Kingslayer's Daughter
Page 24
“They say ’tis a ruin, thanks to Papa’s artillery bombardment.”
She could never envision her gentle father in command of a gunnery crew.
When they came to the stepping stones over the brook, she shoved the flowers into her brother’s hand and lifted the hem of her skirts. “What about ye?” she cajoled. “I ken we call ye Gray, but ye’re named for Reverend Grainger who hid the regalia under the floor of his church, yet I’ll wager ye’ve no idea where his village of Kinneff is located.”
He followed her across the stones. “What are ye getting at?”
She squealed when her foot slipped on a mossy rock, relieved when she managed to jump to safety on the opposite bank. “I think every young person should experience an adventure before they settle down.”
He thrust the flowers back into her hands. “Ye mean before Papa finds a suitable husband for ye.”
Jewel shivered. Her father had dropped increasingly regular reminders she was past the age when lasses married. “Aye. To tell the truth, the suitors he’s suggested dinna spark my interest.”
He laughed. “Ye’re too particular.”
She resisted the temptation to give in to the childish urge to pout. “Our parents love each other and Munro is obviously smitten with Sarah. What’s amiss with wanting to find someone I love?”
“And there’s the real reason ye crave an adventure,” he teased. “But Papa willna let ye undertake such a journey into the Highlands without an escort.”
She buried her nose in the flowers and peered at him, wide-eyed. “That’s where I thought ye might come in handy.”
Historical Footnotes
HENRY MARTEN’S EPITAPH
Here or elsewhere, all’s one to you, or me
Earth, air or water grips my ghostless dust.
None knows how soon to be by fire set free,
Reader, if you an oft-tried rule will trust,
You’ll gladly do and suffer what you must.
My life was spent with serving you and you,
And death’s my pay, and welcome too.
Revenge destroying but itself, while I
To birds of prey leave my old cage and fly.
Examples preach to the eye; care then
Not how you end but how you spend your days.
The passages Sarah reads are from Henry’s actual letters to Mary Ward. They can be perused at http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/ct-prj-henry-marten-love-letters-20160211-story.html OR https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A52089.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
GEORGE RAVENSCROFT
An historical figure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ravenscroft
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blown_plate_glass
BLUE COAT SCHOOL, KING EDWARD’S SCHOOL, BIRMINGHAM, THE SHREWSBURY SCHOOL.
All three actually existed, though the Blue Coat Schools weren’t established until 1700. Mrs. Margaret Flamsteed, wife of the Astronomer Royal, was one of the founders.
The other two are still in existence and were founded much earlier, both by King Edward (son of Henry VIII)
WIDOW WYNCKE A true story. https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/womens-business-17th-century-female-pharmacists
About Anna
Thank you for reading Kingslayer’s Daughter. If you’d like to leave a review where you purchased the book, and/or on Goodreads, I would appreciate it. Reviews contribute greatly to an author’s success.
I’d love you to visit my website and my Facebook page, Anna Markland Novels.
Tweet me @annamarkland, join me on Pinterest, or sign up for my newsletter.
Follow me on BookBub and be the first to know when my next book is released.
I was born and educated in England, but I’ve lived most of my life in Canada. I was an elementary school teacher for 25 years, a job I loved.
After that I worked with my husband in the management of his businesses. He’s a born entrepreneur who likes to boast he’s never had a job!
My final “career” was as Director of Administration of a global disaster relief organization.
I then embarked on writing a romance, something I’d always wanted to do. I chose the medieval period because it’s my favorite to read.
I have a keen interest in genealogy. This hobby has had a tremendous influence on my stories. My medieval romances are tales of family honor, ancestry, and roots. As an amateur genealogist, I cherished a dream of tracing my own English roots back to the Norman Conquest—most likely impossible since I am not descended from nobility! So I made up a family and my stories follow its members through successive generations.
I am a firm believer in love at first sight. My heroes and heroines may initially deny the attraction between them, but eventually the alchemy wins out. I want readers to rejoice when the power of love overcomes every obstacle and lovers find their soul mates. For me, novels are an experience of another world and time. I lose myself in the characters’ lives, always knowing they will triumph in the end and find love. One of the things I enjoy most about writing historical romance is the in-depth research necessary to provide readers with an authentic medieval experience. I love ferreting out bits of historical trivia.
I hope you come to know and love my cast of characters as much as I do. Escape with me to where romance began and get intimate with history.
I’d like to acknowledge the assistance of my critique group partners, Reggi Allder, Jacquie Biggar, LizAnn Carson, and Sylvie Grayson, and the invaluable contributions of beta reader extraordinaire, Maria McIntyre.