Highland Honor
Page 15
It wasn’t until she was married with two young kids that she decided to take a stab at writing her own historical romance novels.
She is intrigued with the idea of writing romantic stories that could bring hours of enjoyment to readers, help them escape from reality, and perhaps remind them how sweet love is and should be. These are the things that she enjoys as a reader, and these are the things that she wants to give back as a writer.
Dana lives in a city east of Toronto, Canada. When she’s not writing or reading, she’s dining at local restaurants with her husband and kids and enjoying spectacular foods of the world.
Website: www.dana-dangelo.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dana.dangelo.books
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaD_author
Glossary
For your reference, I’ve compiled a short list of Scottish terms and words that I used in this story:
Aiya - Ouch
Bairn - A child
Barmkin – A protective wall or enclosure that surrounds peel towers, tower houses, small houses, and bastle houses in Scotland and northern England.
Beastie - An animal, beast or critter
Braw - Beautiful, fine or handsome
Broken Men - Clansmen who were no longer allied with nor had the protection of their original clan. In some cases, they were outcasts or outlaws.
Burn - Small stream or brook
Ceilidh - Social gathering that involved Celtic music and dancing
Clarsach - Ancient Scottish or Irish harp
Claymore - Double-edged sword that Highland warriors used
Cold Trod - A stipulation in the March law that gives a party the right to recover stolen property. A trod can lawfully take place within six days of the crime. If the pursuit was not followed immediately after the offence, it was called a cold trod. (Immediate pursuit was known as a hot trod.) There were well established rules for engaging in a lawful trod.
Days of Truce - On specified days and locations the Wardens of both Scotland and England met with their officials to settle grievances, administer justice and address “bills of complaints”. There were strict rules and procedures for resolving differences. Immediately before and after the meeting, all offenders had immunity from arrest, and enemies were to cease fighting or face dire punishments. Because this time was supposed to be peaceful, people on either side of the border could freely socialize with family, as well as trade and sell goods. The day took on an atmosphere of a fair, although interactions between enemy clans were most likely uneasy.
Debatable Lands - Another name for Borderlands or Badlands due to the lawlessness of the region
Galloway Nag - Now extinct, this horse breed was native to Scotland and northern England, and was preferred by border reivers. The nag was small, sturdy and was able to travel long distances.
Halbard - This fierce weapon consisted of a pointy spear tip, small axe-blade and a curved back-spike, which was mounted on a pole.
Jack of Plait - A form of armor that was worn by Scottish reivers. It was constructed by overlapping small iron plates and stitching them between layers of canvas.
Leine - The shirt worn underneath a kilt or kirtle.
Marches - The word “march” derives from the Old French word “marche”, which means “boundary.” The Marches refers to the land divisions along the Scottish and English borders known as the East, Middle and West Marches.
March Warden - The Lord of the Marches was a position of the Scottish and English governments. The title holders upheld the security of the border between the two countries, and were also responsible for enforcing the March law.
Oatcakes - A type of flatbread that consisted mostly of oatmeal. They are similar to crackers or biscuits. The bread is also known as bannock.
Och - Oh
Sporran - A pouch or purse worn around the waist, and which hangs at the front of the kilt.
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