Dreamer (Highland Treasure Trilogy)

by McGoldrick, May

  Surrounded by her loved ones, she took her son’s and her granddaughter’s hands in each of her own, and breathed her last.

  Catherine was pleased that the truth of Adam’s parentage had immediately been made known by Lady Agnes to the rest of the household.

  From the first, Catherine and Athol had considered sparing John’s own mother of any discussion of the old earl’s infidelity. But amazingly enough, after Catherine and John returned to Balvenie Castle with Adam and Susan, Lady Anne immediately requested an audience with Adam. From the relationship that soon developed, the meeting between the two was clearly one of both healing and forgiveness.

  Putting the lit taper to the tinder in the hearth of her small chamber, Catherine sat back on her heels and watched the flames begin to lick at the logs, dispelling the early-morning chill. Her husband had still been sleeping when Catherine, unable to break her predawn ritual, had left his bed and come back to this chamber to gather her thoughts and begin writing to her sisters.

  Adam had refused offers of land from both John Stewart and Gavin Kerr. Instead, he’d decided to take over Huntly’s demesne as the older nobleman had insisted. He and Susan were to be married in the spring--as soon as arrangements were finalized with her family. More than likely, the celebration would take place shortly before Catherine gave birth to the bairn that she was carrying right now. Imagining herself, full-bellied and wobbly, standing at the door of the church with the happy couple, only made her smile. Knowing her own doting husband, she could picture Athol carrying her up the steps in his arms.

  Rising from the hearth and sitting on the chair by the small work table which she’d had brought in, Catherine considered the letters she intended to write. For the safety’s sake, the Percy sisters had all agreed before their departure from England that they should not attempt to communicate with one another unless there was something of grave importance to share. Although each knew the whereabouts of the other two, none wanted to put her sisters at risk.

  But there was a matter of importance that her sisters needed to know.

  When Catherine had returned to Balvenie Castle with her husband, the small wooden chest in her chamber had been broken open, and two of the monks, Brother Paul and Brother Egbert, had long since disappeared. After revealing the truth of it all to her husband and explaining how she had left the true map with the dowager--placing an imitation of her own devising in the chest--she had needed to restrain Athol from going after the thieves.

  Unlike the brigands who had kidnapped her and Susan, the two monks--she was convinced--threatened no one. In fact, thinking back to the night when Catherine had followed Susan to Adam’s encampment, Tosh reminded them that Brother Paul had been the one to put out the fire by Catherine’s room. Catherine suggested that perhaps the monk himself had started the blaze to bring attention to her absence and to the danger he thought she might be facing.

  Questioning Brother Bartholomew, they quickly learned that the portly monk had been too trusting of his brethren. They even learned that the journey to the Scottish Highlands and Balvenie Castle had not been completed as a group. The other two monks had caught up to Bartholomew just north of Athol’s hunting lodge at Corgarff.

  In the light of all this, Catherine knew she should warn her sisters of all that had occurred and alert them, should any of their old acquaintances suddenly appear from the abbey in Yorkshire.

  She had other news, of course, to tell them. Of the school that was about to open with the assistance of Brother Bartholomew and the tutors from Elgin. And of the small matter of a marriage and a bairn.

  Dipping her pen into the inkhorn, she smiled. But before she could write a word, she was interrupted by a knock at her door.

  ‘Twas still too soon for the household to be up and about, Catherine thought. Getting up and crossing the chamber, she pulled open the door. To her surprise, outside of her door, two grooms stood silently with the large cloth-covered chair from the laird’s outer chamber in their hands.

  She looked questioningly from one man to the next, and then noticed Jean standing directly behind the two with an odd look on her face. Her hands were piled high with clean linens.

  “What is all this...” Catherine began, stepping out of her chamber to help her serving woman with the linens.

  Her mouth dropped open as she looked down the corridor.

  Behind Jean, there were two other men, holding in between them a section of the wooden frame of a large bed. And behind them, two burly stable lads were carrying a feather mattress.

  Catherine squeezed past the workers. To her shock, what she had already seen proved to be only the beginning.

  Working her way along the corridor, she passed a seemingly unending line of serving folk. There were men and women carrying benches, chests, chairs, coffers, tapestries, stools, trunks--even an assortment of swords, shields, and lances. Catherine lost count of the number of people and the pieces as she wound her way down the circular stairwell and past the entrance to the Great Hall. At the end of the line, she found two kitchen lasses each carrying a pile of blankets.

  In a moment, she was at the door of her husband’s outer chamber. A grinning Tosh and another warrior were just carrying out the laird’s huge work table, under the gloomy but watchful eye of the old steward.

  Baffled, Catherine stared past them at the empty chamber, and finally stepped in. Everything was gone. Everything--including the wooden shutters from the windows!

  Shaking her head at the madness, she walked to her husband’s bedchamber and peeked in. That room, as well, was devoid of all furnishings.

  “It took you longer than I thought.”

  John Stewart stood by the hearth, his broad back to the small fire. Catherine stepped in and pushed the door closed behind her.

  “You forgot the fire.”

  He smiled in that same devilish way that made her heart melt. And then she watched him as he slowly straightened and walked toward her.

  “I warned you, my love.”

  “Warned me?” she said half innocently, cherishing the way he gathered her into his arms.

  “I warned you about continuing to leave my bed.” He started nuzzling her neck, her ear, brushing his lips along the line of her cheekbone. “I said I would come after you.”

  Suddenly, everything registered, and Catherine placed both hands on his broad chest and stood on tiptoe, trying to look directly into his sparkling, gray eyes.

  “You are not moving all of those things into my chamber. By the Virgin, there is at least three or four rooms full of furniture waiting in those corridors. And...all those blankets?”

  “That chamber of yours is a drafty room.”

  “But--but all that furniture! It will never fit!”

  He shrugged indifferently, and then took possession of her lips in a deep and passionate kiss. When he broke off the kiss, she didn’t care a whit about what would fit and what wouldn’t.

  “I told you before, lass. I want to wake up in the morning and have my wife in my arms. But at the same time, I’ve learned to respect your need for a work room of your own. A work room,” he repeated meaningfully. “Not a bed chamber.”

  “So your solution is to move everything in with me?”

  “Aye, and in the other chambers of that old section of the castle. Until we are done renovating this section.”

  Catherine looked about the large, bright chamber. “But there is nothing wrong with this part of the keep!”

  “But there is, my love, and you made me see it.” He drew her closer against his chest. “When we are done here, there will be a bed chamber--here in this room. But instead of one work room, I’ll have a section of the corridor added to these chambers, so that we’ll end up with two.”

  “Two work rooms?” She couldn’t hold back her smile.

  “Aye! And I’m thinking we should add a nursery, as well.” He pulled at the laces on the back of her dress. “But, when our bairns happen to be in Jean’s care...”

 
“Or visiting their grandmother...”

  “Aye. We’ll both be working quite hard. And yet, having you so near...”

  She shivered with excitement as he slipped her dress down over her shoulders.

  “We’ll need...a place to...talk?”

  He nodded and stepped back, spreading his tartan on the bare floor. “But before any of that...”

  “We should check the draftiness of this room.”

  “Aye, my love.”

  Catherine sighed contentedly and followed him to the floor. He was her husband, her lover, and the father of her unborn bairn.

  Here in the Highlands, she had found at last her knight of a thousand dreams.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  As most of you have probably guessed, Catherine’s story is the first in a trilogy about the three Percy sisters. In the two books that will follow (Enchantress and Firebrand), you’ll be introduced to Laura and Adrianne and have a chance to meet the mysterious Nichola Erskine Percy as we move closer to learning the truth behind the Treasure of Tiberius.

  In Flame, the novel in which the secrets of Ironcross Castle are uncovered and in which Gavin Kerr meets his match, Joanna MacInnes, we were delighted to introduce John Stewart, the 4th earl of Athol. Unfortunately, we found that we simply could not rest until we had found a suitably headstrong heroine for such a hero. And for those of you who enjoy “catching up” on the heroes and heroines of our past novels, we could not resist including Ambrose Macpherson from Heart of Gold. It is through his wife, Elizabeth, and her relationship with Anne Boleyn, that Ambrose is able to negotiate Adam’s freedom. And to those who have read their story, you know why!

  Balvenie Castle and Elgin Cathedral, two treasures of Scottish history, will certainly be identifiable to many of our wonderful readers, as will many of the place names in the book. We have tried to portray those places accurately, and to people them appropriately--right down to the lairds, bishops, and millers who inhabit them in our fiction.

  Lastly, we’ll like to give our sincere thanks to G. Leonard Knapp of the Eastern Herpetological Expo for his help with our research regarding the snakes of Scotland and England.

  We love to hear from our readers.

  Also if you enjoyed this book, we appreciate if you leave a review on

  Amazon review

  You can contact us at:

  May McGoldrick

  e-mail: JanCoffey@JanCoffey.com

  www.MayMcGoldrick.com

  www.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 David Pennington meets in colonial Boston.

  In Dreams of Destiny, the mystery of Emma's death is solved...

  Our 19th Century Book

  Ghost of the Thames—a Dickensian novel

  Stay tuned...

  Complete Book List as of 2013

  Writing As May McGoldrick:

  Thanksgiving in Connecticut

  Made In Heaven

  Ghost of the Thames

  Scottish Dream Trilogy

  Dreams Of Destiny

  Captured Dreams

  Borrowed Dreams

  The Rebel

  Tess and The Highlander (A YA Novel)

  The Promise

  Highland Treasure Trilogy

  The Firebrand

  The Enchantress

  The Dreamer

  Flame

  The Intended

  Macpherson Trilogy

  Beauty Of The Mist

  Heart Of Gold

  Angel Of Skye

  Thistle and The Rose

  Writing As Nicole Cody & May McGoldrick:

  Love and Mayhem (reissued as Arsenic and Old Armor)

  Writing As Jan Coffey:

  Mercy

  Aquarian (A YA Novel)

  Blind Eye

  The Puppet Master

  The Deadliest Strain

  The Project

  Silent Waters

  Five in a Row

  Tropical Kiss (A YA Novel)

  Fourth Victim

  Triple Threat

  Twice Burned

  Trust Me Once

  And for everyone who asks how we write together:

  Marriage of Minds

  Writing Exercises for twenty-first century:

  Step Write Up

  Writing as Nikoo Kafi:

  Omid’s Shadow

  Here's an excerpt from the next book in Highland Treasure Trilogy

  Enchantress

  By

  May McGoldrick

  CHAPTER 1

  Fearnoch, the Northern Highlands

  December, 1535

  The gold coin tumbled slowly across the knuckles of the silent Highlander standing against the sandstone wall. When the group across the open square stopped at a stall containing bundled wool, the coin paused as well, its Tudor rose gleaming even in the shadows.

  “The one with a face like a pig’s arse called her Laura, master.” The toothless farmer talking to him spat into the half-frozen mud and glared across the market square. “The lass might be dressed only in the rags they’ve given her, but she’s of quality, there’s no doubtin’.”

  Across the cold, windswept square, the two watched the Sinclair men herding the women along. The gold coin resumed its journey along the deft knuckles of the tall Highlander.

  “Though she’s a young thing, from the way she talks, there’s no doubt she
’s English. If ‘tweren’t for that, I’d wager more ‘n one of yer crofters would have stolen her already from these swine.” He spat again. “Aye, ‘tis a fearful shame, master. Why, if I were twenty years younger, I’d...”

  William Ross of Blackfearn left the farmer without a word and, tucking the gold sovereign into his wide leather belt, stepped out of the shadows of Fearnoch Cathedral and into the midday sun. As he strode through the scattered crowds of townsfolk and farmers to a cart by the ancient stone cross at the center of the square, he was immediately joined by two of his men.

  “‘Tis her, master! ‘Tis the same one you’ve been looking for!”

  William absently dug the fingers of one hand into the coarse wool bundled in the wagon.

  “And all of them don’t go together. The two other women are nuns from that tumble-down convent near Little Ferry.”

  Watching the group stop by another stall, William stared at the hooded Englishwoman’s back. Encircled by the Sinclair brutes, she appeared to be a wee, fragile thing. At this point, though, he didn’t want to even think about the hardship she must have gone through over these past three months, living as a captive among those blackguards. He reminded himself that there couldn’t be any bloodshed. Not while he was trying to rescue her, at any rate. He’d promised his brother that much.

  “Should we take her now?” his man continued, glancing at the scar-faced farmer standing with them. The other man’s hand moved to the hilt of a dirk half hidden beneath the red and black plaid of the Ross tartan. His face showed his eagerness for a fight. “They’ve been plenty rough with her. The ugly one shoved her without so much as a ‘by yer leave’--right out of the wool seller’s tent up by the north road.”