Sophia's Secret (58 page)

Two more attempts to gain his throne involving the help of the Swedes and the Spanish came to nothing, and even James’s marriage in 1719 to the Princess Maria Clementina proved less than successful. After six years, she left him and retired to a convent, though not before she gave him sons. The elder of these, Charles Edward, grew to be that ‘Bonnie Prince’ whose handsome face and charming ways would rouse the Scottish Jacobites to take up arms again and march beside him twenty-five years later…but that is another story, and too sad to tell.

I much prefer to think of James VIII and III in his old age in Rome, perhaps half-dozing in the sunshine of a warm Italian afternoon, and dreaming of the northern coast of Scotland and the proud red walls of Slains as he’d once seen them from the sea, and of the crown that must have, for that moment, seemed so nearly within reach.

When doing my research, like most writers, I must depend on the kindness of strangers, and in Cruden Bay I was spoilt by kindness. So many people, from the shopkeepers to people I passed on the street, gave me friendly advice and assistance, that even if I’d learnt their names I doubt I’d have the space to list them here!

I’m grateful above all to Joyce, Stuart and Alison Warrander of the St Olaf Hotel, where I stayed, who made sure that my room (No. 4) had a view of both Slains and the sea, so that I could imagine what Carrie was seeing. The Warranders and their staff were incredibly helpful to me, as were their regulars in the hotel’s public bar, who cheerfully answered my questions and even suggested the perfect place for me to put Carrie’s cottage.

My thanks also to all the drivers of Elaine’s Taxis who ferried me around, and to Elaine herself who took good care of me and even switched the meter off one afternoon to help me hunt down some of my elusive settings.

I’m also grateful to the landlord and staff of the Kilmarnock Arms, and to local historian and fellow author Mrs Margaret Aitken and her husband and daughter, who were kind enough to have me in to tea and share their knowledge of the history of the area.

I’m indebted to both Brenda Murray and Rhoda Buchan of the Cruden Bay Library, who searched out articles and books for me and found me details I could not have found without their help.

I’ve tried to repay all this kindness by getting my facts right. I hope I’ve succeeded, and that you’ll forgive me if I’ve slipped up anywhere.

Finally, I owe thanks to Jane, for her years of encouragement, and to her family, for welcoming me to Glendoick.

S
USANNA
K
EARSLEY
was a museum curator before she took the plunge and became a full-time author. The past and its bearing on the present is a familiar theme in her books. She won the prestigious Catherine Cookson Fiction Award for her novel
Mariana
, and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award for
Sophia’s
Secret
.

www.susannakearsley.com

Mariana

The Shadowy Horses

Season of Storms

Every Secret Thing

(previously published under the name Emma Cole)

Sophia’s Secret

(also published as
The Winter Sea
)

The Rose Garden