Haunting Scenes from Scotland Past by Lori Ann Bailey

While doing research for Highland Redemption, I stumbled upon a piece of information that stuck with me, so much so that I felt I had to put it in my book. The cruelty of the instance became part of the motivation for my heroine, Skye, to do her part in protecting her family, even if that meant marrying someone she didn’t know.

Some of you may have heard that the “Red Wedding” from “Game of Thrones” was inspired by true events, the brutal slayings of the MacDonalds by Campbell men in the Massacre of Glencoe. 

Campbell forces had been accepted as guests and given hospitality for several days before turning on their hosts, killing thirty-eight MacDonalds in their sleep and leaving another forty women and children to die from exposure after burning their homes.

This is an example of brutality that has tarnished the reputation of the Campbells. Even to this day, there is a bar, Clachaig Inn, in the Highlands that has a sign above the door stating that it will not serve Campbells.

(https://youtu.be/-UFMx3xE9Ko)

But this wasn’t the tale of carnage that made it into Highland Redemption because it takes place after my story, it’s just the infamous one. The massacre I speak of happened fifty years earlier and although just as gruesome, it is hard to find the truth of what happened in August of 1642.

On Rathlin Island, Ireland, Covenanter Campbell soldiers were given orders to kill the local Catholic MacDonalds because they were relatives of the Scottish MacDonalds, who were seen as enemies by clan Campbell. According to what I’ve read, women and children were forced to watch the slaying of their men, then as they retreated to safety, the Campbells showed no mercy. It is said that anywhere between one hundred and three thousand women and children were driven from cliffs of what is now known as the Hill of Screaming.

From Highland Redemption - Skye’s thoughts, just after she meets her newly betrothed:

Now, she was resigned to a marriage built on a foundation of Royalist unity and the blood of her kin, who were massacred by Covenanter soldiers at the orders of Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchinbreck. Alliances with other Royalist clans were becoming more important as tensions rose between those who were loyal to King Charles, and the men, like the Duke of Argyll, who supported the Presbyterian Covenants as the sole religion of Scotland.

Often, she awakened, covered in sweat, when her dreams took her to the horrors she’d heard tales of—hundreds of Catholic MacDonald women of Rathlin Island begging for their lives, and the piercing screams that must have spilled from their lips as the Covenanter soldiers of Argyll’s Foot pushed them over the cliffs to the rocks and surf below.

If she could save others by forming an alliance with another clan, so be it. Despite living with the Cameron clan as a child, she owed her uncle, the MacDonald laird, and their people a debt because they had taken her in and given her a new life. At least her uncle had given her a choice of men.

While spying for Clan Cameron, Brodie Cameron rescues a lass, only to realize it’s Skye—the woman who’d broken his heart. He needs to get her to her uncle as quickly as possible to keep her safe, but every minute he’s distracted from his mission brings the clans that much closer to war. And having beautiful Skye anywhere near him is dangerous, because the price on his head is higher than the one on hers.

Upon being rescued from kidnappers, Skye finds herself staring into the eyes of the man she once loved—Brodie Cameron. She’s grateful to be freed, but has no idea how she’ll resist the lad who has become a braw man. Especially because she’s promised to another, in a political marriage forged to strengthen the Royalist clans against the Covenanters who plot to turn Scotland upside down.

Purchase HIGHLAND REDEMPTION:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2As7N16
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Amazon UK https://goo.gl/mb9Et1

Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award and Holt Medallion for Best First Book and Best Historical, Lori Ann Bailey writes hunky highland heroes and strong-willed independent lasses finding their perfect matches in the Highlands of 17th century Scotland. Writing about the people and places playing in her head helps her live out her dreams and delve into her love of history and romance. When not writing, Lori enjoys time with her real life hero and four kids or spending time walking or drinking wine with her friends.

Visit Lori at www.loriannbailey.com. Or, follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lori.Ann.Bailey.author

Gwyn Brodie Shares Her Pictures of Scotland

Welcome guest author, Gwyn Brodie to History Undressed! Today she's written a post along with pictures from her travels to Scotland -- in particular Dunnottar Castle. Enjoy!

Long before becoming an author of Highland Scottish Romance, I fell in love with the Scottish Highlands. One of my favorite castles in the Highlands is Dunnottar, a medieval fortress located on a stony outcropping of land, in Stonehaven. In fact, it was Dunnottar I used as the template for Ravenskull castle, where Kade MacLachlan, the hero in "Beneath a Highland Moon," was laird. William Wallace burned down the abbey to remove an English garrison, and the castle was visited by Mary Queen of Scots and many other well known people. But its most famous place in Scotland's history was when a Scottish garrison of 70 men stood their ground against Cromwell’s army for eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels.

Dunnottar is mostly ruins, with extensive restoration having been done on the drawing room.  The medieval architecture is amazing and the view of its surroundings, breathtaking. There is something about this ancient place which gives one the impression they have just taken a step back in time.  It seemed even more so when we ended up seeking shelter inside the castle during a sudden gale. While waiting out the storm pressed against the ancient stone wall, listening to the howl of the wind, feeling its strength and power as it slammed against the stones behind me—I closed my eyes and imagined myself as a resident of centuries past.

 There are so many things I love about the Scottish Highlands—the pink and lavender heather, the black-faced sheep, the wooly Highland cattle, the cascading waterfalls spouting from out of nowhere, the wisps of mist hovering around its majestic mountain peaks, the herds of red deer, the lush green grass of the glens and meadows, the mist rising from a still loch, the breathtaking view from a mountaintop—I could go on and on.  But I think Robert Burns may have said it best:

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here;

My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;

Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe:

My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Dunnottar Castle 

Sea View from Dunnottar

View of the sea from inside the Dunnottar Castle

Black faced sheep.

Waterfall at Glencoe

View from Blair

Oban

Mist on the Mountain

Mist on the Loch

Glencoe

Gwyn Brodie is the author of Scottish historical romance. Visit her blog--A Little Piece of Scotland or friend her on Facebook.

After her clan's castle falls under siege, the fair-haired Lady Jillian MacRae finds a way to escape with her four-year-old brother, seeking help from the handsome Kade MacLachlan, laird and master of Ravenskull Castle. Four years past their love had been strong—until her father betrothed her to another man who was later killed. Now, it is Kade she turns to for help in regaining control of her own castle from the wicked man who has taken over and intends to marry her. Once she is again face-to-face with Kade, she realizes the love she thought she'd put aside is alive and thriving.

Kade is speechless when the beautiful Jillian offers herself to him in exchange for protecting her young brother and banishing the intruders from her castle—an offer he is more than willing to accept. He has no intention of allowing her to slip through his fingers again. And when her life hangs in the balance, he will not let anything—or anyone—stop him from saving her, even as his own life dangles by a thread.

Read it! 

Amazon: 

Beneath a Highland Moon (The Highland Moon Series 1)

Barnes and Noble:
Beneath a Highland Moon (The Highland Moon Series 1)