRD Gabriel “Wolf” MacKinnon was ready to kill someone.Anger sliced a path through his veins, coiling his muscles. A snarl curled his lips. He gripped his sword tight and circled the bastard standing in the center of the bailey. Ginger hair pulled back with a leather thong, the warrior even grinned a little, creases cutting his tanned cheeks. His dark eyes sparkled.Chief Lamont.Gabriel’s enemy.Overhead, the summer sun broke free of any clouds and shone on them with glee—as if the heavens themselves were laughing at Gabriel’s expense. Bloody hell.“How dare ye step foot on my land after what ye did. Either ye’re a damned fool or ye’ve got bloody ballocks of iron. If I were ye, I’d be preparing to meet my maker, ye whoreson!”Nearly a decade had passed since the filthy maggot had stolen his woman and Gabriel was still spitting mad.Lamont pulled his own sword from his scabbard, fury flaring in his eyes. Gabriel was glad the foolish grin had been wiped from his face.A dozen MacKinnons drew their weapons, leaping forward, but Gabriel warned them away. He would handle the bloody jackanapes on his own.“’Twas Montgomery’s doing and ye know it,” Lamont offered in defense of his actions.Gabriel shook his head with disgust. “Dinna lie, I can see it plain on your face.”“My wife fairs well, in case ye were wondering.”If that wasn’t Lamont’s attempt to goad Gabriel’s anger, he didn’t know what could be.The “Wolf” broke free and Gabriel let out a battle cry as he arched his sword bringing it down on Lamont, who, disappointingly, parried at the last second. The warrior was strong and their swords clashed, sparks flying. He held still, gripping on to Gabriel’s wrist as he stared him straight in the eye. Fury gone, replaced with something close to pleading.“I need to speak with ye, MacKinnon. We can fight later.”“What for?” Even the mention of her name sent his heart into aching spams. He’d fallen in love with Ceana Montgomery, sister to Laird Jamie Montgomery, eight years before and had been prepared to wed her when a deal had been brokered between the two bastard lairds and she’d been ripped from his arms. “Have ye come to gloat?”Gabriel didn’t wait for the man to answer, instead he leapt back and launched in to another attack. Anger blinding him to everything save revenge against the man who’d stolen away his bride.“Dammit, Wolf, cease this. I’ll not kill ye and Ceana would dismember me if I even injured ye.”“Ye’d better kill me, else I’ll slice ye at the neck here and now.” Holding his sword steady, Gabriel glanced back toward the keep briefly to be certain his mother had not come outside. There was no need for her to lay witness to his rage at their visitor and, even though he was laird, she’d feel obligated to make an attempt at breaking up their fray.They continued to circle one another, attacking, blocking, until sweat poured down their spines and over their brows. A crowd had discreetly grown around them, no one making a sound for fear they’d be turned away.Lamont ducked and twisted away. “Do ye think I’d travel so far simply to gloat? I’ve need of your help.”That gave Gabriel pause. He stopped his attack for a moment, but kept his sword pointed squarely at Lamont’s throat.“What is it? Is Ceana all right?” When he’d met her, she’d just been widowed, and happily so, given her marriage had not been a pleasant one. He’d loved her, wanted her, and then she’d been given away. He wanted to grab Lamont by his neck and shake him. To lift him off his feet and watch the breath dissipate from his body. “Ye’d better be making her happy.”Lamont smiled, a whimsical look that didn’t suit the fierce warrior. Blast it all, the arse was in love with her. Gabriel ground his teeth.“Ceana is well and happy. As am I.”Gabriel tightened his hold on the hilt of his sword. He didn’t want Lamont to be happy, but if the man wasn’t, that would mean that Ceana wasn’t either, and he knew how heartbroken she’d been when her brother had given her the news that he’d not honor Gabriel’s request for her hand. Hell, she’d sobbed on his shoulder for an hour and he’d been close to tears himself. But that was years ago and he’d not shed another tear for her loss, even if his heart had broken and never healed since.Sweat trickled over Lamont’s brow and he swiped it. “’Tis another matter I come to ye with.”“What?” Gabriel cracked his neck, loosening himself up for the next round of attack.“Ceana’s cousin, Lady Brenna MacLeod.”“The MacLeod’s wife?” MacLeod land bordered the west of the MacKinnon holding and they’d been allies until four years before when the old laird died and his son took over. Having a violent and vengeful nature, the new laird had made it his plan to seize all of the Isle of Skye for himself. Perhaps he’d had a taste for it since he was a lad of sixteen and married Brenna MacNeacail after murdering and seizing her clan’s castle and holding, which bordered MacKinnon land to the north.Gabriel had never seen Brenna himself, but he’d been told she was a frail little thing, barely more than the size of a child.“Aye. The MacNeacail’s wife, Amalie, was sister to Jamie and Ceana’s mother, making them cousins.”“What’s this got to do with me?”“We’ve heard about the trouble MacLeod has been giving ye.”“And?” Trouble it had been at first. A few cattle raids, a couple skirmishes along the road. They’d turned into more than just a nuisance when MacLeod had started ambushing their trading wagons, interrupting their markets and then pillaging villages.The MacKinnon holding to the east controlled access to Loch Alsh and the mainland, as well as the Sound, which led into the Minch and the surrounding seas. MacLeod land also bordered the Minch, but they’d not conquered all the MacDonald’s holdings whose access to the Sound of Sleet also fed to the mainland, though ships had to sail through the treacherous Minch. Having access to the narrow sound and loch to the mainland would have been a boon for the MacLeods and the only way to command it was for them to take control of MacKinnon lands. Which they’d not yet succeeded in doing. But not for lack of trying. Any day now, Gabriel expected a full on attack by the MacLeods.“We want ye to fight.” Lamont dug the tip of his sword into the ground.“Fight?”“Aye. Take on those MacLeod bastards.”“To what purpose?” Gabriel glanced at his men from the sides of his eyes and gave a little swipe of his hand. They started to back away, though they didn’t disperse completely.Lamont cocked his head and studied MacKinnon. “I think we both know to what purpose.”“I’ll not kill another laird. That will only be inviting every MacLeod to my doorstep itching for a fight.” The entire Isle of Lewis, thousands of warriors. Even the MacLeod holdings on the Isle of Skye vastly outnumbered his own.“Ye need not kill him, Wolf. Have ye not heard?”“Heard what?”Lamont raised his brows, seeming surprised that Gabriel was oblivious to whatever news he was about to impart.“Rumor has it, his wife’s done the deed herself. But now she and her wee ones are being held prisoner by the MacLeod’s younger brother. She managed to get a letter to Ceana begging for help.”Gabriel chewed on that bit of information. The wee lass had killed her husband? Must have done it in his sleep. A slip of a woman like that would be hard pressed to kill a mouse caught in a trap.“And?” Gabriel prompted, still not entirely sure what the hell it was that Lamont wanted.“The lass needs help.”Gabriel waited for him to say more, but he didn’t, leaving the space between them thick with unanswered questions. Gabriel let out a small groan. “Are ye expecting me to rescue her?”Lamont’s face lit up, as if he’d been hoping Gabriel would come to that conclusion and he wouldn’t have to actually make the suggestion himself. “And the wee ones. Their uncle has threatened to kill them and I wouldn’t put it past him. He needs them dead so he can be laird.”Lamont, after unmanning him, wanted to see him further emasculated by playing rescuer and nursemaid? “Nay. Not a chance.”Gabriel shook his head prepared to call over his guards to have Lamont tossed out of the gates on his ear.“Wolf, I beg ye. Ceana begs ye.”He ground his teeth again, the crunching noise it made music to his already pained ears. “Ye’re jesting.”“Not at all. I swear it.” Lamont crossed himself.Dammit! The man was serious. And Ceana wanted his help, too. Aye, he’d lost her, but after all these years, he would still do anything for her.Gabriel let out a loud, irritated groan. “How many wee ones?”Lamont spoke softly and slowly as if he were trying not to awaken a bear. “Four. Three lads and a little lass.” MacKinnon rolled his eyes. “Ye just expect me to ride up on my horse and gallop away with a lady and her four bairns?”Lamont shrugged. “Well, if ye could take the castle that would be even better, considering the eldest boy is set to inherit as laird.”A murderess and her, no doubt, unruly children. “How old is he?”“Fourteen summers.”Gabriel rolled his head from side to side, cracking his neck. He needed to weigh his options. If the laird was dead and his fourteen-year-old son was going to inherit, then he’d likely be advised by a group of elder clansmen. They could end up being like his father, content with continuing the arsehole’s plan for Skye, or they could be men that were loyal to the lad’s grandfather, MacKinnon’s old ally. Then again, Lamont mentioned that the boy was being held prisoner with his family and that their uncle wanted to kill them all.If their uncle was as power hungry as he was being made out to be, which seemed fairly obvious, then MacKinnon may have an even bigger problem.“Do the men have no loyalty to their new laird?” Gabriel asked.“The lad?”“Aye.”“Seems the uncle’s named himself his nephew’s advisor and will rule until he comes of age.”Just as he feared. Gabriel got straight to the point. “What’s in it for me?”“Lady Brenna.”Oh, this just got worse and worse. “Ye cannot be serious.”“Deadly.”“An old hag? She’s borne four children already. What good is she to me?” Lamont raised his brow. “She’s not as old as ye may suspect.”
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This Week in History 9/14 - 9/20

Time for your weekly history lesson!What happened this week in history?



September 14, 1716: First light house in the colonies is lit in Boston

September 15, 1514: Thomas Wolsey was appointed the Archbishop of York under the reign of Henry VIII.

September 16, 1701: The Jacobite claimant to the throne, James Francis Edward Stuart, the "Old Pretender", declares himself King of England and Scotland.

September 17, 1849: Harriet Tubman escapes slavery for the first time with her two brothers in Maryland.

September 18, 1809: Royal Opera House opens in London after being rebuilt.

September 19, 1676: Rebels under the leadership of Nathaniel Bacon set fires in Jamestown, VA that burned the colony to the ground.

September 20, 1519: Ferdinand Magellan sets in an effort to circumvent the globe.

Video of the Week: Americans Try to Label the British Isles

This week's video comes from Buzzfeed!!! Americans Try to Label the British Isles. So funny!