01 - Captured Dreams
Page 34
Lady Primrose had returned from Edinburgh. The Dowager Countess Aytoun arrived the week before the wedding, as well, accompanied by her companion Ohenewaa and Sir Richard Maitland, the family lawyer. Family and friends had been flocking to Baronsford, filling the castle’s rooms and adding to the festive atmosphere. There were even a few unexpected guests—members of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s tight-knit community of followers among the Scottish aristocracy—who wanted to see Portia and pay their respects.
Three days before the wedding, a courier had arrived bearing gifts from an unnamed admirer who, Lady Primrose said, was quite unhappy that he was unable to attend. For the groom, there was a gold snuffbox encrusted with diamonds. There were whispers that the value of the gift easily exceeded ten thousand pounds.
For the bride, there were two items. The first was the outlawed Stewart tartan, to be worn like a sash over her wedding dress. The second was a gold chain bearing an intricately jeweled locket. In it, Portia found the side by side miniatures of two lovers. She cried as she stared at the likenesses of Helena and Charles as they had once been.
Portia had just donned the gifts over her wedding gown when Helena came to fetch her. Through the open window, she could hear the entourage that would escort her to the church gathering in the courtyard.
“I am sorry that you were robbed of this happiness,” Portia said softly to her mother, showing her the keepsake.
“Nonsense.” Helena smiled and placed a soft kiss on her daughter’s brow. “I’ve been robbed of nothing. I’ve found my child again. Today brings me more happiness than I could have ever dreamed possible. No, my angel, I shall never again dwell in the past. Now and tomorrow are all we shall live for.”
The light blue gown fit Helena to perfection. The fashionable arrangement of her powdered golden hair made her look much younger. But Portia also saw in her mother’s face a deep sense of well-being that made Helena glow.
“I understand you sent a letter to Boston with Lord Aytoun’s.”
Helena could not hide her smile. “Indeed I did, my own. I had a few things to convey to your grandfather.”
After Turner’s death, Lord Aytoun had sent off a number of letters concerning the incident. One of them had gone to Admiral Middleton, apprising him of the erratic behavior of his officer prior to the accident that claimed the man’s life.
“I wanted to let him know about your upcoming marriage to Pierce.” The pleased smile spread even wider, lighting up her face. “And I told him that if he wanted to preserve his precious reputation, he would need to make the necessary announcement of your nuptials in every newspaper from London to Edinburgh…and to make the same declaration in Boston, where you are to be acknowledged as his granddaughter.”
Portia clutched the locket. “That will not be easy for him.”
“Perhaps, but it means a great deal to me.” Helena took her daughter’s hand. “In acknowledging you, he relinquishes his hold over me. I can remain here in England…where I wish to be for now. And if I decide to go back to the colonies, I shall do so because ‘tis what I choose.”
Portia embraced her mother. The letter was a declaration of Helena’s independence. She could only imagine the threats that must had been woven into the text. And this was perfectly fine with Portia. The threat of exposure had caused her mother to live in captivity for too many years. The same threat would now be the hammer to break those chains forever.
A soft knock on the door drew them apart. Everyone was waiting for them.
“’Tis time,” Helena whispered wiping the tears off Portia’s cheeks. “Your future awaits my love.”
*****
To the hauntingly beautiful music of the bagpipes, Portia was led from Baronsforo the tiny church in the village. Around her, little girls dressed all in white danced gaily the entire way, waving their ribbons in the dazzling sunlight. Her mother held her hand and smiled happily as they walked. The village itself had been decked out with garlands of flowers and banners flying at every window.
As Portia was escorted through the festive crowd, she considered the loneliness that had been her constant companion just a few months earlier. She thought of all the trouble she had caused Pierce in the pursuit of rescuing her mother. And all along, she had never dared to think that he would become the center of her dreams—her very own prince.
At the sight of the large crowd gathered outside the church, Portia’s throat grew tight with emotion. By the church door, she saw the Lord and Lady Aytoun, the dowager countess, and all the faces that had become so dear to hear over this past month. She was no longer alone. She now had a family.
Portia’s gaze fell on Pierce as he stepped from the church. After that, she saw no one else.
From now on, the two of them would form a new family, and their dreams would belong to both of them. It was already happening, for Portia knew she was expecting. It had not required much discussion to decide that they would remain in Scotland until next spring when their own child would be born.
After that, Pierce dreamed of all of them going back to America. Together, they would raise their new family in what he believed would be a better land. And this was Portia’s dream, too, for she had been there and felt the stirrings of freedom.
Helena stopped her, kissing both of her daughter’s cheeks and sighing contentedly. Portia turned to her future husband, and Pierce’s loving gaze warmed her as he took her hand.
“I feel like a thief,” she whispered to him as they walked down the isle of the kirk. “Not in a thousand dreams would I have imagined a moment like this.”
“You are a thief, my love.” He entwined their fingers affectionately. “You’ve stolen my heart.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
We hope you enjoyed this second book in our Scottish Dreams trilogy. In Borrowed Dreams, you met Lyon and Millicent and had a brief introduction to Emma’s murder. In the final book of the trilogy, Dreams of Destiny, the youngest brother David will return to Baronsford against his will. There, he will face the mystery of Emma’s murder, which has yet to be solved. In this next book, you will also follow the lives of Walter Truscott, the close cousin of the brothers, and Violet, the young woman who disappeared from Melbury Hall at the end of Borrowed Dreams.
As with all of our novels, in this book we have tried to bring a little history to life. The burning of the Gaspee was an actual event that took place pretty much as we portrayed it in the book. We also tried to capture a little of the historical flavor of Boston in those rebellious 1770s. And across the Atlantic, Lady Primrose’s “orphanage” for the children of Jacobite exiles can still be seen in the Welsh village of Wrexham.
Portia Edwards, however, is a figment of our overactive imaginations, though she is certainly representative of a number of children produced by the ever romantic Bonnie Prince Charlie. For those purists out there, however, please forgive our use of poetic license.
As always, we love to hear from our readers.
May McGoldrick
JanCoffey@JanCoffey.com
The 'May McGoldrick Family Tree' Book Information
Our 16th Century books...
In The Thistle and the Rose, Colin Campbell and Celia Muir are introduced...
And we also introduce Alec Macpherson, who is the hero of our second book, Angel of Skye...
Alec has two brothers, Ambrose and John, who are the heroes of Heart of Gold and The Beauty of the Mist, respectively...
In Angel of Skye, we also introduce a little boy, Malcolm MacLeod, and in Heart of Gold we introduce a little girl, Jaime...
When Malcolm MacLeod and Jaime grow up, they are the hero and heroine of The Intended...
In Heart of Gold, we also introduce Gavin Kerr, who becomes the hero of Flame...
In Flame, we introduce a number of characters who show up in The Dreamer, The Enchantress, and The Firebrand (the Highland Treasure Trilogy), including John Stewart, the earl of Athol and a number of villains...
The Highland Treasure Trilogy is
the story of three sisters...Catherine Percy of The Dreamer, Laura Percy of The Enchantress, and Adrianne Percy of The Firebrand...
In The Enchantress, we introduce Sir Wyntoun MacLean, who also appears in The Firebrand...
In The Firebrand, we also introduce Gillie the Fairie-Borne, who may just have a story of his own one day...
Colin Campbell and Celia (from The Thistle and the Rose) also make a 'cameo' appearance in The Firebrand...
Alec Macpherson and Fiona (from Angel of Skye) have three sons. The youngest, Colin Macpherson, is the hero of Tess and the Highlander (a young adult novel published by HarperCollins in November 2002)
Arsenic and Old Armor (Love and Mayhem) By Nicole Cody is a retelling of Arsenic and Old Lace. Reference made to Angel of Skye.
Our 18th Century Books
In The Promise, Samuel Wakefield, the Earl of Stanmore, and Rebecca Neville/Ford are the hero and heroine...
In that book we also introduce Stanmore's friend, Sir Nicholas Spencer, who becomes the hero of The Rebel, which is set in Ireland...
Stanmore and Rebecca also appear in The Rebel...
In The Promise, we also introduce Rebecca's friend, Millicent Wentworth, who becomes the heroine of Borrowed Dreams...
Borrowed Dreams is the start of a new trilogy about three Scottish brothers, starting with Lyon Pennington, Earl of Aytoun. We also meet a new cast of characters who show up in the trilogy. Violet, from The Promise, plays a big role in this book, too. She will show up again in the third book in the trilogy, Dreams of Destiny.
In Captured Dreams, we see Lyon and Millicent and the entire household of Baronsford in Scotland, along with wonderful heroes and villains that Pierce Pennington meets in colonial Boston.
In Dreams of Destiny, the mystery of Emma's death is solved...
Stay tuned...
Complete Book List as of 2011
Writing as May McGoldrick:
DREAMS OF DESTINY
CAPTURED DREAMS
BORROWED DREAMS
THE REBEL
TESS AND THE HIGHLANDER
THE PROMISE
THE FIREBRAND
THE ENCHANTRESS
THE DREAMER
FLAME
THE INTENDED
BEAUTY OF THE MIST
HEART OF GOLD
ANGEL OF SKYE
THISTLE AND THE ROSE
Writing as Nicole Cody & May McGoldrick
LOVE AND MAYHEM (Arsenic and Old Armor)
Writing as Jan Coffey:
THE BLIND EYE
THE PUPPET MASTER
THE DEADLIEST STRAIN
THE PROJECT
SILENT WATERS
FIVE IN A ROW
TROPICAL KISS
FOURTH VICTIM
TRIPLE THREAT
TWICE BURNED
TRUST ME ONCE
Writing as Nikoo Kafi:
OMID'S SHADOW
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28