Betrothed to the Beast
Page 20
Orla the sexy minx, Orla the woman whose look could pierce his soul and whose sharp tongue could flay him. He needed a change of scenery. He needed to get far away from here.
He was still walking and fumbling with his belt buckle when he crashed headlong into someone. He heard a screech “Ouch” as he looked down. Speak of the devil, what was Orla doing walking through the woods at this time of the night with an arsenal of weapons? Of all the people to bump into.
She blushed then took in the measure of his half-dressed state and the cottage not far behind him and her face went blank. A part of him wanted to reach out and tumble her on the grass and just like that little Brodie went rock hard in an instant he could barely walk. He needed her to move away so he verbally lashed out, “Watch where you’re going orphan!” he saw the flicker of hurt register on her face before she turned away from him and ran into the woods.
Damn, he was a bastard. He had two choices he could forget about her, march his sorry ass to the Loch and scrub his body of Zelda’s cloying scent, or he could find out why the vixen was sneaking about the woods especially with warnings of Raiders about. Brodie knew there was no actual choice as he took off through the woods in hot pursuit.
THE END
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Brodie & Orla’s story is up next…
Author notes
Beiste & Amelia
Beiste MacGregor and Amelia Dunbar have rattled around in my head for the past six years. Roaring and bellowing and shouting and yelling and screaming until I finally decided this year to unleash the Beast.
This book took me about four months to write and a total of 5.5 years procrastinating about writing it. It was supposed to be a short novella just to get me started but once I let Beiste out, an entire universe came with him. Before I knew it, I was immersed in a world of Scottish Kings, medieval herbal medicines, Viking mix-bloods, the Orkney Isles, Hebridean Isles and the language of the Gaels. The little novella turned into a novel because Beiste carries a lot of baggage and he has a lot of friends.
Historical info and fictional portrayals
A few notes to share regarding my research, anyone familiar with Scotland will know that Glenorchy is associated with Clan Campbell however way back in the 1000s the MacGregors were there. It is interesting to note that about three hundred years later the MacGregor name was outlawed, and their descendants became known as ‘Children of the Mist.’ But that is someone else’s story to tell.
Gilleain Maclean of ‘the Battle Axe’ and his three sons really did exist however in a different time period. But once I read their history well, what can I say.
Maldred Dunbar, King Duncan’s brother was a real person, and some records suggest he became Prince of Cumbria, however he did have sons. The most famous being Gospatrick Earl of Northumbria.
Ealdgyth, Maldred’s wife was the daughter of ‘Uhtred the Bold.’
I modelled Lady Agnes, Amelia’s grandmother on the famous Countess of Dunbar ‘Black Agnes’ who defended Dunbar Castle against the English, she was a formidable woman.
Macbeth, the Red King, was a real historical figure not just a Shakespearean character and from historical accounts he was apparently a good King, contrary to the play ‘Macbeth’. He reigned in peace for seventeen years and Scotland thrived.
Beiste having a bronzed skin tone is something I chose deliberately for him based on research I had come across about Romans and Spanish people settling in Scotland hundreds of years ago so my little fictional brain decided it was quite possible to have a bronzed Highlander in the world.
Gaelic – is a real language and many people in the world speak it, it is part of a rich heritage and culture. I on the other hand speak two languages other than English unfortunately none of those are Gaelic (I am trying to learn through a duo lingo app but it is very slow going). So, I tried to keep the Gaelic to a minimum and even the accents as well because I did not want to massacre a beautiful language with my ineptitude.
So, to you the first-time reader of my first novel. I thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. For all the mistakes and things you’ll find within it that you do not like or hurt your feelings (I don’t know) whatever it is, I will say this, I aim to get better as I hone my craft.
If you would like to stay updated about upcoming novels feel free to visit www.elinaemerald.com
Thank you, God bless and Good night!
PS. If you are interested in reading more cool stuff about Scottish history and culture just hit the links below.
A History of Scotland
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nz3b7
The Highland Murray Pittock
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199846719/obo-9780199846719-0029.xml
A History of everyday life in Medieval Scotland
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1g09wzn
Iona Abbey and Nunnery – Isle of Iona
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/iona-abbey-and-nunnery/
Black Agnes – Countess Dunbar
https://www.johngraycentre.org/people/heroes/black-agnes-agnes-randolph-countess-dunbar-c1310-1361/
The Real King Macbeth ‘The Red King’ – bloody prowess.
https://ehistory.osu.edu/biographies/macbeth-macfindlaech
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/all-about-history/20171109/281651075379147
Gaelic for authors
https://gaelic.co/gaelic-for-authors/
Westrayans
https://www.buzzfeed.com/christinekenneally/the-history-of-europe-lies-in-british-peoples-dna