The Heather Moon (54 page)

Tears started in her eyes. "Oh, Will," she said, tipping her face up to rest her cheek against his. "Oh, Will."

His hand lifted to shape her head, fingers slipping over her braided hair. "You know, Tamsin lass, what that means."

"Aye," she whispered, turning her head for his kiss. "'Twas fate between us all along."

"Aye so," he agreed in a half whisper.

The End

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Page forward for a Special Author's Note

followed by excerpts from

THE RAVEN'S WISH

and

THE STONE MAIDEN

Dear Reader,

Two schemes existed in 1543 to abduct the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. The first was the idea of King Henry VIII, who wanted the little queen wed to his son Edward and raised in England. The second plan was linked to James Hamilton, Earl of Arran and Regent of Scotland during Mary's minority, who thought that she should be wedded to his young son. Both plots were in the air just before the queen's scheduled coronation at Stirling Castle, at the age of nine months.

The English scheme ceased to go forward when King Henry's advisors protested. What became of the Scottish plan is unclear, but it is likely that reason prevailed there, also.
The Heather Moon
is a fanciful version of what might have happened had the plans gone a little further.

In 1553, when Queen Mary Stewart was ten years old and living at the French court, the Scottish Privy Council issued an unusual writ, a renewal of privileges granted to a certain band of "Egip-ciouns," or gypsies, who had previously gained and lost the favor of James V in 1540. Young Queen Mary, in agreement with her mother, who was then regent, along with the approval of the council, extended a safe warrant to a particular gypsy leader and his retinue. It begins:
"To oure lovit Johne Fawe, lord and erle of Littel Egipte."
The hint of affection in the document appealed to my imagination, and became part of the blend of history and romance in this novel.

The word "gypsy" is first used in sixteenth-century England to describe the wandering groups of "Egipciouns" who came to Britain from Europe by the early sixteenth century. The earliest records, from the fourteenth century onward, describe a wandering people, traveling in wagon caravans, who already exhibited characteristics that might today be considered stereotypical.

Even then, they were skilled with horses and metalsmithing. They danced, juggled, and were known for their music, as well as sleight-of-hand tricks and clever scams. And they were renowned for divination, especially palmistry, phrenology, and tarot cards. Early drawings of gypsy troupes show dark-skinned, handsome people with bright clothing, wrapped turbans, earrings, and other ornaments. Medieval legal documents contain accusations of child-stealing, horse-stealing, general thieving, begging, and vagrancy. In most countries, records indicate persecution, banishment, and strict punishment.

In the past, as now, the gypsies in Britain referred to themselves and their language as Romany. Medieval Europeans believed that they came from Egypt, but modern studies of their language and oral traditions indicate that they probably originated in India in the twelfth or thirteenth centuries, perhaps as Hindu outcasts who were banished. They became itinerant musicians and performers, surviving by their wits and talents.

Little sympathy was accorded them in sixteenth-century England, but Scotland showed more tolerance for them. There, the gypsies obtained royal assistance from the crown. There are records of payment to gypsies for entertainments at the royal Scottish courts. Evidence exists of intermarriage between gypsies and Scots from the sixteenth century onward.

When describing palmistry, card games, and
tarocchi
cards, I relied on what would have been known and used in the sixteenth century. Treatises on palmistry were widely available at the time. Although the ancient art was understood and widely practiced by gypsies, it was also regarded as a science and used by many European physicians.

Playing cards and tarot cards were immensely popular in the sixteenth century.
Tarocchi
was primarily a game played for points, and is still popular today. Even in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, there are references to gypsies who told fortunes using tarot cards and regular playing cards (a deck of fewer cards, minus the picture "trumps," as they were called then). The card layout used in this novel was current in medieval times.

As in my books
The Raven's Moon
and
The Raven's Wish,
I used verses from old Scottish ballads to introduce many of the chapters in this novel. Other quotes are taken from contemporary documents and literature.

I hope you enjoyed
The Heather Moon
, and I hope you'll look for my other books (as Susan King, Sarah Gabriel and Susan Fraser King)! Visit me on Facebook (search Susan King and also Word Wenches) and check out my websites at
www.susanfraserking.com
and
www.susankingbooks.com
and be sure to visit me and my author friends, the Word Wenches, on our group blog at
www.wordwenches.com
.

Happy Reading!

Susan

Missed the first book in

The Border Rogues Series?

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THE RAVEN'S WISH

The Border Rogues Series

Book One

or

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THE STONE MAIDEN

The Celtic Nights Series

Book One

Excerpt from

The Raven's Wish

The Border Rogues Series

Book One

by

Susan King

National Bestselling Author

Scotland, the Highlands

Summer, 1563

"Aaarrghh! Missed him, the son of a snake!" Splashing through the water, scrambling over slick rocks, the girl gained steadier footing. Staring intently into the stream, she swore again, and the airy Gaelic oath sounded like a prayer.

Ignoring the raucous chorus of male laughter that floated out from the bank, she shifted her fingers along the stout stick gripped in her hand. A silvery flash teased past her bare legs, and she struck downwards, cursed loudly. Cold water surged over her knees, saturating the hem of the plaid wrapped about her slim hips and slung over her shoulder.