“Don’t speak to anyone,” the woman said, grabbing Claire’s wrist in a grip that pinched, “or the mistress will dismiss me, and then you’ll have no one to take care of you.”Ĭlaire leaned her head back to look at the stars. “I don’t know how the Scots can call themselves Christian,” the woman said in a muffled voice above her, “when they have wicked fairies hiding behind every rock.”įinally, a burst of cold night air hit Claire’s face and blew her hair back. For a long, frightening moment, Claire swung by her arms, kicking in the air, until her foot found the rung again. When the ship swayed, she lost her footing. The rungs were too far apart for Claire’s legs, and the woman’s heavy skirts brushed her head as she climbed. “They say Scotland is full of wild warriors who would sooner cut your throat than bid you good day.” “You’d best learn to be tough, where you’re going,” the woman said, as she gathered her skirts to start up the rope ladder. “Be quiet if you want to go up.”Ĭlaire wiped her eyes on her sleeve and scrambled to her feet. Weeping will get you nothing,” the woman said. It is not with the first stroke that the tree falls. You make it all worthwhile.Ĭhan ann leis a’chiad bhuille thuiteas a’chraobh. Finally, I want to say a big thank-you to all the readers who have sent me messages telling me you enjoyed my books. I am fortunate to have a family who supports me so completely in this writing adventure. I apologize to my husband for all the evenings he is left with the dog for company while I write. Thanks also to Sharron Gunn for her help with Gaelic, though any mistakes are mine, and to Mark Steven Long, who is an author’s dream copy editor. I am grateful to my RWA chapter-mates and fellow romance authors who continue to give me support and guidance.Ī special thank-you to Josephine Piraneo at for making my website beautiful and doing endless updates for me. When my confidence ran low, Erynn Carter, Theresa Scott, and Chris Trujillo kindly pitched in and read all or part of the draft manuscript for me. I am indebted to Anthea Lawson, my critique partner, and to Ginny Heim, who reads all my manuscripts. A warm thank-you to my agent, Kevan Lyon, for pretending I’m not troublesome and for giving me wise counsel and enthusiastic support. Many thanks to her and the entire team at Grand Central Publishing for all they do for me. I am grateful to my editor, Alex Logan, who reminded me to play to my strengths and helped make this a better book. My mother, Audrey, and my aunts, Priscilla and Dorothy
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