A fast-paced dramatic story set in
Stirling, Scotland in the year 1543.
Excerpt:
The Dowager tilted her head and regarded Meg with a
speculative glint in her eye. ‘Do you now wish to reside in Scotland? To be
with your father?’
Meg blinked. Nothing would persuade her to leave
the sophisticated court of England for the wintry delights of Scotland. ‘I have
fond feelings for both my father and Scotland, Madame,’ she lied. ‘I am here at
his request.’ She deliberately softened the clipped English Madam to the French Madame and put the stress on the second syllable. ‘But I shall
return south very soon.’
‘Even though the Earl of Lennox pays court to you?’
the Dowager enquired softly, a hint of mischief in her eyes.
Meg wondered who among the lady’s numerous
confidants had passed on such information. It came to her at once - Father, of
course. He would not have thought twice about spreading the word of such an
advantageous match for his daughter. ‘I wish I could be as certain as you,
Madame. Lord Lennox has spoken of marriage, but only in the vaguest terms. I
fear he may never mention it again.’
A small buzz of amused comment ran through the
listening ranks of courtiers. The Dowager offered a smile that did not reveal
her teeth ‘It is possible the English King dangles you as a prize before Lord
Lennox.’
The same thought had been lurking at the back of
Meg’s mind. ‘I don’t know that I am any kind of a prize, Madame. More of a
liability, if my father is to be believed.’
Undisguised amusement shone in the Dowager’s eyes.
‘Among our relatives in France, Lennox is known as an ambitious man,’ she said
softly. ‘Marriage to you would take him within Henry’s family and the
succession to the throne of England.’
Every member of the illustrious de Guise family
served either the French king or God. They would have made it their business to
know Lennox when he was resident in France. ‘I must remember that,’ Meg said,
‘when we have our first married argument.’
The Dowager rose from her chair and stepped from
the dais. ‘Come, walk with me. Your mother welcomed me to Scotland. For her
sake, I believe we may find friendship between us. And of course, I shall be
pleased to hear of my husband’s youth.’
A historical novel set in the sixteenth century. PG
13
US Kindle link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZME2DK
UK Kindle link: http://amzn.to/1wQTs7F
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