Dearest Teatime Tattler Readers,
You may recall that I recently shared a letter detailing the plight of a Highland lass, a certain Miss Jessie Munroe, in the April 9th edition of the Tattler. Well, I am sure you will be most excited to hear that another never-before-published piece—the pages of a secret captain’s log relating to the exact same noble family—the Grants of Strathburn—has reached my desk. Although, no names are mentioned within Captain Drummond’s log book, it is evident (to this reader at least) that Mr. Robert Burnley must be in fact, Robert Grant, the long lost Master of Strathburn… Do read on. I believe you will concur…
S. Clemens
_____________________________
3rd August, 1756
Kingston, Jamaica
Moderate breezes an NW and N and fair weather as we set sail from Kingston at 7am this morning on our voyage to Scotland. All going well, we will make port in Glasgow in eight weeks time and then it will be onto Edinburgh (not our usual route, but there you have it). Nevertheless, The Phoenix carries her regular cargo of sugar, tea, timber and rum. MacLaren, the First Mate, reports the manifest is all in order and we have on board sufficient stores and Provisions until we anchor.
Robert Burnley travels with our crew—an unusual circumstance to be sure, but an unexpected pleasure indeed to have the owner of the vessel making the voyage as well. Robert—it is hard to fathom we have been firm friends for near on seven years now—has not set foot in his homeland for over a decade. It would not be prudent of me to spell out the exact reason why, but needless to say, after witnessing a very interesting conversation between Robert and a fairly inebriated Lady Ogilvy at Governor Haldane’s residence two nights ago (said Lady was much enamored of my friend, him being such a handsome devil an’ all), I can fully understand why Robert has decided it is high time he returned home.
What I did observe, alarmed Robert no end, although at the time he hid it well—the man is a master of control—and not even our host, Governor George Haldane (a former officer in King George’s army who was present at that most tragic and bloody of battles, Culloden) noticed anything was amiss. You see, not only did Lady Ogilvy note a strong family resemblance between my friend and a particular Scot’s earl with a long-lost Jacobite son (she seems to have a canny memory for fine blue eyes) she also mentioned a well-bandied about rumor fresh from Edinburgh—apparently, the earl’s Highland estate is in dire financial straits because his second-born son is far too fond of wine, women, and gaming and is rapidly squandering the family fortune. The scoundrel is also audaciously claiming he is now the rightful heir and should be declared The Master of S____n!
I concurred with Robert’s assessment that it was indeed time for him to return to the land of his birth, despite the risks. Alas, The Act of Indemnity did not apply to the aforementioned earl’s first-born son. If a Pardon is to be had, the breach between the earl and said heir will need to be mended first. Only time will tell if such a thing can be a achieved…
The remainder of the daily transactions—only common Occurrences so far—are dutifully recorded in the Log Book.
Capt. Drummond
__________________________
The Master of Strathburn by Amy Rose Bennett releases on May 15 with Harlequin’s Escape Publishing.
A sweeping, sexy Highland romance about a wanted Jacobite with a 
wounded soul, and a spirited Scottish lass on the run.
Robert Grant has returned home to Lochrose Castle in the Highlands to reconcile with his long-estranged father, the Earl of Strathburn. But there is a price on Robert’s head, and his avaricious younger half-brother, Simon, doesn’t want him reclaiming his birthright. And it’s not only Simon and the redcoats that threaten to destroy Robert’s plans after a flame-haired complication of the feminine kind enters the scene…
Jessie Munroe is forced to flee Lochrose Castle after the dissolute Simon Grant tries to coerce her into becoming his mistress. After a fateful encounter with a mysterious and handsome hunter, Robert, in a remote Highland glen, she throws her lot in with the stranger—even though she suspects he is a fugitive. She soon realizes that this man is dangerous in an entirely different way to Simon…
Despite their searing attraction, Robert and Jessie struggle to trust each other as they both seek a place to call home. The stakes are high and only one thing is certain: Simon Grant is in pursuit of them both…
_____________________________
Buy Links:
____________________________
Amy Rose Bennett is one of the Bluestocking Belles. You can find out more about Amy’s books here and connect with her on social media here.
Leave a Reply