A Saint at the Highland Court: A Friends to Lovers Highlander Romance (The Highland Ladies Book 6) Read online

  A Saint at the Highland Court

  The Highland Ladies Book Six

  Celeste Barclay

  A Saint at the Highland Court Copyright © 2020 by Celeste Barclay. All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover designed by Lisa Messegee, The Write Designer

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Celeste Barclay

  Visit my website at www.celestebarclay.com

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing: July 2020

  Celeste Barclay

  Kindle Digital Edition

  In education, we say FAIL means “first attempt in learning.”

  To those who have failed but not given up.

  Happy reading, y'all,

  Celeste

  Contents

  Subscribe to Celeste’s Newsletter

  The Highland Ladies

  Preface

  Character Name Pronunciation

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Epilogue

  The Highland Ladies

  The Clan Sinclair

  Pirates of the Isles

  Viking Glory

  Subscribe to Celeste’s Newsletter

  Subscribe to Celeste’s bimonthly newsletter to receive exclusive insider perks.

  Have you read Their Highland Beginning, The Clan Sinclair Prequel? Learn how the saga begins! This FREE novella is available to all new subscribers to Celeste’s monthly newsletter. Subscribe on her website.

  Subscribe Now

  The Highland Ladies

  A Spinster at the Highland Court

  A Spy at the Highland Court (De Wolfe Connected World/Series Companion)

  A Wallflower at the Highland Court

  A Rogue at the Highland Court

  A Rake at the Highland Court

  An Enemy at the Highland Court

  A Saint at the Highland Court

  A Beauty at the Highland Court (Coming August 2020)

  Preface

  The Highland Ladies series is a spin-off to my first series, The Clan Sinclair, and follows the lives of ladies-in-waiting at King Robert the Bruce’s court. If you are a fan of Highlander romances, then you have surely encountered the time period that spans the Wars of Scottish Independence, along with the rise and reign of Robert the Bruce.

  While I was intentionally vague about the time period and royal couple in The Clan Sinclair, there is little way to avoid the history of Robert the Bruce when this series takes place predominantly at Stirling Castle after he was crowned king. I have taken creative license in a number of areas, especially the creation of characters, but the events and clan dynamics are true to history.

  A Saint at the Highland Court follows the love story of the fictitious Hardwin “Hardi” Cameron and the fictitious Blair Sutherland. While neither were people from history, there are elements to the story that are factual. I have taken some liberty in changing the dates but not the events themselves. Clan Cameron land was in the Western Highlands, and the neighboring clans in this story are true to history. Historians say that Clan Cameron and Clan Chattan shared ancestors, but they were not allies.

  Clan Chattan was an individual clan with traditional clan leadership and membership. But in the 14th century, they and several other clans banded together to create the Clan Chattan Confederation. Included in this alliance were the Mackintoshes, Macphersons, MacBeans, and Davidsons. Some clans were linked through common ancestry while others were not originally connected by blood. The Camerons at one time or another feuded with individual members: the Mackintoshes, Macphersons, and the Davidsons along with the Chattan Confederation and the Grants. Their sporadic feuds with the Clan Mackintosh and Clan Chattan lasted nearly 300 years.

  The Battle of the North Inch occurred in 1396, which is well past the end of the King Robert’s reign, but this event inspired a turning point in our hero’s life. The Camerons faced off against the Mackintoshes in a trial by combat where thirty warriors from each side were chosen to represent their clans. It was a crushing defeat for the Camerons. The Mackintoshes lost only nineteen men, but the Camerons had only one survivor. That attack that takes place in this story between the Camerons and the Mackintoshes is purely a work of my imagination but is based upon their known feud.

  Clan Cameron was loyal to King Robert the Bruce and was awarded land to their north, which lay between two septs of Clan MacDonald. Tor Castle was a Cameron stronghold, but it was a source of strife for the clan. Clan Cameron claimed that Clan Mackintosh abandoned the castle after a marriage allied them with Clan Chattan. The Camerons sought refuge at Tor Castle during a conflict with Clan MacDonald of Keppoch (to the Camerons’ east). The Camerons built a larger castle on the site and claimed it as their own.

  To remedy the conflict between the Camerons and the MacDonalds, I opted to have the MacDonalds become the guardians of Inverlochy Castle as, in reality, it lies within an hour’s drive from Tor Castle. Inverlochy Castle was originally built by John “the Black” Comyn, but after the clan’s defeat and harrying during Robert the Bruce’s rise to power, Inverlochy came under the control of Clan Cameron. This is another instance where I took creative license with the date and the details. The Lord of the Isles fought a battle against King James I in 1431, a century after King Robert’s reign, that became known as the first Battle of Inverlochy.

  This allowed me to have reason to include John of Islay, Lord of the Isles. The details describing him in this story are true to fact as best as historians know. He was a highly ambitious man who married for political gain. He held influence throughout the Hebrides, but he also had dominion over
land within the Lochaber region, where Clan Cameron territory laid. He did marry Amie Mac Ruari (after the events of this story) because her brother controlled several Hebridean islands. When his brother-in-law, Raghnall Mac Ruaidhrí died, John of Islay consolidated his power, and his dominion included all the Hebrides except for Skye, and a substantial part of the western seaboard. This position of influence allowed me to make John of Islay the overlord of the MacDonald guardian at Inverlochy. In reality, John of Islay’s influence in Lochaber and three other regions made the MacDonalds of the Hebrides, formerly considered a lesser sept, into one of the most powerful kindreds along the north-western seaboard. Historians say that had he not been loyal to Robert the Bruce, he would have styled himself as the King of the Isles rather than only the Lord of the Isles.

  Blair’s sister Maude married Laird Kieran MacLeod of Lewis in A Wallflower at the Highland Court. Kieran is mentioned as one of the Lord of the Isles’ four “greatest of nobles, called lords.” This included the MacLeods of Lewis, the MacLeods of Dunvegan (Skye), the Macleans of Lochbuie, and the Macleans of Duart. The use of this factoid allowed Blair to remind other characters of her familial connections and influence.

  The Camerons were allied with Clan MacMillan and Clan Donald. The latter clan was the antecedent for several similarly named clans, which are easy to confuse. Clan MacDonald and Clan MacDonnell, with their septs and branches, descended from Clan Donald. In modern day, Clan Donald is also recognized as Clan MacDonald, and the current chief is a MacDonald. There is no historical record of the Camerons and Sutherlands being allied.

  The familial bond between the Sutherlands and Sinclairs is also fictitious, but it is a main feature in both The Clan Sinclair and The Highland Ladies series. Since all the siblings in the Sinclairs and Sutherlands are fictitious, none were the godchildren of King Robert the Bruce and Queen Elizabeth de Burgh. It’s just a handy connection when you write about ladies-in-waiting and alliances with the king.

  I hope you enjoy A Saint at the Highland Court and come to love Blair Sutherland and Hardwin Cameron as much as I have.

  Happy reading,

  Celeste

  Character Name Pronunciation

  There are several names used in this story that because of their Gaelic etymology are not phonetic for English speakers. To make it easier for the reader, I thought to include this note on pronunciation.

  Artair—AR-ter

  Cathal—KAH-hul

  Ceana—KAH-na

  Drostan—DROST an

  Faolán—FOO-lan (Scottish) FWAY-lawn (Irish),

  FAY-lawn, FOO-lawn (Irish), or FEE-lawn (Irish)

  The first is more typically Scottish, but I prefer the

  second.

  Fionn—FYOON

  Hamish—HA-mish

  Niall—NEE-ul

  Osgar—OS-kar

  Mungan—MOON-gun

  One

  Blair Sutherland swept her eyes over the throng of dancers who milled and twirled around Stirling Castle’s Great Hall. Blair immediately recognized Arabella Johnstone and Laurel Ross, the only two ladies-in-waiting who had been at court as long as she. Ever since Blair left her home on the northwest Highland coast, she had served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth de Burgh. She’d been bright-eyed and naïve when she arrived, mesmerized by the glamour and excitement of life at the royal court. But after several years of service, the luster had worn off. As her anniversary at court loomed, Blair discovered she was growing more introspective as she wondered about her future. She felt lonelier, and became more reflective. She thought of when her older sister Maude used to stand beside her in the crush of people, but Maude married more than two years ago and already had her first two children—twins, a boy and a girl. Blair didn’t begrudge Maude the love she had with her husband, Kieran MacLeod; it was hard won. Other friends she’d made at court were also married.

  The first of the ladies she knew well, Elizabeth Fraser, had married Robert the Bruce’s adopted brother, Edward. No one imagined that the spinster with four broken betrothals would capture the eye of the king’s roguish brother. Isabella Dunbar, unassuming and bookish, married a man who arrived at court to spy for the English king, Edward Longshanks. Blair recalled how the man, the son of an English father and Scottish mother, had been torn between two heritages. She’d never envied the position he found himself in. Her sister Maude was the third of the “originals,” as Blair thought of her friends at court to marry. Maude had battled nasty comments about her appearance the entire time she served the queen. But Kieran MacLeod, one of the most eligible bachelors in Scotland, took one look at Maude and fell hopelessly in love with her. Blair had never been so happy as she was when she saw the joy her sister and husband shared on the day they were married.

  Blair couldn’t help but smile to herself as she pictured how the Gordon twins found their brides. Allyson Elliot was furious the day she learned she was to marry Ewan, the older twin. In fact, she was so irate at the notion of marrying the former rogue that she ran away from court. It amazed everyone when the couple returned to court in love and blissfully happy. Eoin pretended to be the shrewish Cairstine Grant’s betrothed, but much like his twin, he found love with a woman who was far more than she seemed. The most recent bride was Cairren Kennedy, whose Arab heritage showed in her complexion. This made it nearly unbearable to join her new clan when King Robert ordered her to marry Padraig Munro. Blair’s heart broke when she learned of the prejudice Cairren faced and for how long it took Padraig to realize he loved his wife.

  As she swept her eyes across the crowd, Blair noticed Cairren’s younger sister Caitlyn once again danced with Alexander Armstrong, the heir to his clan’s lairdship. The warrior had made several trips to court of late to discuss border conflicts with the king. Caitlyn and Alex were childhood friends, but Blair wondered if there might be more to their relationship than they realized. Laurel Ross danced by with a man Blair didn’t recognize. She squinted as she thought about Laurel. She developed a sharp and vicious tongue after she befriended Kieran MacLeod’s younger sister Madeline, the unofficial ringleader of the ladies-in-waiting. But after Kieran sent Madeline to a convent, both Laurel and Cairstine smoothed their rougher edges and were less spiteful. She wasn’t sure what lay beneath Laurel’s facade, but Blair was certain Laurel wasn’t entirely as she appeared.

  “Sister,” Lachlan Sutherland approached Blair with Arabella Johnstone on his arm. Arabella had been Maude’s only other close friend while she was at court. The women had been roommates, and Arabella took Maude—and by extension Blair—under her wing when she arrived. “Every mon in this gathering hall keeps looking at you, and yet you seem to be in a world of your own, uninterested in them. Well done. I approve.”

  Lachlan grinned at his youngest sibling as Arabella released his arm. He swiped three mugs of ale from a passing servant, handing one to each lady. The three Sutherland siblings were very close, and Blair was ecstatic any time Lachlan appeared at court. The only family she knew that shared this kind of closeness were the Sutherlands’ cousins, the Sinclairs. Lachlan wrapped his arm around Blair’s shoulders and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. They hadn’t seen one another since Lachlan’s unexpected arrival in late autumn, when he accompanied Cairren and Padraig to Stirling, but he had returned to settle the annual taxes their clan owed the crown. The brother and sister enjoyed a fortnight of each other’s company. With Maude no longer beside her, Blair was starved for time with her family. Lachlan never shied away from showing his affection for his sisters, and Blair welcomed it.

  “Shall I take you for a lap around the floor?” Lachlan inquired as he grinned at Blair. “Or will you prop up this wall a little longer? I may be your brother, but I shall be the envy of every mon with a heartbeat.”

  Blair attempted to suppress her smile. It was well established that Arabella Johnstone was the most beautiful woman among the ladies-in-waiting. She possessed an effortless grace that accentuated her perfect features and figure. She
glanced at Arabella, who smiled at the siblings. Blair suspected the pair held a tendre for one another, but Blair sensed neither felt comfortable acknowledging it.

  “I suppose I can spare you a dance, dear brother,” Blair returned her brother’s grin as they eased their way among the dancers and picked up the rhythm of the music.

  “Blair, why were you standing alone? Even if Arabella and I were dancing, you have other friends. Why aren’t you socializing like usual?” Lachlan whispered in an attempt to keep their conversation private.

  “I’m simply not in the mood. I enjoy watching the others.” Blair assured her brother, but his skeptical expression told her he wasn’t satisfied. “I’m not a wallflower like Maude became. I was just thinking about my friends who have left court to marry. Only Arabella and Laurel remain as part of the original group of ladies I joined.”