The Royal Mile

by Mary Daheim

Overview

As her father lies on his deathbed, Dallas Cameron joins the crowd gathered at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh to witness the triumphant entrance of Mary Stuart into Scotland in 1561. On Dallas' way home, she is rescued from a group of lecherous ruffians by a dashing stranger. Iain Fraser escorts her home where Dallas' mortally ill father recognizes her savior's name and tells him a secret he has never shared with anyone-the identity of Iain's father. Donald Cameron's death leaves Dallas and her two sisters destitute. She tries to earn money by selling meat pies and family heirlooms, but her efforts are in vain. Taking pity on the poor lassie, Iain spares her further humiliation by giving her a loan. Later, she accidentally stumbles across his ship hidden in a cave and discovers that not only is Iain one of Queen Mary's favorite courtiers, but he's also a pirate. To ensure her silence, Iain agrees to marry her, but love isn't part of their strange bargain. She gains respectability and security while he moves on to enjoy his freedom. Iain's dedication to Scotland and the Queen often takes him away from his wife, whose loyalty wavers during times of loneliness. As Dallas' passion is awakened, she realizes that the only man she really loves is her lawful husband. But before they can attempt to heal the emotional wounds they have inflicted on each other, they must first find a way to survive the political and religious turmoil plaguing the dangerous court of Mary, Queen of Scots. First published in 1983 as Love's Pirate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603818551
Publisher:	Coffeetown Enterprises, Inc.
Publication date:	02/14/2014
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

Mary Richardson Daheim, a Seattle native, began her publishing career with the first of seven historical romances before switching to mysteries in 1991. Since then she has published at least 55 books. You can find her on the Web at authormarydaheim.com.

Read an Excerpt

Breathless from exertion and terror, Dallas was reduced to writhing helplessly in their grasp. They had passed the second row of houses on the hill when a voice that sounded oddly familiar called out behind them, "Kidnappers end up in the Tolbooth, you know."

Drunk as the young revelers were, they recognized authority in that cool, almost casual tone. They stopped in their tracks, dumping Dallas unceremoniously onto the cobblestones. Struggling to her feet, she looked up to see that her savior was the dark man she had encountered near Holyrood Palace. He stood outlined against a whitewashed house, his hands at his hips, his head to one side.

"We--we're handfasted," blurted the redhead. "We're just having a bit of fun, my mates and I."

"Handfasted?" One dark wedge of eyebrow lifted. "No, I think not." The man took a step forward, and though he moved indolently, there was something menacing in his attitude. His hands remained at his hips but the eyes of all four revelers fastened like magnets on the lethal-looking dirk shoved into the stranger's belt. There was only the briefest hesitation before the four young men took to their heels and scuttled off down the wynd and into the sanctuary of the night.

Dallas had remained huddled against an iron railing while the brief exchange took place. She was still out of breath, her thick brown hair half-covered her face, and a wild trembling had overtaken her limbs. The dark man approached her and gently took her hand.

"You should not have stayed out so late without a proper escort, lassie," he said reproachfully. "Unless," he added with a glint of mockery in his hazel eyes, "it is to your profit to do so."

Dallas pulled her shaking hand away and felt her spirits revive with a jolt. "Pox on you for such impertinence!" she railed. "I go where I please, and never has any man pestered me until this night."

He lifted one shoulder in a gesture of indifference. "As you say. You live nearby?"

"Aye," she muttered. The shaking had stopped and her hands worked at pulling the thick hair from her face.

"Then you won't call out the watch if I walk the remaining distance with you to your door?" He saw a stormy look but went on before she could speak. "My name is Iain Fraser and I live close by, in Mungo Tennant's former home. You know the house in Gosford's Close?"

"Aye, it's a beautiful place," Dallas asserted, trying hard to keep a check on her emotional turmoil. "Though I've heard it said that Mungo Tennant had torture chambers in the cellar and engaged in strange doings to gain his wealth."

Fraser shrugged. "He accumulated sufficient funds to take over the house when the monks were turned out."

Editorial Reviews

At first glance, this paperback exhibits all the conventional attributes of a lush, overblown something-to-read-on-the-plane novel. The jacket blurb is replete with the usual references to "flames" and "desire" and "passionate blood," and the illustration has a decidedly soft-porn tinge. However, since I thoroughly enjoy such delectable stuff, I couldn't wait to read it. Neither should you.

True, all the promised burning lust usually to be found in a "woman's novel" is certainly here, so are the perils and temptations to which our familiar heroine is exposed. But this is most definitely not junk food, nor something merely to pass the time. This novel is utterly perverse in that it upends all my gleeful anticipation of a racy piece of trash written in a breakneck style, with oodles of sexy bits stuffed in to fill in the cracks in the narrative. On the contrary, there are sexy bits galore, the pace is fast and frequently furious, but I have a curious feeling that Mary Daheim aspires to higher things. Could it be, dash it all, the woman is a real writer?

Set in the turmoil of Scottish politics at the time of the unfortunate misunderstanding between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, the plot has twists and turns and intrigue and terror enough to satisfy the most ardent "historical romance" freak. But it has much more than this. The historical matter is most accurately handled, the machinations of the unscrupulous lowland lords and clansmen accord beautifully with known facts, and the staunch resistance of the Highlanders, which was to resurface under Bonnie Prince Charlie, is most sensitively shown. The origins of the tragic schism between Catholic and Protestant in this mournfully beautiful country are shown to have their roots in a most peculiar power struggle, with poor, silly Mary caught in the middle.

So far as the conventions of the trade are concerned, Love's Pirate passes muster. The heroine is suitably smart and brave and passionately virginal. The hero is certainly worth a fantasy or two, and their story is definitely sentimental enough. But this is really only half the story. Dallas Cameron is a very realistic woman, Iain Fraser a complicated and interesting man, and they are good characters because you can imagine meeting them. In fact, you can imagine meeting almost all the people in this book. Sure, go ahead and read this on the plane. Read it by the pool, if you like. Read it like I did, until my eyelids closed of their own accord. Good plot, good characters, good research, good writing. Good grief! H.Z.

--West Coast Review of Books (Rapport Publishing Company), 1983

"Mary Daheim's novels are a rare treat for the lovers of deeply detailed, highly historical love stories that bring history to vibrant life."

--Romantic Times Magazine

From the Publisher