Fairlyden

It is nineteenth century Scotland and change is on the way. Sandy Logan is a man of his word and when Mattie Camerson's father dies, he intends to honour his promise to marry her. But dark forces are at work and Mattie finds herself betrothed to the son of cruel Jacob Reevil. Sandy comes to her rescue, and he and Mattie are forced to flee. They trek for many miles and eventually find refuge at the rundown farm of Fairlyden, nestling in a peaceful valley. Mattie quickly wins the heart of its owner, Daniel Munro who needs to produce an heir or else Fairlyden will fall into the hands of the unscrupulous Earl of Strathtod. To escape her betrothal, Mattie must be wed before the Reevils can find her. So Daniel comes to Mattie with a proposal: Marry him and escape her fate. Will Mattie accept Munro's offer? Will she choose her childhood sweetheart, Sandy? Or will the Reevils make the decision for her? Gwen Kirkwood is the author of sixteen Scottish novels and six shorter romantic novellas, including A Question of Love , The Wary Heart and A New Beginning . She won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy, judged by Richard Lee, when it was re-introduced to mark the millennium in 2000. She lives in Scotland.