Walk through the gate and you would see Aydon Castle, Alina's home, standing before you. More a fortified farmhouse than a true castle, it has stood on its promontory above the Ay Burn since the twelfth century. The house was a working farmhouse until the 1960s, when English Heritage stepped in and opened it up to the public. Walking around the various rooms, one hopes they had lots of tapestries, rugs and blankets otherwise hypothermia woudl have set in.
Blurb: Two men wait at the altar, but does she have a choice?
Excerpt:
The kitten’s pale claws flexed against the rounded
curve of her breast. The court ladies wore stomachers of wood to give a
straight line to their expensive gowns, but not so this girl. Harry swallowed.
She must be aware of the effect she had on him.
“A stallholder warned me I may lose my life on the
road to Edinburgh. Are things so bad in the Borders?”
Alina’s smile faded. “Yes.”
“I must go,” he said. “The journey is one I…it is
important.”
She sighed. “Then go if you must, but it is a bad
road and you must take care.”
“Then I shall take another road.”
Her smile held condescension. “Whichever road you
take through the Borders will be dangerous, sir.” The kitten, tucked in beneath
her chin, stared at him, too; both pairs of eyes so serious Harry couldn’t help
smiling. “That creature’s probably got fleas, you know.”
“Will you tell me your name?”
“Harry Scott at your service, lady.”
A fine gold chain supported a gold cross at her
throat, and it twinkled in the sunlight as she sucked in a sharp breath. “Your
family name is Scott?”
He had chosen the surname at random. Why did she
look at him as if he was an enemy? Perhaps he should have chosen a decent
English name like Smith or Wilson.
He nodded, determined to make nothing of it. Scott
was a common enough name, after all. “And your name, lady? I may pass this way
on my return.”
“My name is Alina Carnaby. I live at Aydon Hall
now. But before you visit, you should know that my father hates every member of
the Scott family. So much so that he may kill you the moment you declare your
name.”
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