The Lion (Clan Ross of the Hebrides Book 1) - Hildie McQueen (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

The Lion

Clan Ross of the Hebrides

Pink Door Publishing

Editor: Dark Dreams Editing

© Hildie McQueen 2021

Kindle Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Hildie McQueen

About the Book

A Few Notes

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

About the Author

Also By Hildie McQueen

Clan Ross of the Hebrides

The Lion: Darach

The Beast: Duncan

The Hunter: Evander

The Eagle: Stuart

The Fox: Caelan

Clan Ross

A Heartless Laird

A Hardened Warrior

A Hellish Highlander

A Flawed Scotsman

A Fearless Rebel

A Fierce Archer

Moriag Series

Beauty and the Highlander

The Lass and the Laird

Lady and the Scot

The Laird’s Daughter

About the Book

Preferring to spend time outdoors sketching and not worrying overmuch about her appearance, Isobel Macdonald is shocked when a handsome laird chooses her to marry. However, as one who treasures loyalty above all, she is mortified to learn his lover lives at the family keep as well. After being publicly humiliated by her new husband, Isobel must ensure two things: to keep her heart protected, and to remain a wife in name only.

After his late father’s time as laird, where he ruled by fear, Darach Ross inherits a clan of people who do not trust in him, or his leadership. With the threat of insurrection and possible attack by another clan, every move he makes must be measured. When he is captured by an enemy clan and forced to face the possibility of leaving no legacy, he makes a mistake that could rob him of happiness forever.

Laird Calum Ross was dead. His eldest son, thirty-four-year-old, Darach Finlay Ross has inherited the lairdship and control over the vast lands on the Isle of Uist.

In the months that follow, Darach learns of the atrocities his father committed against the clan and must work hard to regain their trust. However, when he discovers that someone within the clan is plotting against him, he is faced with his biggest challenge yet: An execution.

Each of the seven Ross siblings must come to terms with their new roles as leaders responsible for hundreds of families.

One by one, they will find their calling, their place, and hopefully a love for all time.

A Few Notes

Dear Reader,

This fictional story takes place at the beginning of the 17th century in the Scottish Hebrides, isles off the Isle of Skye’s western coast.

In the 1500s, lordship over the Hebrides collapsed and the power was given to clan chiefs. The MacNeil in Barra. The Macdonald (Clanranald) in South Uist. The Uisdein in North Uist. The MacLeod the isles of Harris and Lewis.

For this series, I have moved the clans around a bit to help the story work better. The clans’ locations in my books are as follows. The MacNeil will remain in Barra. The Macdonald (Clanranald) is moved to North Uist. The Uisdein resides in Benbecula. The MacLeod remains in the Isles of Harris and Lewis. My fictional clan, Clan Ross, will be laird over South Uist.

Clan Ross of the Hebrides Map

Chapter One

Dún Láidir, Keep Ross

Summer 1601

The loud argument between the men that stood before him did not deter others in the great hall from trying to be heard above their shouts. Another group of people stood in a circle to the side yelling insults. Behind the group, a pair of men were tied at the wrists with guards standing watch, as the binds did not keep them from kicking at each other.

A fire had been lit in the hearth that morning, while it was still cold in the room and now the combination of the heat and stench of unwashed bodies crammed into the space made it overwhelmingly difficult to concentrate.

Darach Ross, pushed back a lock of blond hair that fell over his brow and leaned forward in an attempt to hear what the supplicants before him were arguing about, but he was barely able to decipher their issues since both yelled at each other more than trying to explain their complaints to him.

When he could not get the men to settle, he looked to his brother Stuart who was leaning forward staring at the men as if attempting to read their lips. His brother’s hazel gaze moved from one man to the other, while he fiddled with an arrow in his hands.

“I cannot hear what is being said. Is it possible to remove some of the people to another space?” Darach asked Cairn McKinney, a member of his council, who sat to his right.

The older man looked from one side of the room to the other, and Darach did the same, taking in the desperate expressions of those present. Every person in the room was looking to him to somehow fix their situation. Most were dirty and much too thin, with the pale hollow eyes of someone with no hope.

Hunger he could help with; disillusionment and distrust were another story.

Upon realizing Darach was distracted, the men in front of him became furious and began screaming at him directly.

“Do ye even hear me, Laird?” one yelled.

“Ye do not care, do ye?” the other screamed.

“Enough!” Darach roared and stood to his full height, towering over the men from the high board. “I am yer