by Mia Marlowe
I decided to tackle the theme of childlessness after my sister served as a gestational surrogate for a couple who could not conceive. Infertility is a difficult enough issue in the twenty-first century, when we have access to in vitro fertilization technology and a host of other options. It was devastating in the sixteenth century, when there was no help for childless couples at all. But no matter the time period, the emotional pain is the same and my heart goes out to all who grapple with infertility.
I’m sure some readers will wonder why William and Katherine didn’t simply adopt a child. Unfortunately, there was no such thing then. Fostering was common, and noble houses would accept wards, but there was no law governing legal adoption in the United Kingdom (including Scotland) until 1926. Bloodlines were paramount to the laws of inheritance, so even if adoption were legal, adopted children still wouldn’t be able to inherit. The Badenoch patent stipulates the barony passes to “heirs whatsoever.” It will allow someone not in William’s direct line, but still related to him by blood, to inherit. (Will expects it will be one of his nephews, but with the “whatsoever” designation, it could well be a niece!)
Finally, a word on the Scepter of Badenoch. Recently, my husband and I visited Scotland and viewed the Crown Jewels in Edinburgh Castle. There we learned that the Honours of Scotland had been stored away in a large trunk in 1707 when the Treaty of Union dissolved the Scottish Parliament. Over the years, their whereabouts were forgotten. In 1818, Sir Walter Scott was given permission to conduct a search for them, and after turning Edinburgh Castle inside out, he finally recovered the Crown from Robert the Bruce’s time, the jewel-encrusted Great Scepter, and the Sword of State, all still in the large trunk.
Along with the Honours, a much smaller scepter of unknown provenance was found. It is this scepter I used as the inspiration for my Scepter of Badenoch, the symbol of the continuing Douglas bloodline. By giving up the scepter and hiding it away, William was telling Katherine, and the rest of us, that continuing love trumps all.
Wishing you continuing love,
Mia
P.S. After a challenging surrogate pregnancy that ended in a difficult delivery, my sister gave birth to healthy twins, a boy and a girl. And then she gave these precious gifts to a grateful couple.
Is she heroine material or what?
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If only one of the MacOwen girls could make a profitable match, a rich bride price might be just the thing to tide the family over until the money from her father’s newest invention came in. Lucinda reached into her pocket and pulled out the book she’d picked up in a shop off Leicester Square. It was a silly extravagance. Books were so very dear, but she couldn’t resist using the last of her pin money for this one. She ran her fingertips over the title: The Knowledgeable Ladies’ Guide to Eligible Gentlemen. It was filled with a fairly current roster of the notable gallants to be found in London as well as many chapters of advice for those who wished to be “knowledgeable” ladies on a number of romantic topics.
Not that Lucinda was likely to capture a beau. It was hard for any fellow to get past the tricks Brodie MacIver played on her would-be suitors.
Yet she wished again for Brodie’s protective presence and not just because she’d stumbled into Lord Alexander Mallory. If Brodie were here with her, she wouldn’t feel so alone in this royal spider web of a court. But she understood why Brodie MacIver couldn’t come to London with her. Traveling was uncomfortable enough for the living.
It was downright dangerous for a ghost.
Out in the wide world away from his usual haunts, if Brodie weren’t tethered to her somehow, he might float away and never find her again. As far as either of them knew, Lucinda was the only soul on earth who could see and hear him.
Lucinda sighed and opened her guidebook. She decided she might as well study some of the entries. There might be a gentleman who would suit for one of her sisters.
At least, that was the reason she gave herself for leafing through the book. Instead, she gravitated immediately to the Ms and located the information about the man she’d all but tripped over in the hall.
“Lord Alexander Mallory, b. 1794. Second son of the Marquis of Maldren,” she read silently.
He’ll have more than two coins to rub together, I’ll be bound.
Lucinda shook her head. No good could come from imagining more about the fellow. What would a marquis’s son have to do with the daughter of a Scottish inventor?
There was no point to reading on, but she couldn’t help herself.
Near the top of every marriage-minded mama’s short list of eligibles, Lord Alexander’s name occupies a well-deserved spot. He is courtly, quick of wit, and has an excellent seat on a horse. The excellent seat of his trousers is not to be lightly dismissed either.
Lucinda’s cheeks heated. She’d had no idea this guidebook would take such an earthy bent. But the creeping blush didn’t make her stop reading.
When Lord Alexander sets himself to charm, any woman in his path will be hard pressed not to be swept along by his dangerous allure.
Lucinda could testify to that. She’d forced herself to be cool and disdainful to him when in fact the man had quite taken her breath away. Thank heaven his unremarkable friend was there, too. Sir Bertram Clarin-don was a comfortable sort.
Still, her gaze was drawn back to the guide for more information about the decidedly uncomfortable Lord Alexander.
However, the young Mallory has never, to this observer’s certain knowledge, debauched a virgin or ruined an otherwise reputable widow. That in itself is hearty commendation for someone so closely attached to the dissolute court of King George IV.
Not having debauched a virgin or ruined a widow is setting the bar for good behavior rather low. Seems like they’re damning him with faint praise.
But it didn’t stop her from reading on.
Well-informed readers will recall that unpleasantness about his mother years ago, but in truth, the least said about that, the better. Neither of the marquis’s sons has shown any propensity for madness. Lord Alexander may be safely regarded as a thorough catch by one and all.
Madness in the family is no impediment, eh? I wonder what it would take for the Ladies’ Guide to Eligible Gentlemen to disqualify someone.
Then Lucinda’s gaze fell on the last line of the entry.
However, he shows no signs of allowing himself to be caught.
She closed the book with a snap. It seems Lord Alexander has disqualified himself.
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Copyright © 2014 by Diana Groe
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-3534-3
First Electronic Edition: October 2014
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3535-0
eISBN-10: 1-4201-3535-X