Whitebeam

We must swallow many a bitter pill if our enemies are powerful enough to control our lives.

Take, for instance, a man determined to wrest the throne of Scotland from the grasp of the English king, the enemy he despises. Worse, his lover is betrothed to his bitterest rival. And about to have his child. Two foes, the most powerful men in the country, united in their hatred of him. If either could lay hands on his child, he would be forced to do whatever they asked. The child would be completely at their mercy.

No one must ever learn of her existence. They must give her up. Their daughter Pippa, having one of the noblest lineages in Scotland, must be hidden in a remote glen far out on the Isle of Arran. Even she must never learn that a family friend is not only her father, but is also a good deal more than just an ordinary soldier. Pippa thinks his endless concerns for fighting and battles are completely self-serving, but his stake in Scotland’s wars for independence goes much deeper than she knows.

She is about to find out the truth. And that same bitter pill will be held to her lips.