Page 1 of A Highlander's Bride

Chapter One

Spring, 1729

Foulis Castle, Scotland

Beth Munro stoodwith her mother on the drawbridge of Foulis Castle, waving at the last one of her sisters to leave with her husband and bairns.

Her mam patted the corner of her eyes and sighed. “I’m always sorry to see my grandchildren leave.”

Beth shook her head and shivered. “No’ me.”

When her mam leaned back and looked at her in a shocked manner, Beth said, “Doona get me wrong. I love the little ones when they come to visit, but having all three of my sisters and their numerous bairns at one time is quite overwhelming.”

“’Twas my birthday! And they are so sweet!” her mam said as she wrapped her arm around Beth’s waist and walked them toward the keep.

“Aye. Little David was verra sweet when he smeared honey all over the floor in front of the table in the kitchen. Our poor cook, Daisy, was beside herself as she tried to cook the evening meal and her feet kept sticking to the floor. She even lost one of her shoes and she swears David’s sweet little sister, Aileen took it.”

Her fool mam had the nerve to laugh.

“And Da didn’t appear too amused when he found yer three oldest sweet grandchildren had pulled all the books off the library shelves andpiled them near the door so he couldn’t get in and had to climb through the window to rescue them.”

“They dinna mean any harm, they’re just bairns.” Mam turned toward the kitchen. “I will go smooth Daisy down and will offer to purchase her new shoes in the village tomorrow.”

Beth smirked. “’Twould be nice to sell yer grandchildren to pay for the shoes.”

Mam turned to her. “I doona understand ye, Beth. Most women love the idea of raising bairns. Ye ken I was so happy with my four daughters.”

“Aye. Three of yer daughters married and produced bairns at an alarming rate whose mission in life is to torture us.”

She gave a sigh. “I would like to see ye settled with bairns of yer own, ye ken.”

Beth leaned over and kissed her much-too-patient mam on the cheek. “With eight grandchildren, and another on the way, ye have enough to keep ye busy. If I were foolish enough to marry, the number of little devils would probably double.”

She shook her head and waved her finger in the air. “Ye may change yer mind one day, daughter.”

Beth smiled. “Mam, ye’re hopeless.”

Her mam headed to the kitchen to soothe the cook and Beth returned to her bedchamber. ’Twas so peaceful, even though her niece Ada had spilled all of her new box of bathing powder over the floor.

It dinna matter because they were gone and she had her peace and quiet back. Just her, her books, garden, and charity work in the village. She loved her life and was more than happy that with all the confusion in their life, her da had forgotten about her not having a husband, so she enjoyed her single life and had no desire for things to change.

*

Castle Leod, Scotland

Abraham Mackenzie, oneof the Clan Elder Advisors, probably as old as the one in the Bible, sat back, his hands on the table, tapping the wood with his wrinkled finger. “’Tis yer duty and ye ken it. If ye die tomorrow, there is no one to take yer place.”

“I have no intention of dying tomorrow, I have too much to do.” Daniel Mackenzie, Clan Chief of the Mackenzies sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “We are at peace. Castle Leod is well protected as are the other castles on the Mackenzie lands and I have no reason to believe I will be deserting this world anytime soon.”

Morgan, another advisor leaned forward and after glancing at the other two advisors, looked Daniel directly in the eyes. “It appears ye no longer have time to put this off.”

Daniel uncrossed his arms and stared at the man. “What are ye talking about?”

Morgan cleared his throat and pulled a document from his pouch and laid it on the table in front of them. “We have an order here from our king.”

Daniel straightened in his chair. “If an order was sent by King George II to the Mackenzie Clan Chief—which is me—I should have been the one to receive it.”

Abraham leaned forward. “The messenger was told to give the order to the Mackenzie advisors to present it to the laird.”