A Good Scot is Hard to Find (Something About a Highlander Book 2)
Page 35
When we visited Scotland a few years ago, however, we found that while so much had been lost, the magic of the Highlands remains. The beauty of Glencoe doesn’t even offer a hint of the massacre of 1692 that occurred there much as I detailed it in this book. On the other hand, even after hundreds of years, the atmosphere on the Culloden Moor resonates with defeat and loss of a different sort — the loss of a national identity and a way of life that would never truly be regained. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend taking a walk across the battlefield and see the clan stones marking the mass graves of the Scots who lost their lives there. It will touch you as few things can.
A few notes on Inveraray and Inveraray Castle, another of the sites I visited on my trip to Scotland. Inveraray Castle has been the seat of the clan Campbell since the 1600s. The clan has been a major player in Scottish history, usually managing to fall on the winning side of their many contentious feuds and battles. Despite all they’ve done to shape the nation’s history, their role in the massacre of their rival MacDonalds at Glencoe in 1692 is long remembered.
Plans were made in 1744 for the original fortress to be destroyed and a new manor built just to its north. The parkland of the current castle now occupies that space. The castle was conceptualized by the 1st Duke of Argyll who asked the famed architect John Vanbrugh, who’d built Blenheim Castle and Howard Castle, to sketch a few ideas for him. It was the 3rd Duke of Argyll who brought those sketches to Scottish architects William Adam and Robert Morris to plan for the castle we see today.
William Adam died in the summer of 1748 and Morris in January 1749. After their deaths, Robert and James Adam took over their father’s work to complete the castle. The first cornerstone was laid in 1746 and took 40 years to complete. It’s remarkable to me, because the brothers were so young when their father died — 20 and 18 respectively. Both brothers went on to gain great fame in the world of architecture. Robert Adam would also become the man who completed the remodel of Culzean Castle in Ayr, which is the setting of my novel My Heart’s in the Highlands.
The castle gardens are spectacular and along one path, there is a moss-covered millstone with a simple marker reading “The Blàr an Buie Stone. An old millstone that is said to be cursed.” How could I not take that and work it into my story?
As for Inveraray itself, I could never adequately put into words its tremendous charm. It is one of the first and only completely planned communities in Scotland. It is laid out as I described: tidy streets lined with white buildings with their black roofs, laid out by William Adam as far back as 1747. The few buildings not in line with that aesthetic include the jail, church and the bell tower, which was erected by the 10th Duke of Argyll to memorialize the Campbell clansmen who died in World War I. The Inveraray Inn originally opened in 1755 rather than 1748 in time for my story, so a bit of a fudge there.
My Fyne Auld Whisky Shoppe is based on the existing Fyne Malts of Inveraray. I knew the moment I walked in there and saw the owner behind the bar that he was Auld Donell incarnate! It was as if it were meant to be. It was he who sparked the idea for this entire story line. He even had a huge German shepherd in the store named Max, my inspiration for Rab.
The Dress Act of 1746 has been described as an “arguably bizarre, punitive measure.” Discriminating largely toward the Scots Highlander as “calculated humiliation.” Any man or boy to wear the “plaid, philibeg, or little kilt, trowse, shoulder belts, or any part whatsoever of what peculiarly belongs to Highland garb” would be subject to imprisonment without bail for six months. A second infraction would result in being transported to “any of His Majesty’s Plantations beyond the seas.” One of the only ways to continue wearing the tartan was if a man were in service to the king. There is considerable evidence that a great many Highlanders did just that. But then, not all of them fought against the crown, though all were included under the act. The law was repealed in 1782. Thank God!
You can find out more about my inspirations and history on Scotland on my Pinterest board for A Good Scot is Hard to Find at https://www.pinterest.com/angelinefortin1/a-good-scot-is-hard-to-find/
I hope you’re looking forward to the next installment in the Something About a Highlander series! I’m going off-script a little, but it’s another story inspired by my time in Scotland that simply has to be told.
Thank you again for reading. Please know how much I appreciate you all!
Angeline
About the Author
Angeline Fortin, author of historical and time-travel romance, enchants her readers with fun, sexy and often touching tales of romance.
Her time travel romance novel, Taken, was awarded the Virginia Romance Writers 2015 Holt Medallion Award for Paranormal Romance.
She is a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America.
With a degree in U.S. History from UNLV and having previously worked as a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, Angeline brings her love of history and Great Britain to the forefront in settings such as Victorian London and Edinburgh.
As a former military wife, Angeline has lived from west to east, in the north and in the south and uses those experiences along with memories of her favorite places to tie into her time travel novels as well.
Angeline is a native Minnesotan who lives with her husband and four dogs. She is a wine enthusiast, DIY addict (much to her husband's chagrin) and sports fanatic who faithfully cheers for the Twins and Vikings through their occasional highs and average lows.
Most of all she loves what she does every day — writing.
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Copyright © 2020 Angeline Fortin
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Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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