Amanda Forester The Wrong Highland Bridegroom (

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.Copyright © 2014 by Amanda ForesterCover and internal design © 2014 by Sourcebooks, Inc.Cover design by The Killion GroupCover image © Hot Damn StockSourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.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—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously.Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved worldwide.www.zondervan.com.The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.P.O.Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410(630) 961-3900Fax: (630) 961-2168www.sourcebooks.comContentsFront CoverTitle PageCopyrightOneTwoThreeFourFiveSixSevenEightNineTenElevenTwelveEpilogueAn Excerpt from A Wedding in SpringtimeAn Excerpt from A Midsummer BrideAbout the AuthorTo the people in my life who breathe hope into my world.OneAlnsworth Castle, 1358“I dinna care who David arranged for me to wed,” declared Effie Campbell.“I shall marry the man I choose.”Effie entered the great hall to raucous cheers from the crowd.She followed her brother, Laird David Campbell, and his wife, Lady Isabelle, into the hall.After years of war, Laird Campbell was hosting a May Day clan gathering, which, if the volume of cheers was any indication, was heartily appreciated.“I suggest ye have the good sense to choose the man to whom ye are engaged,” hissed her twin sister, Elyne, walking beside her.“I think it unfair I should no’ choose my own groom.” Effie surveyed the raucous clans, all of whom had brought their best knights.“Who is that knight?” She gave the attractive knight a smile.The man returned it with a scandalous wink.“That is Sir Malcolm Douglas, no’ that it is any o’ yer concern.Face forward, sister! Ye are about to be introduced to yer future husband.”“My future husband has yet to be determined,” whispered Effie with defiance, smoothing her burgundy silk gown.The presentation gown, made particularly for this momentous day, was very fine, with gold embroidered thread along the sleeves and bodice.She may reject the groom, but the gown was all hers.“Dinna be a fool.Nobody chooses their own spouse.” Elyne smoothed her own gown, an exact copy of Effie’s but in brilliant blue.The two identical twins made quite a stir with their rich gowns and their long blond locks plaited down their backs with a gauzy veil finishing their presentation.They appeared as one accord, yet they could not be more different.“Our brother David did.And so did our sister Cait,” protested Effie.“Those were unusual events,” dismissed Elyne.“A lass doesna choose her own husband.’Tis simply no’ done.”“’Tis done in our family.And it will be done by me!”“As ye wish.Just remember May Day celebrations occur but once a year.We have no’ been able to celebrate for many years due to the war, and who knows what the next year will bring.We are already nineteen years old! If ye dinna wish to see twenty and still be unwed…”“I have no intention of waiting another year,” sniffed Effie, shuddering at the mere thought of being twenty and unwed.At nineteen some might say they were already past their prime, and she was determined not to leave this May Day celebration without a man to call her own.She simply intended to be the one doing the choosing.She glanced around at the cheering throng of manhood before her.Honestly, with all these options, it could not possibly be so difficult to find a man who made her heart sing.David and Isabelle reached the raised dais and sat at the high table before the assembled knights and ladies.Many notable clans were assembled, including the Douglases, the Stewarts, the Maclachlans, the Grants, and others.Since Elyne was the elder by all of a few minutes, she was introduced to her intended first, a large, burly man.If Elyne had any qualms about her intended, she kept them to herself and took her seat at the table with a placid look that gave away nothing.Now it was Effie’s turn.Despite being quite certain she would never marry the man, still her heart pounded as the herald spoke her name.“Euphemia Campbell, sister to the Laird David Campbell,” cried the herald.“May I present Sir Connor Maclachlan, honorable knight of the Maclachlan clan and son and heir to the Laird Maclachlan.”A tall man stood before her and bowed.He had short black hair and silver eyes that had an odd glint in the candlelight.He wore the Highland plaid in the form of the great kilt, as did her brothers.He was not as broad chested as some warriors in the room, but he was a head taller than most and she had to own that he was an attractive man.Though where others smiled and laughed, his demeanor was sober.He did not appear unkind, but neither did he smile.Anyone who knew Effie would agree she enjoyed lively conversation, amusing diversions, and a good laugh.A somber man would not do for her at all.No, she was confident in her decision.Sir Connor Maclachlan was not the man for her.Please, Lord, help me to find my true love.It was a fervent prayer.***After the merriment of the banquet, Effie climbed the north tower of Castle Alnsworth.The castle was Lady Isabelle’s inheritance, thus acquired by the Campbell clan when David wed her.She was an English lady by blood, and the castle was situated on the border between England and Scotland [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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