Highland Redemption: A Duncurra Legacy Novel

by Ceci Giltenan

  Of course, Tomas had agreed.

  “Da, does it make Duncurra easier to defend?” asked Will again, drawing Tomas from his musings.

  “Aye, Will, Duncurra is a much more impenetrable fortress than Cotharach. Well spotted. Duncurra and part of its village are surrounded by a wall, but only the front portion of it is manned. The crag provides natural protection. Can ye see the other advantage?”

  “The castle is very high up. Like a crow’s nest on a ship. They can probably already see us.”

  Tomas grinned. “Aye, that’s right. From Duncurra’s towers, anyone approaching can be seen at least an hour before they reach the castle, even if they are riding hard.”

  It took them closer to two hours to reach the castle. They moved a little more slowly because of the baby. A nursemaid, and sometimes Vida, rode with him in a cart.

  By the time they reached Duncurra, the entire village had turned out to greet them as they had the first time Tomas had arrived with Lady Katherine so many years ago.

  When they reached the castle, his parents and Beitris greeted them in the bailey.

  His parents had travelled to Cotharach in November so that his mother, who was a healer and midwife, could attend Vida when she delivered Connall, but other than the Duncurra men who had ridden with them, this was the first time any of the rest of the clan had met Vida, Will, or the new baby.

  Tomas had expected Turcuil’s wife, Edna, and the other women who worked in the castle, to cluck and coo over the baby, but he had to chuckle at his father’s men who did the same.

  His father nudged him. “Ye know, nothing turns a man feeble-minded so quick as a bairn. If an attacking army arrived with a score or two of wee-ones, they could walk past all defenses.”

  Tomas laughed. “Nay, Da, they couldn’t. They’d be just as smitten with the bairns themselves.”

  Niall nodded. “Aye, I suppose so. But it’s why we do this, isn’t it?”

  “Why we do what?”

  “We build fortresses and train guards. It’s to protect that which we hold most dear. Our loved ones. Our wives and our children. If they weren’t so precious, we’d have no need for any of this.”

  There was truth in his father’s words. He had loved his family and clan and would have died to protect them. But now with a wife and children of his own, the need to keep them safe was infinitely stronger.

  ~ * ~

  Vida had enjoyed the journey to Duncurra, with its lengthy stops to visit friends and family, but when they had finally arrived she could scarcely contain her excitement. This was the clan that had embraced her cousin as their lady and accepted a young peasant as their laird’s son so many years ago. These people, along with Katherine and Niall had made Tomas into the man he was—the man she loved. Meeting them all and putting faces to the stories she had heard thrilled her.

  If she thought they might be reserved or cool towards her, because of who her father was and what he had once done to their lady, she was wrong. She could not have been more warmly welcomed. They told story after story about Tomas as a lad, which had her laughing so hard her sides ached.

  When they finally retired to their chamber that night and had tucked Connall into the cradle in which MacIan babies had slept for several generations, she was ready to sleep. She snuggled next to Tomas, his arms holding her securely.

  “Are you glad to be home again?” she asked.

  “Home?” he asked sleepily.

  “Aye, Tomas. Are you glad to be at Duncurra again?”

  “Aye, Duncurra is wonderful. It’s good to see old friends again. But sweetling, Duncurra isn’t my home.”

  “So, you consider Cotharach your home now?” The thought warmed her heart.

  “Nay, my darling, Cotharach isn’t my home either. At least, not always.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand. If you consider neither Cotharach nor Duncurra home, where is yer home?”

  He chuckled. “My precious lass, my home is wherever ye are. If I can hold ye in my arms at the end of the day, I’m home.”

  About The Author

  Ceci started her career as an oncology nurse at a leading research hospital, and eventually became a successful medical writer. In 1991, she married a young Irish carpenter whom she met when his brother married her dear friend. They raised their family in central New Jersey but now live with their dogs and birds in paradise, also known as southwest Florida. Although still working occasionally as a consultant in the pharmaceutical industry, Ceci spends most of her time now writing “happily ever afters.”

  Follow Ceci at:

  Website: www.cecigiltenan.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cgiltenan

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/CeciGiltenan

  Don’t miss the Duncurra YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/duncurra!

  You’ll find videos of Scotland, Scottish words of the day explained, free audiobooks, and much more

  Other Books by Ceci Giltenan

  If you enjoyed Highland Redemption, you may want to read the Duncurra series that started it all:

  The Duncurra Series

  Highland Solution

  Laird Niall MacIan needs Lady Katherine Ruthven’s dowry to relieve his clan’s crushing debt, but he has no intention of giving her his heart in the bargain.

  Niall MacIan, a Highland laird, desperately needs funds to save his impoverished clan. Lady Katherine Ruthven, a lowland heiress, is rumored to be “unmarriageable” and her uncle hopes to be granted her title and lands when the king sends her to a convent. King David II, anxious to strengthen his alliances, sees a solution that will give Ruthven the title he wants, and MacIan the money he needs. Laird MacIan will receive Lady Katherine’s hand along with her substantial dowry and her uncle will receive her lands and title.

  Lady Katherine must forfeit everything in exchange for a husband who does not want to be married and believes all women to be self-centered and deceitful. Can the lovely and gentle Katherine mend his heart and build a life with him or will he allow the treachery of others to destroy them?

  The first book in the Duncurra Series, available as e-book, audiobook and paperback. An Inspirational Version is also available which has been edited to remove explicit intimate scenes.

  Highland Courage

  Her parents want a betrothal, but Mairead MacKenzie can’t get married without revealing her secret and no man will wed her once he knows.

  Plain in comparison to her siblings and extremely reserved, Mairead has been called “MacKenzie’s Mouse” since she was a child. No one knows the reason for her timidity and she would just as soon keep it that way. When her parents arrange a betrothal to Laird Tadhg Matheson, she is horrified. She only sees one way to prevent an old secret from becoming a new scandal.

  Tadhg Matheson admires and respects the MacKenzies. While an alliance with them through marriage to Mairead would be in his clan’s best interest, he knows Laird MacKenzie seeks a closer alliance with another clan. When Tadhg learns of her terrible shyness and her youngest brother’s fears about her, Tadhg offers for her anyway.

  Secrets always have a way of revealing themselves. With Tadhg’s unconditional love, can Mairead find the strength and courage she needs to handle the consequences when they do?

  Available as e-book, audiobook and paperback.

  Highland Intrigue

  Lady Gillian MacLennan's clan needs a leader, but the last person on earth she wants as their laird is Fingal Maclan. She can neither forgive nor forget that his mother killed her father, and, by doing so, created Clan MacLennan’s current desperate circumstances.

  King David knows a weak clan, without a laird, can change quickly from a simple annoyance to a dangerous liability, and he cannot ignore the turmoil. The MacIan’s owe him a great debt, so when he makes Fingal MacIan laird of clan MacLennan and requires that he marry Lady Gillian, Fingal is in no position to refuse.

  In spite of the challenge, Fingal is confident he can rebuild her clan, ease he
r heartache, and win her affection. However, just as love awakens, the power struggle takes a deadly turn. Can he protect her from the unknown long enough to uncover the plot against them? Or will all be lost, destroying the happiness they seek in each other’s arms?

  Available as e-book, audiobook and paperback

  Pocket Watch Chronicles

  The Pocket Watch

  When Maggie Mitchell is transported to the thirteenth century Highlands, will Laird Logan Carr help mend her broken heart or put it in more danger than before?

  Generous, kind, and loving, Maggie nearly always puts the needs of others first. So when a mysterious elderly woman gives her an extraordinary pocket watch, telling her it’s a conduit to the past, Maggie agrees to give the watch a try, if only to disprove the woman’s delusion.

  But it works.

  Maggie finds herself in the thirteenth-century Scottish Highlands with a handsome warrior who clearly despises her. Her tender soul is caught between her own desire and the disaster she could cause for others. Will she find a way to resolve the trouble and return home within the allotted sixty days? Or will someone worthy earn her heart forever?

  The Midwife

  Can a twenty-first century independent woman find her true destiny in thirteenth-century Scotland?

  At his father’s bidding, Cade MacKenzie begs a favor from Laird Macrae—Lady MacKenzie desperately needs the renowned Macrae midwife. Laird Macrae has no intention of sending his clan’s best, instead he passes off Elsie, a young woman with little experience, as the midwife they seek.

  But fate—in the form of a mysterious older woman and an extraordinary pocket watch—steps in.

  Elizabeth Quinn, a disillusioned obstetrician, is transported to the thirteenth century. She switched souls with Elsie as the old woman said she would, but other things don’t go quite as expected. Perhaps most unexpected was falling in love.

  Once Found

  Elsie thought she had found love.

  The handsome young minstrel awoke her desire and his music fed her soul. But just as love was blossoming, the inconceivable happened—Elsie awoke more than seven hundred years in the future, in the body of Dr. Elizabeth Quinn.

  Gabriel Soldani thought he had found love several times, only to have it slip from his grasp. In medical school, he had fallen hard for Elizabeth Quinn, but their careers led them in different directions. When their paths cross again, he hopes they’ve been given another chance.

  There’s only one problem…the woman he's never forgotten doesn’t remember him.

  Once love is found…and then lost…can it be found again?

  The Christmas Present

  A Pocket Watch Novella

  Faced with an empty nest, and heartbroken, Anita Lewis is given the chance to experience Christmas in another time with the help of a mysterious old woman and a pocket watch.

  The gift she receives is priceless as she rediscovers the magic of Christmas in the past.

  The Choice

  The Choice contains 2, brand-new, full-length novels, each with a different HEA.

  Sixty days in another life, another time…it’s tempting. Now the decision to accept the pocket watch is yours. What choice will you make?

  Sara Wells is in Venice, preparing to leave on a fourteen day cruise to Greece, when Gertrude offers her the pocket watch.

  Will she take it? You choose.

  If you accept the watch, Sara will travel to eighteenth century Venice where she meets a young Scottish expatriate who owns a small ship building company. Will their love for each other be enough to overcome all obstacles?

  If you refuse the watch, Sara will remain in the twenty-first century, where she will encounter a traveler from the past and more intrigue than she can pack into the books she writes.

  Once you've read one, you can go back and make the other choice.

  One choice, two souls, two different happy endings.Other Books by Ceci Giltenan

  The Fated Hearts Series

  Highland Revenge

  Does he hate her clan enough to visit his vengeance on her? Or will he listen to her secret and his own heart’s yearning?

  Hatred lives and breathes between medieval clans who often don’t remember why feuds began in the shadowed past.

  But Eoin MacKay remembers.

  He will never forget how he was treated by Bhaltair MacNicol—the acting head of Clan MacNicol. He was lucky to escape alive, and vows to have revenge.

  Years later, as laird of Clan MacKay, he gets his chance when he captures Lady Fiona MacNicol. His desire for revenge is strong but he is beguiled by his captive.

  Can he forget his stubborn hatred long enough to listen to the secret she has kept for so long? And once he knows the truth, can he show her she is not alone and forsaken? In the end, is he strong enough to fight the combined hostilities and age-old grudges that demand he give her up?

  Highland Revenge is available as an e-book, audio book and paperback.

  Highland Echoes

  Love echoes.

  Grace Breive is strong and independent because she has to be. She has a wee daughter to care for and, having lost her parents and husband, has no one else on whom she can rely. Driven from the only home she has ever known, she travels to Castle Sutherland to find a grandmother she never knew she had.

  As Laird Sutherland’s heir, Bram Sutherland understands his obligation to enter into a political marriage for the good of the clan, but he is captivated by the beautiful and resilient young mother.

  Will Bram and Grace follow the dictates of their hearts, or will echoes from the past force them apart?

  Highland Echoes is available as an e-book, audio book and paperback.

  Highland Angels

  Anna MacKay fears the MacLeods. Andrew MacLeod fears love.

  Anna, angry with her brother, took a walk to cool her temper. She had no intention of venturing so close to MacLeod territory—until she saw a wee lad fall through the ice.

  Andrew becomes enraged when it appears the MacKay lass has abducted his son, his last precious connection to the wife he lost—until he learns the truth. Anna risked her life to save his beloved child.

  Now there is a chance to end the generations old hate and fear between their clans.

  Fate connects them. The desire for peace binds them. Will a rival tear them apart?

  Highland Angels is available as an e-book, audio book and paperback.

  About Duncurra

  Duncurra is a small independent publishing company. We highly value the heart and soul, energy, time, and talent that our authors pour into their stories. Unlike many independent publishers, we help authors build their readership by investing significantly in marketing platforms to complement the author's own promotional efforts.

  We are particularly proud of our YouTube presence and ever increasing subscribership there, which is unique to the publishing industry.

  Whether you are a reader, an established author, or an aspiring author, we have a lot to offer. We take the reader experience to a new level, connecting authors and readers in unprecedented ways.

  Visit our website at www.duncurra.com.

  To stay up to date on all Duncurra releases, sales, giveaways, and more. Sign up for our newsletter here: https://tinyletter.com/duncurra

  Experience the difference.

  Experience Duncurra!

  Other titles published by Duncurra LLC

  Award Winning, New York Times Bestselling Author

  Kathryn Lynn Davis

  Highland Awakening

  Can the transforming power of magic help two people on a perilous journey create a miracle—even when one of them doesn’t believe?

  Since she lost her brother and nearly her father, Esmé Rose fears the world beyond her family and her garden. But one year when winter clings overlong, a dream begins to haunt her, forcing her to take a journey and face a challenge more difficult than she could ever imagine.

  Magnus MacLeod is a skilled healer, always curious
to know more. He, too, is called by a dream he doesn’t quite believe in, despite its physical effects on him. He and Esmé travel a treacherous road that takes them to a magical place. There they must put aside their feelings for one another—and their difference in beliefs—long enough to make a miracle.

  Sing to Me of Dreams

  One woman’s journey of discovery…through all the mysteries of the human heart.

  As a child, Saylah held the magic and wisdom of her Salish Indian people. But when tragedy ravages the Salish, she must leave them for the world of the Ivys – an English/Scottish family whose traditions are as strange to her as her spirit world is to them. The Ivys have come to fertile British Columbia in search of paradise, but the secrets and mysteries surrounding them are overwhelming – until Saylah comes to help them understand the darkness holding them back.

  Frustrated Julian Ivy, in whom sophistication and fury entwine, is drawn to Saylah's healing strength and disquieting beauty. Through sorrow and elation, the two discover the fullness of love...but no one can resolve for her the contradictions of her birthright. Following the songs of her heritage, she will finally make the most wrenching choice of all...

  Coming soon, the long awaited sequel, Weave for Me a Dream.

  Award Winning, Bestselling Author

  Lily Baldwin

  Highland Outlaw Series

  (All of the Highland Outlaw series are complete standalone stories and can be read in any order.)

  Jack: A Scottish Outlaw

  Freedom is not won…it is stolen

  Jack MacVie and his brother are thieves, robbing English nobles on the road north into Scotland. They’re about to attack the Redesdale carriage when another band of villains, after more than Lady Redesdale’s coin, sweeps down and steals their prize. Despite his hatred for the English, Jack’s conscience forces him to kidnap the lady to save her life.