Happy Holidays everyone! I can’t believe Christmas is here already, and I have a house full of people! I’m planning to write a Christmas novella for release in 2016. It will be my first holiday story, but in Knight in Highland Armor, there’s a scene where Lady Margaret is feeling sorry for herself because it’s Yule and she’s alone. I’d like to share it with you:
Margaret shuddered and pulled the plaid tighter around her shoulders. No matter how much wood she piled on the fire, the cold north wind blew in from every window and crevice in this drafty old castle. With winter came the dregs of an icy and dead season.
Effie stepped inside, her arms filled with wood. She dropped the pile beside the hearth. “Thank you for allowing me to spend the morning with my son, m’lady.”
Margaret set her lute aside. “Of course. Is he well?”
“Aye. Looking forward to the feast this eve.”
Margaret glanced to the fire. “Mevan and his men assured me we’d have pheasant to spare.”
“‘Tis grand you are so generous, m’lady.”
“‘Tis my duty as matron of the keep.” She forced herself to smile. “I want every soul in my care to be well fed and in good cheer.”
Effie sat on a stool beside Duncan and pulled him onto her lap. “‘Tis time you indulged in some cheer of your own.”
“Colin said no one could fool you.” Margaret sniffed. “But I’m afraid a bout of melancholy has consumed my heart. Yule without Colin or family”¦”
“What say you? Your family is the entire clan.” Effie gave her a sideways look. “And ye’d best raise that chin of yours if you want your bairn to be healthy.”
Margaret reached for a stick of wood and tossed it on the fire. “I cannot pretend all is well. My heart cannot bear to have Colin away, fighting in the Crusades, not knowing whether”¦”
Effie arched a brow. “Would Colin want you to pine for him as you do?”
“Nay,” Margaret said, staring into the rising flames.
“Then I suggest you go to your chamber, don a festive gown, go down to the great hall and dance.”
Margaret glared at the old woman. Effie smiled like a child caught pinching a piece of apple tart. Queen’s knees, she could not chastise the nursemaid””especially when she was right.
Effie smoothed her hand over Margaret’s shoulder. “Ye’ve arranged for minstrels, have you not?”
“Aye.”
“Then you should dance.”
Margaret tapped her hand to her chest. “Without Colin?”
“Yes, without Lord Glenorchy. The entire clan now looks to you for leadership””you said yourself you want them in good cheer.” The nursemaid shook her finger. “You alone set the tone for their peace of mind. Do you think for a minute the entire castle hasn’t been in mourning with you these past sennights?”
Margaret clapped her hands to her cheeks. “It has been that obvious?”
“Aye. It has.” Effie regarded Duncan in her arms. “Even this wee bairn senses your sadness, as does the one you’re carrying.”
Margaret rubbed her palm over her stomach. If anything, she’d lost a quarter-stone with the sickness, and she knew that wasn’t good. “Do you honestly believe the bairn inside me feels unhappiness as I do?”
“I have no doubt. And you’d best listen to the likes of me. I’ve been nursemaid to over a dozen babes. I ken what I say.”
Margaret had no idea how much her mood had been affecting others. Neither Duncan nor her unborn child could suffer because of her selfishness. “Well then, I shall begin today. ‘Tis the birthday of our Lord””what better time to start anew?”
“Aye, m’lady. I can think of no better time than now.” Effie flicked her fingers through the air. “Now off with ye.”
With a renewed sense of purpose, Margaret dressed in a green velvet gown, trimmed with ermine. Aside from the dress she’d worn at her wedding, it was the finest gown she owned. Everyone stood when she arrived in the great hall.
She clapped and called for silence, smiling broadly. “I thank you for sharing my table for this, our Yule feast. Though the wind whistles outside, we will be warm within. Eat and make merry, dance and laugh, for I ever so want to share joy with each one of you. Happy Yule.”
“Happy Yule!” every voice boomed in unison.
The resounding and cheerful noise made the bairn inside her flutter with excitement. It may be the dead of winter, but to Margaret’s heart, spring had come early. There was much to do, and Margaret would prove to the world she could manage in Colin’s stead. She would ensure the Campbell Clan thrived and prospered. Her husband would return home to flourishing and wealthy lands. She vowed it.
***
In celebration of Coffee Time Romance’s holiday cheer, I am giving away a signed print copy of Knight in Highland Armor read how Margaret rises above her sorrow and Colin becomes one of the greatest knights in Christendom. Together they are unstoppable!
Also if you enjoy Time Travel Romance, I dare you to have a look at my new two-book saga about William Wallace. I promise the ending will not disappoint! Rise of a Legend is out now and In the Kingdom’s Name is up for pre-order!
A descendant of an ancient Lowland clan, Amy adores Scotland. Though she now resides in southwest Utah, she received her MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Winning multiple writing awards, she found her niche in the genre of Scottish historical romance. Amy loves hearing from her readers and can be contacted through her website at www.amyjarecki.com.
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