The Highlander

“That is what I mean. You say one thing and believe another. What I am telling you is, you must believe what I say, and trust in it with all your heart, no matter if you want to or not. It is your obedience I want, lass, not your apology. Your life may depend upon it. You will not set foot outside Danegæld until you prove your willingness to carry out what I demand or order, without question. For your sake, I hope this doesna happen again, for if it does, I will punish you. Have no doubt about that.” She was thinking about kicking him in the shin, when he said, “Now, come here and I will give you a hand up and you can ride the rest of the way back wi’ me.” She ignored him. “I prefer to walk… if I may have your royal permission.” He shook his head. “When ye find yer mark and stand on it, ye are a hard lass to move. Stick like a burr, you do.” She pointed her uplifted nose toward Danegæld and began to walk. He did not go after her, as she hoped, and that infuriated her even more.

By the time she reached the graveled drive that led to the lodge, the sun was almost gone and it had begun to snow, the most enormous, fat flakes that fell slowly around her. She pulled the sides of her borrowed cape closer together, thankful for the fur lining. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jamie ride toward the stables, but she did not turn to look at him, preferring to walk on with the snow melting on her face. She found herself wishing she would freeze, just to get her point across, but soon realized there would be precious little feeling of victory, if she were a dead woman encased in a sarcophagus of ice. Personally, she hoped he sunk up to his eyeballs in one of his soggy peat bogs. To think she had actually considered telling him the truth about her past and the reason she left France…

THE HIGHLANDER
Mass Market Paperback
Mira Books
November 2003
ISBN: 155166738X

More about THE HIGHLANDER

The Italian

He heard coughing, and found her standing at his window, smoking one of his cigars. She choked again and began to fan the smoke. “What are you doing?” “I am smoking as you can see.” “I didn’t know you liked to smoke.” “I don’t, and this is my first time. I only tried it because you seem to do it when you are under pressure.” He smiled. “I’m sorry you didn’t find it to your liking.” She shrugged. “You should be glad. This way the cigars will last longer.” She turned around and handed him the cigar. “You finish it.” “Dinner is served in the kitchen,” he said, taking the cigar. “Are you being smart?” she asked. “No,” he said, “dinner is ready. Really it is..” “You can be so irrittating,” she said and walked ahead of him to the kitchen. Once there, she stopped and stared at the two bowls on the table. “You did this on purpose,” she said. “You made your dinner look better than all the one’s I’ve made.” “Truly, I did not,” he said. “I just dumped whatever I could find in the pot.” She eyed the bowls again. “So, what is it?” “Humble pie,” he said, and she began to laugh.

Napoleon has fallen leaving the Austrian Empire to storm the continent, crushing all revolutionary movements in its path. It is a time of revolts and repression, dashing revolutionaries, traitors, and spies, when fragmented Italy was swept into one of the most turbulent periods in European History.

Angelo Bartolini is a noble and stalwart Italian patriot and member of the Carbonari—a secret society revolting against the Austrian Empire's ruthless repression of Italy. But Angelo is also the catalyst that brings about the awakening of a shy Englishwoman, Beatrice Fairweather, a brilliant painter, burdened by the restraints and attitudes women artists faced during the early nineteenth century.

THE ITALIAN
Book 2, The Italian Chronicles
Mass Market Paperback
November 2002
MIRA Books
ISBN: 1551669463

Read an Excerpt

The Fifth Daughter


“You do not have any feelings for me beyond friendship?” he asked. She shook her head. “I am sorry but there can never be anything between us beyond friendship.” "You love another?” “No, but I am certain I will soon.” “All right,” he said. “Let’s go eat, then.” As quickly as his fiery intensity of feeling swept over him, it seemed to vanish. There was something unsettling about a man who could shift his affections from a woman to food as quickly as he and done, and she was left to wonder if this was the way with all Italian men, or was it simply something particular to Angelo.

After a strange turn of events, fiery Maresa Willingham finds herself embarking on a marriage of convenience with her childhood friend, Percy Bronwell, a decorated officer in H. M. Royal Navy, and when he leaves to fight in the war, Maresa soon learns that his life is in danger and sets out on a perilous journey to declare her undying love for him before it is too late.

Read an Excerpt

The Bride of Black Douglas


“Yiii!” she shrieked, and leaped in fright as the ghost bubbled up before her. He was standing on the other side of her bed, at first nothing more than a vapor glowing with light, a shimmering green mist, and then at last, a solid shape taking form. She was so shocked she couldn’t say anything. “Ye are remarkably silent for a woman who only a moment ago had plenty to say. I take it by yer silence that now ye believe in ghosts.” “You surprised me, that is all. I am not in the habit of receiving ghosts in my bedchamber.” “’Tis yer own fault. Ghosts only come to those who look for them.” “I was not looking for you.” “Aye lass, ye were.” She should be terrified, she knew, but all she really felt was a strange sort of curiosity. “Do you like being a ghost?” she asked. “It has its advantages,” he said. She thought about that for a moment, and then asked, “For instance?” His eyes seemed to twinkle. “Weel, ye dinna have to open doors, and yer feet never hurt.”

Set against the dramatic backdrop of 1785 Scotland, THE BRIDE OF BLACK DOUGLAS is Elaine Coffman's most breathtaking novel ever. In this unforgettable romance, a marriage that starts off to defy fate, just might end in love...

Read an Excerpt

The Lists of Elaine Coffman Books

Printable Book List

© 2003-2005 Elaine Coffman || Latest Release || Next Book || Lists of Novels & Stories || || Trifles & Trivia: About Elaine || Home || || Contact Elaine Coffman || Website by Mann Creative Group