A Kind of Grief (50 page)
Authors: A. D. Scott
Sutherland Courier
, 15 December: “Rowan House, part of the estate of the late Miss Alice Ramsay, has been gifted to the Scottish Society of Watercolorists for use as a residential retreat. Those wishing to apply for a residency can do so at the following address. . . .”
31 December 1959.
I can't quite believe itâHogmanay and the end of a decade, the beginning of . . . of what?
McAllister is in the sitting room with Don McLeod waiting for the bells to ring in 1960. The girls are in bed, but we promised we'd wake them to see in the New Year with us. McAllister has made his special mulled wine. Annie will want some, but it is really alcoholicâas I found out last Hogmanay.
Here I am, in the kitchen as usual, trying to compose a list of my New Year's resolutions, only I don't know what to write. All I can think of is the last months, the last year. Best summed up by: “I married him.”
Alice Ramsay is no longer haunting me, especially not here in my spicy warm kitchen. My obsession has evaporated. Yet I will always remember her. Always remember how I learned what I already knew.
It will be my New Year's resolution: Do as you would be done by.
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
A huge thank you to Anna Moi and Laurent Schwab for lending me their delightful home in Correze in South West France as a writing place. Anna, I miss our conversations.
To Susan and Paul, strangers who became friends and who made me so welcome in their adopted home village in South West France.
To Randy of Randy's Books, Hoi An, Vietnamâthank you for the excellent feedback on this manuscript and unending willingness to talk books.
Elka Rayâonce again an astute reader, and wonderful friend.
MangoMango Duc and Lyâthe food, the coffee, the loveâcouldn't do this without you guys.
Sarah Durand McGuiganâI miss you.
Sarah Cantinâmy oh my, what a fresh outlook on life you haveâand a deeply caring and intelligent editor you are.
Judith Currâthank you for the faith, the support, and the wonderful Atria team you have gathered around you. Truly appreciated.
And lastly to the people of Dornoch and Golspie: I have played fast and loose with geography and was, and am, overwhelmed by the kindness and warmth of the people in Sutherland. If there is any resemblance to anyone (alive or dead), in this novel, or if I have offended anyone, please remember this is fiction. I made it all up. Except for the witch.
The rest of the novel's in A.D. Scott's "ingenious" (
Booklist
) mystery series are just one click away!
See where it all started in the very first mystery of the riveting Highland Gazette series . . .
A Small Death in the Great Glen
A stunning and suspenseful story of families, betrayal, and a community divided.
A Double Death on the Black Isle
When a shocking murder of one of their own throws the
Highland Gazette
office into chaos, Joanne Ross must step up to investigate and keep the small town's divisions from tearing the office, and her own life, apart.
Beneath the Abbey Wall
The fourth gripping, fast-paced installment of A.D. Scott's series, offering another gorgeously written window into the intrigue and quiet beauty of the 1950s Scottish Highlands.
North Sea Requiem
An atmospheric and thrilling portrait of extremes: from the wilderness of the Highlands to the desolation of Glasgow's slums; between the rule of law and the laws of the streets; between safe, enduring love and unreasoning passion.
The Low Road
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© ETIENNE BOSSOT
A. D. Scott
was born in the Highlands of Scotland and educated at Inverness Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She has worked in theater, in magazines, and as a knitwear designer, and currently lives in Vietnam and north of Sydney, Australia.
