The Recruit (53 page)

Sir Adam also served as surety for the release of William Lamberton, Bishop of St.
Andrews. Lamberton was part of the peace envoy sent to Scotland in 1309–10 and was
given leave to stay there for a few months. Why Edward would allow Lamberton, who
was thought to be one of the instigators behind Bruce’s bid for the crown, to roam
about Scotland is a mystery to me. One theory is that Edward trusted him because of
the bishop’s close relationship with Pembroke (Aymer de Valence).

This isn’t the first time I’ve used the Highland Games in the series. Although there
is a (apocryphal?) story on the origin of the Games from the time of Malcolm III (eleventh
century), I would assume they weren’t called that or organized to the extent I portrayed
them. I decided to make them closer to tournaments—Highland style, of course—with
the focus on sport and military prowess. Similarly, Highland “backhold” wrestling
is thought to be very old, dating possibly from the sixth century. But for my Highland
Games, I made the event more hand-to-hand combat than wrestling.

The Pits of Hell, the clandestine tourney in which Kenneth participates, is my invention
(inspired by the TV show
Spartacus
). However, the 1292 Statute of Arms for Tournaments, promulgated by Edward I to regulate
tourneys, suggests that it might not be that farfetched. There was a revived popularity
of tournaments under Edward I, but they died out under Edward III. The last one was
held in England in 1342.

I anticipated Henry Lord Percy’s purchase of Alnwick Castle (better known today as
the Harry Potter castle) by a few months. It was actually purchased on November 19,
1309 from the Bishop of Durham for what is said to be a comparatively small sum. Today,
Alnwick is the second largest inhabited castle in England and has been home to
the Percys for over seven hundred years. Those of you who follow Princess Kate’s sister,
Pippa, might recall her “friendship” with George Percy, one of Baron Percy’s descendants.
It was also home to the Harry “Hotspur” (reference to his hot temper) Percy made famous
by Shakespeare.

Marriage in medieval Scotland and England is a very complex subject, which I’ve had
to address many times in my novels. Clandestine marriages (those without banns and/or
official ceremony) seem to have been common, but the church clearly didn’t like them
and sought to prohibit them. There were the inevitable problems of proof (he said/she
said), but they also wanted to prevent secret marriages because they were concerned
with consanguinity. Ironically, I did a paper in law school on the subject (I wish
I could find it!). Basically, persons within a third degree were prohibited from marrying.
If you’ve followed the family connections above, you can see how easily that could
happen.

But note that even if the clandestine marriage was found to be “illegal,” it was not
necessarily invalid. Special licenses appear sometime in the fourteenth century, but
I decided to use a dispensation. In the course of my research, I was surprised to
discover that a widow was not permitted to have the mass inside the church after the
vows were exchanged at the church door.

And finally, I adjusted the time of Edward’s invasion by a couple of months. The English
actually marched from Berwick in August/September 1310, and were back at Berwick by
November. Bruce apparently had advance warning of the invasion, and the path taken
by the English troops was the one that Kenneth “discovered.”

The fact that you are reading this book about seven months after I finished the first
draft is a testament to the incredible team of people I have at Ballantine who crank
up the wheels of publishing to warp speed. A huge thanks to my editor, Kate Collins,
the copy editors, proofers, and everyone in production for all the hard work in doing
so, and to Junessa Viloria for keeping it all on track. To Lynn Andreozzi and the
Art Department for outdoing themselves yet again with my favorite—and sexiest—cover
to date.

Thanks also to Annelise and Andrea for keeping the business side of everything running
smoothly so I can concentrate on the writing.

And finally, to Jami for sharing the highs and lows on a daily basis.

The Recruit
The Saint
The Viper
The Ranger
The Hawk
The Chief

Highland Warrior
Highland Outlaw
Highland Scoundrel

Highlander Untamed
Highlander Unmasked
Highlander Unchained