Highlander Unchained Read online

  But as they found out a few hours later, he was wrong.

  Epilogue

  August 1608

  Flora strolled across the moors with her husband, savoring the last hours of calm before the storm. It was hard to believe a year had passed since they’d returned to Breacachadh. But Mary’s wedding to Allan was only a few days away, and soon the guests would be arriving for the week-long celebration, provoking a mix of nervousness and anticipation. For the first time in years, all of her brothers and sisters would be in the same place at the same time—except for Hector, who was still the reluctant guest of Argyll.

  She sighed contentedly. That dark day seemed a lifetime ago.

  The late summer sun beat down hard and bright, intensifying the vibrant panoply of colorful flowers strewn across the countryside. She inhaled deeply, the sweet, pungent scent a gentle reminder of nature’s bounty this year. Everywhere she looked were signs of the largesse that had befallen them since they’d returned to Breacachadh. It seemed almost…magical.

  “Do you think she’s happy for us?” She spoke her thoughts aloud.

  Lachlan gazed at her with a quizzical look in his face. “Who?”

  “Elizabeth Campbell.”

  He grinned, and her heart caught. The boyish look on his face was a testament to the transformation wrought by happiness. He was lighter than before, relaxed. The clan thrived, and the constant struggle he’d faced since the death of his father had come to a welcome end. But she knew it was more than that. Their love had been tested by the events of last summer, but as a result it had only grown stronger.

  “I thought you weren’t superstitious,” he said.

  “I’m not. But look around. You have your castle back—with the Privy Council’s approval, thanks to my cousin. The keep has been returned to its splendor, the crops are flourishing, the cattle are fat and ready for market, the storms that have hit the other islands have passed us by. And then there’s…” She glanced back and forth between them meaningfully.

  His mouth twitched. “Ah yes, there’s that.”

  He turned to her, giving her a view of the tiny bundle he held in his arms. Her heart swelled the way it always did when she saw them together. Nothing could be more moving than the sight of her big, strong husband holding their tiny son in his arms. John, named for the uncle who’d unwittingly brought them together, with his determined little chin and striking blue eyes so like his father’s. Lachlan leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, before dropping another one on the downy head of the matching bundle in her arms—Janet, named in memory of Flora’s mother.

  Twins. Nature’s most magnificent bounty.

  He met her gaze in perfect understanding: They had been blessed indeed. “Aye, lass, I think she’s found her peace.”

  As if in answer, the sun caught the silver of the brooch that he wore to secure his plaid, and it flashed like a brilliant heavenly star. The amulet that had once borne a curse had become an enduring symbol of their love.

  She smiled, looking deep into his beloved eyes, her heart swelling with love for her incredible husband and precious babes. Elizabeth found hers, and I’ve found mine.

  Author’s Note

  The story of Elizabeth Campbell’s trials on Lady’s Rock is a familiar one in Scotland even today. On a recent trip to Scotland, our ship’s captain decided not to travel up the sound but to take the Sea of Hebrides western route around the Isle of Mull. Thus, I narrowly missed passing by Lady’s Rock, which you can still find on maps today. There are many different versions of the tale, but all agree that a Maclean chief abandoned his Campbell bride on the rock to be washed away by the rising tide. She was indeed rescued and returned to her father’s home in time to greet her “grieving” spouse. Her brother Sir John Calder of Calder killed her husband many years later. The curse and the amulet, however, are my additions to the story.

  The main characters in this book are based on real people. Janet Campbell, Elizabeth’s great-niece, was a very wealthy and much sought-after lady who was married at least four times. Her daughter Flora MacLeod did in fact marry Lachlan Maclean, sixth Laird of Coll. Because of the timing of the story and name confusion, “Hector” is really a combination of Lachlan Mor Maclean, the fourteenth Chief of Duart (Flora’s half-brother), who died in 1598, and Hector Maclean, the fifteenth Chief of Duart (Flora’s nephew). Allan, son of Neil Mor (Coll’s great-uncle), was the captain of Drimnin Castle and reputed to be the leading warrior of his day. His wife is unknown. Although an elopement with Flora was pure fiction, Lord Murray was an influential member of King James’s court. He succeeded to the title of the second Earl of Tullibardine, and his son John was created the first Earl of Atholl. Lord Murray was one of the commissioners against the Clan Gregor in 1611.

  The fight over Breacachadh Castle actually happened a little earlier. Lachlan Mor (“Hector”) probably took control of the castle around 1591, and it wasn’t returned to Lachlan of Coll until around 1596. The Stream of Heads, Struthan nan Ceann, was an actual battle, and bitter feuding between the Duart and Coll branches of the clan occurred for years—including the refusal of Coll to bow to Duart as head of the clan.

  Lachlan did execute the men who’d murdered his uncle Neil Mor—though he held Lachlan Mor responsible. One of Coll’s first acts as laird was to capture the four murderers who were playing shinty on a beach on Mull. 1 They were hanged at Cnoc A Chrochaire, Hangman’s Hill, on Coll. 2

  Lachlan Mor (“Hector”) did seize John MacIan, the husband of his mother, Janet Campbell, on their wedding night after he refused to switch his allegiance from the MacDonalds to the Macleans. This egregious breach of Highland hospitality has gone down in history as “Maclean’s nuptials.” When the happy couple retired for their wedding night, Lachlan Mor murdered all of MacIan’s men and charged into the room intent on murdering the groom as well. Only his mother’s heartfelt pleas stayed his hand. Instead, John MacIan was imprisoned and tortured.

  Lomond Hills is now better known as part of the Trossachs.

  And finally, Scotland is rife with many Neolithic sites: megaliths, stone circles, and cairns. The one I referenced is Strontoiller Stone Circle and Standing Stone.

  You can find more information, including pictures and extended author’s notes on my website: www.monicamccarty.com.

  Also by Monica McCarty

  Highlander Untamed

  Highlander Unmasked

  L achlan dropped Flora on the bed.

  “You can’t mean for me to sleep here?”

  Flora’s horrified tone only fueled his anger. “Is there someplace you would rather sleep?” He moved closer, looming over her until only a few inches separated them. “My bed, perhaps?”

  Her eyes widened. “Never.”

  He didn’t move. Tension crackled between them thick and heavy. God, he could smell her. He could almost taste the warmth of her lips beneath his. His body ached with pent-up desire. He should take her right now. It would be over, and she would be his. And God knows he wanted her. Many men in his position would….

  But not him.

  Lachlan jerked away, furious, his body drumming with anger and lust. He’d never used force to get what he wanted, and he wouldn’t start now. Now matter how tempted. He’d have her. And soon. Even if she didn’t know it yet.

  Highlander Unchained is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Ballantine Books Mass Market Original

  Copyright © 2007 by Monica McCarty

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  eISBN: 978-0-345-50231-5

  www.ballantinebooks.com