“There you are,” Evelyn said from near the flame-filled hearth. She turned, her growing stomach looking huge with pregnancy. Since finally revealing she was pregnant a month before, she’d swelled, making Cat guess that she was much further along than she’d originally thought. Perhaps she was carrying twins. As the town midwife, Cat should question her about her family history of multiple bairns and perform another thorough exam. But the thought faded from Cat’s mind as Evelyn held up a letter, a dark seal of wax hanging heavily along one edge.
Scarlet stood with Evelyn, Grey, and his sister, Alana. They watched her approach as if holding their breaths. Only Evelyn smiled, yet somehow looked wary at the same time. “I was hunting for winterberry,” Cat said, indicating her new attire. “It is much easier to sneak through the woods in trousers, as ye know.”
Evelyn nodded, her cheeks still hoisted upward in a fake smile. Nathaniel passed Cat on his way to wash his hands with the pitcher and basin they kept in the corner. Cat looked down at her own hands. Broken nails, dirt, and some dark smudges of blood. She clasped them behind her back. “I shot a wild boar for the school.”
Grey cursed in Gaelic, frowning, but didn’t say anything. Cat shot him a glare.
“That sounds like a story I want to hear,” Scarlet said, a real smile touching her lips. She was the less straitlaced of the two sisters and had made Cat her second-in-command when they’d taken on the abducting covenanters. Even though Scarlet looked refined, like someone from an English court, she was also fierce. Cat liked her.
The room fell silent again, and with it came the heaviness of news not yet told. The words seemed to hang invisible in the air, waiting for someone to catch and speak them. Cat had felt the weight before, when Grey’s father, the chief at the time, had come to tell her and her mother and sister that their da had been killed by English bastards on Bothwell Bridge. It was a day she’d never forget.
Cat’s gaze slid across the quiet assembly. Only Nathaniel moved, drying his hands and walking over. He took the letter from his sister. “Let her read it herself.” He stopped before Cat, his closeness making her swallow.
She sniffed and held out her hand. He didn’t even question if she could decipher the words, written in a slanted script. A year ago, she’d been hard pressed to make out the loops, lines, and dashes, but Evelyn, though annoying, was a very talented teacher. Winter light cut through the windows set high in the stone walls of the keep, just enough for her to make out the words.
To Ladies Evelyn and Scarlet Worthington of the Highland Roses School, Finlarig Castle, Killin, Scotland.
I send dire news. His majesty, my husband, Charles has taken ill just this morn. His physicians are assisting him. There are whispers of poison, and his brother, James, has been summoned.
I request a Highland Rose, dispatched with utmost haste, to attend me. A student with knowledge of healing or symptoms of poison, as well as a physically protective nature, is imperative. Perhaps your brother can provide escort to bring the Rose as quickly as God allows. I fear there is much danger within Whitehall at this time, and my heart grieves for this great man, my husband and king.
Your Queen, Catherine de Braganza
2 February 1865
…
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to all my wonderful readers! Without you, my characters would remain trapped inside my books. But as you read about their adventures, you release them, bringing them to life and into this world. We are so grateful for you!
As at the end of each of my books, I please ask that you, my awesome readers, remind yourselves of the whispered symptoms of ovarian cancer. I am now a seven-year survivor, one of the lucky ones. Please don’t rely on luck. If you experience any of these symptoms, consistently for three weeks or more, go see your GYN.
• Bloating
• Eating less and feeling full faster
• Abdominal pain
• Trouble with your bladder
Other symptoms may include: indigestion, back pain, pain with intercourse, constipation, fatigue, and menstrual irregularities.
About the Author
Heather McCollum is an award-winning historical romance writer. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood of 2009 Golden Heart finalists. She has over eighteen romance novels published and is a 2015 Readers’ Crown Winner and Amazon Best Seller.
The ancient magic and lush beauty of Great Britain entrances Ms. McCollum’s heart and imagination every time she visits. The country’s history and landscape have been a backdrop for her writing ever since her first journey across the pond.
When she is not creating vibrant characters and magical adventures on the page, she is roaring her own battle cry in the war against ovarian cancer. Ms. McCollum slayed the cancer beast and resides with her very own Highland hero, rescued golden retriever, and three kids in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast. For more information about Ms. McCollum, please visit www.HeatherMcCollum.com.
URL and Social Media links:
Facebook: facebook.com/HeatherMcCollumAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/HMcCollumAuthor
Pinterest: pinterest.com/hmccollumauthor/
Instagram: instagram.com/heathermccollumauthor/
Don’t miss the rest of The Campbells series
The Savage Highlander
The Wicked Viscount
Also by Heather McCollum…
Highland Heart
Captured Heart
Tangled Hearts
Untamed Hearts
Crimson Heart
The Beast of Aros Castle
The Rogue of Islay Isle
The Wolf of Kisimul Castle
The Devil of Dunakin Castle
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The Scottish Rogue Page 33