The monument we'd seen was the Lady Hill Monument, erected beside the Elgin Castle ruins in the 1800's.
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| View of the monument from the street. |
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| Elgin Castle sign beside the stairs. |
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| Lady Hill monument sign beside the stairs. |
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| Part of the stairs... Andrea and I looked at each other with brows raised in trepidation. It'd been a long day and the stairs were aplenty, lol |
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| View of the ruins when we finished the climb. Amazing! |
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| Crazy how the earth is consuming the stones. |
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| Lady Hill monument. |
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| A view of the town from atop the motte and bailey. |
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| That castle like building in the background is the country club we stopped at for directions. |
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| I found this view to be so... mesmerizing... A blend of medieval with modern culture. That's a Tesco in the background. I imagined that if my characters stood in this same spot, a place where battles raged, and looked over to see people shopping for food and goods, they would be thoroughly confused. |
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| A view of the wall of the castle. |
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| More Tesco :-) Which, by the way, we spent many days at! Topping up minutes on our cell, grabbing water, etc... |
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| This stone lay flat on top of one of the walls. I took it standing on it. It has words etched into it, but I couldn't see what they were. |
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| A better view of the country club. |
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| This is a viaduct we saw on our way to Culloden Battlefield after leaving Elgin... |
After leaving Elgin, we made out way back to the flat, in hopes of finding a pub to eat dinner. On our way we stopped to take a pic of the above viaduct, and then encountered Culloden Battlefield. The sun was setting, and we thought perhaps we'd go back in the morning. There were no cars parked in the lot. Walking a famous battlefield at night, alone, would be crazy.
But, heck, when in Scotland... So, yes, we parked. And the crazy pics I have for you of that adventure will be posted next week!!!
Want a taste of Longshanks from my book, THE HIGHLANDER'S TRIUMPH?
An exclusive view...
A
swift jolt awakened Mariana. A muffled cry escaped her and she flailed, eyes
popping open. Her vision blurred, she made out the white of the sky and a bunch
of blobs of black and brown.
A
split-second later she landed hard in the dirt on her hip and elbow. The impact
was shocking, and jarred her from head to toe. A metallic taste in her mouth
and the sting of her cheek told her she’d bit herself. Thank God, she’d managed
to twist in time so that her already injured arm wasn’t further damaged. In
addition to the gash from a wayward sword, she was almost certain it was
broken. Her hip and elbow were most assuredly bruised, but at least they were
still whole.
A
cloud of dust surrounded where she’d landed, filling her lungs. She coughed,
sneezed, and willed herself to hold back her sobs. Pain throbbed in her injured
arm. She feared moving, not knowing where she was. Nothing about this place
looked familiar to her.
“Lady
Mariana,” a cool, uninterested male voice cooed. “I see you decided to rejoin
us. Tell me, how was your visit with the Scots?”
A
shiver of fear curled around her spine. Shifting to kneel, she waved away the
cloud of dirt, and slowly raised her eyes to see King Edward standing a few
feet in front of her. The sun glinted blindingly off of his chainmail. He
looked like a glowing king. A purple velvet doublet, trimmed and embroidered
with gold thread gave her eyes reprieve from the striking metal. His
shoulder-length silver hair was streaked with sweat. His long, chiseled
features also glistened. In his arms he held a shiny helmet. She lowered her
gaze to stare at the dust upon his boots.
The
king looked as though he’d been out fighting. He was not afraid to venture out
of his camp. Not afraid to take his sword to another man’s throat—though he
preferred that his men held that man down while he completed the deed. She
prayed whoever he’d been railing against had not suffered overmuch.
“Your
Highness,” she managed, though her voice came out sounding strangled. “’Twas
horrendous.”
Her
heart lurched when she lied, though she knew it was to protect Brandon as much
as herself.
“Horrendous?”
King Edward drawled. He stepped closer to her. Knelt before her, and placed a
cold, gloved finger on her chin, lifting her face so that she had to look him
in the eye. “How so?”
His
grey eyes were cruel, indifferent. The man didn’t care so much about her
answer, as he did that she was here before him. He didn’t take kindly to others
thieving what belonged to him, and Mariana was well aware that she was as much
a pawn to him as any other man. But that didn’t matter. He considered her his
property.
“Come
now, don’t be shy. Tell me.” His voice, though soft, was etched with malice.
Mariana
was more afraid of the king now than she’d ever been. Her stomach tightened and
gooseflesh rose on her arms. If he didn’t like her answer… Thought her to be
lying, there was no telling what his response would be. What cruel punishment
he’d have doled out on her.
“They
are barbarians,” she said through chattering teeth. She clutched at her injured
arm, the limb hanging limp by her side, and thankfully the bleeding gash had
staunched its flow. Moments of numbness made the pain bearable, but right then
a searing agony took hold. Mariana squeezed her eyes shut, ground her teeth.
“Are
you injured, my lady?” The king’s voice was solicitous, but Mariana knew better
than to think he would be kind.
Slowly,
she nodded, then opened her eyes, trying to see him through the mist of her
tears.
The
king scowled over her head, then stood. “I told you to take care of her, not
bring her back to me broken.”
Mariana’s
throat grew tight, and she found it hard to breathe. That tone he used… Chills
of dread shook her.
“She
was already injured when I found her, Your Highness.” Ross’ voice was
confident. Too confident. The man wouldn’t last long with King Edward.
“And
you didn’t think it necessary to tend to her wound? I don’t like my property to
be damaged.”
Mariana
put her weight on her uninjured arm and tried to stand. The king, most likely
sensing her struggle from the corner of his eye, actually held out a hand to
her. She gripped it, the leather of his gloves soft and cold. As he brought her
to her feet, she tried to keep in mind that though he was a cruel man, he’d
once been kind to her. Took her in, clothed her, fed her. The price had been
steep—her dignity, her body—but still, she was alive.
That
was the hardest part. Hate him she did, but regretfully, for he’d never beaten
her or punished her. He never had to.
Once
on her feet, she swayed, feeling light-headed. She held her injured arm close
to her, afraid if she let go, whatever bone had been broken would shatter
further.
King
Edward snapped his fingers. “Will someone take Lady Mariana to a private
chamber and see her properly tended?”
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Have you read the first book in the Stolen Bride series? In celebration of its 1 yr anniversary, THE HIGHLANDER'S REWARD ebook is on sale for $2.99! Amazon / Barnes and Noble
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