Here are the links and blurb for the first two.
Fairlyden book 1
Matthew Camerson’s
death has ended the three life lease on the tenancy of the farm of
Nethertannoch but Sandy Logan hopes to secure the tenancy so that he can keep
his promise, made to Matthew on his deathbed, namely to love and protect his
daughter, Mattie. He has made his promise with joy and sincerity because he
loves the beautiful and vulnerable Mattie, who has been deaf since childhood.
The
laird, Sir Douglas Irving, has other plans. He has little interest in the
remote Scottish glen
of Caoranne, or its
people, but he needs to buy the silence of rapacious farmer, Jacob Reevil, who
has long coveted the prosperous Cameron farm – and Mattie. So the laird
promises the girl and the farm to Reevil’s idiot son, with no thought for the
consequences.
When
events explode into violence Sandy finds himself accused of murder and he is
forced to flee. He takes Mattie with him, although he knows he cannot marry her
until she comes of age. They trek for many miles and eventually find refuge at
the rundown farm of Fairlyden, nestling in a peaceful valley. It belongs to
Daniel Munro who has been in poor health for years due to crippling rheumatism.
He does not welcome strangers but something about the pair of fugitives touches
his heart and he agrees to let them stay.
They
work hard to make a living and to restore the fertility of the land. Gradually
Mattie is able to produce enough eggs and butter to sell, and Sandy has his
strength and knowledge of horse breeding, but they try to keep out of the
public eye, fearing retribution from Caoranne.
Unfortunately
Daniel Munro is the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Strathtod so Fairlyden
only belongs to him, and his heirs, during their lifetime. Without heirs it
will return to the present Earl, who has always hated Daniel and can’t wait for
him to die. So Daniel devises a scheme to thwart his half-brother, a scheme
which must include Mattie - one which will have far- reaching consequences down
the generations.
Mistress of Fairlyden - Book 2
As Mistress of Fairlyden, and happily married to William
Fairly, Sarah feels her life complete. But longing to share the joyful news of
her pregnancy with Beatrice Slater, her childhood friend, Sarah defies her
husband’s wishes and goes alone to Muircumwell Mill. She could not have
foreseen the dreadful consequences which are to haunt her for the rest of her
life, and force her to become the sole keeper of a disturbing secret.
At the Mill, she meets Beatrice’s sly and ambitious father,
Edward Slater, whose evil jealousy and desire for revenge lead to a frenzied
attack upon Sarah. Months later little Alex is born; a cripple whose deformity
Sarah blames upon herself. William cannot bear the fact that his son will never
be perfect and a rift develops.
Bored with the farm life of Fairlyden, and troubled by his
son’s condition, William sets up a precarious business venture with Sir Simon
Guillyman. Sarah cautiously welcomes this outside interest, thinking it good
for William and their marriage. But when Sir Simon dies unexpectedly, his
attractive widow poses a new problem.
With a growing family, financial hardship and the secret
burden resulting from Edward Slater’s revelations, Sarah finds herself
increasingly drawn to Crispin Bradshaw, owner of a Yorkshire woollen mill.
Mistress of Fairlyden is the moving and evocative second
novel in this quartet of life on the land in nineteenth-century Scotland,
following Fairlyden.
I will give details of the last two on my next blog.
