For the Love of a Highland Thistle
Blurb: What if Darcy fell in love with a fiery, red-haired beauty from the Scottish Highlands, a moment after he had insulted her? A neighbour and rivalling clan of his school friend Charles MacBingley. Set in 1809, two years prior to canon.
Chapter 1 MacBennet versus MacBingley. 2
Chapter 2 Thistle Fury. 7
Chapter 3 Grovelling. 18
Chapter 4 The Proposal. 28
Chapter 5 Elizabeth's Adventure. 35
Chapter 6 London days. 48
Chapter 7 Mutual Surrender. 62
Chapter 8 Runaway Bride. 73
Chapter 9 Coldstream Bridge Toll Booth 88
Chapter 10 Eilean Bennet Castle. 101
Chapter 11 Epilogue 117
Note: I really had a blast writing this story, I swear I smirked even while editing... (121 pages.)
This is a regency story inspired by Pride and Prejudice, it is too far off canon to call it a variation. For instance, Caroline and Louisa have been substituted with Campbell and Lochlan while I am a little tired of Wickham, he will not make an appearance...
I need to warn you that this Elizabeth is red-haired and she has freckles. I asked a couple of groups on FB and GR if they would mind and the amount of nays were overwhelming. It did not deter me though because this Elizabeth is a Highland beauty with fiery red hair, freckles and somewhat of a temperament...
Disclaimer: I am not Jane Austen, English nor an author.
Chapter 1 MacBennet versus MacBingley
"You simply must go over there to make amends, Thomas!"
"Why should I be the one to patch up your quarrel with your cousin, Fiona?"
"Because Maggie has two eligible bachelors in her house. In case you had not noticed, we have five unmarried daughters and they are not getting any younger. Jane is twenty, Elizabeth is eight and ten, Mary is seven and ten, Kitty is five and ten and Lydia is four and ten."
"I am aware of the age of my own offspring, Fiona. In my mind, they are not old enough to marry."
Fiona MacBennet sighed exasperated. How could she make her husband understand that it was important to secure the future of the MacBennet clan?
"They should have been betrothed from they were in their swaddles. I blame you for not forming any alliances of that kind. People will think we have some dreadful illness, deformity or curse hanging over our keep since none are taken. It is not like lairds with their own land are growing on trees you know..."
The quarrel that had been repeated since their fifth daughter had been born was unfolding in a known pattern.
"I would like my daughters to have the chance to marry for love," Thomas bravely countered. Earning him a scoff and an impressive eye-rolling from his wife.
"What has love got to do with it? I did not love you when we were married, look how well that turned out." Thomas could have made many contributions to that statement but Fiona was not finished. "We need no laird for Jane, she will have this land. I should just send for Collinson, he has expressed an interest in Jane."
"You will do no such thing! No Lowlander Scot will wed any of my daughters."
Fiona smirked knowingly.
"Tell me you haven't?"
"I have, he will be here in a few weeks. William Collinson is not so bad. He is an educated, fine young man. He currently holds the living of a noble patroness in Kent."
"England?" MacBennet, laird of the MacBennet land, shuddered visibly.
"Aye, Kent is in England, Thomas." She sighed as Thomas was the ignorant one.
"I especially forbade you to contact that branch of the family after the umbrage his father took to our marriage or have you forgotten?"
The late Mr Collinson had made his sentiments known when the Laird had married a blacksmith's daughter. Not that he would have been pleased with any marriage of his distant cousin since he had been next in line to inherit the old castle and the land entailed.
It had been a sore spot for Thomas as he had fallen head over heels in love with the beautiful maiden and no laird's daughter could usurp her place in his heart. Neither had the age gap been a deterrent. He sort of regretted that now, he was getting old and weary while his wife still had the spunk to tire him out.
"Aye, but it was ages ago and we need husbands for our daughters. Husbands, as in five, Thomas." Fiona jabbed five wriggling finger in his face before she continued. "Collins, he has changed his name since he got ordained, he might do for Jane but the rest needs lairds with land of their own. I suggest a midsummer feast at our keep."
"You have already sent the invites, have you not?"
His wife smiled broadly.
"I have, you know me so well, Thomas." She even had the audacity to kiss him on the cheek before she sauntered away to embark on her chores for the day, mainly eating, complaining and ordering his harrowed servants around.
Thomas sighed and reverted back to his books. Fiona would do as she liked, he had learned a long time ago that it was futile to protest when she had gotten an idea in her pretty but empty head. He still loved her, more now than when the golden-locked maiden had danced into his life, twenty-odd years ago. Thomas sighed with a forgotten book in his lap as his mind wandered down memory lane.
Lizzy and Jane avoided insistently to look at each other as doing so would surely make them laugh out loud. Their mother had the audacity of a lioness. Unfortunately, they were her cubs and matrimony seemed to be fast approaching.
Neither had ever heard of a lowlander named William Collinson, Collins or whatever, but the MacBingley clan were well known to them. Well, the tales were well known, they had not actually met any of them since they were bairns. The rift between their mother and her distant cousins had seen to that.
Fiona MacBennet was distantly related to Lady Maggie MacBingley. A cousin, a few times removed but while Maggie MacBingley was the daughter of the laird's brother, Fiona MacBennet was the daughter of the blacksmith who caught the son of the laird MacBennet by the way of her beauty rather than her wit.
Fiona MacBennet had been beautiful, in fact, she still was. Probably the reason why Thomas MacBennet had not thrown her in the dungeon a long time ago. Her blonde locks had not a speck of grey in it, despite the fact that she was nearing her fourth decade.
Her skin was still smooth as ivory silk and her form had not withered after birthing him five daughters. She was perhaps a little rounder around the edges but still delectable in his eyes.
It had done his daughters no favours that their mother was blonde though as their father was dark-haired...
All had gotten fiery red hair out of their union save Jane who could be described to have light, strawberry blonde hair. It glittered like gold in the sun while the rest of the daughters' heads looked like they had caught on fire.
The feud with the MacBingleys had lasted a decade and sprung from Fiona's and Maggie's bickering on who was of more importance than the other. While the MacBingleys had more wealth in their vault, the MacBennets had more land. Which were of the greater consequence had never been agreed upon by the combatants. The dispute had escalated as quarrels usually do and words had been spoken in anger. The drop that had made Fiona's beaker overflow had been a cutting remark about her daughters' marriageability and there were rumours about the slap who had been heard from a distance.
The two ladies had not spoken since but the level-headed husbands had at least managed to stop the war.
Jane and Lizzy had only vague memories of the blond MacBingley trio of boys.
Lochlan was the eldest brother, an insipid and bland fellow according to Lizzy. He was five and twenty and had recently married the laird of Kincaid's daughter Catriona. Lochlan and Catriona were welled matched if not the most exciting couple to invite as guests.
Charles was the middle brother, he had two years on Jane and had been educated in England.
He had been sent to Eton at the tender age of twelve and had finished his education at Cambridge University.
Ten years had gone since he left but he was due back this summer. Expected home at any moment if the rumour mill was anything to go by. His parents were proud and glossed over the fact that Campbell, had not finished his education at the University in Edinburgh. Campbell was next and of the same age as Jane but while Charles was all that was amiable and kind, Campbell had a vile mouth and a bad temper. He had disparaged Lizzy's looks by mocking her freckled face, pulled her hair and called her a carrot. Elizabeth's hair had darkened some since that day at the MacBingley keep but not by much. It was a sore point for the fierce but tender-hearted girl. She took some consolation in Campbell's name though. Campbell derived from the Gaelic Caimbeul, cam - meaning crooked and beul - meaning mouth. Elizabeth thought it quite fitting that the MacBingleys had named their youngest son wry-mouthed. Besides, he was much too high on the instep to recommend himself to the Bennet sisters save Jane who never thought ill of anyone. He had been named for his mother's clan which their own mother also hailed from, not as a derogatory of his mouth.
The thought of a reunion was not all unpleasant as it meant a feast with music and dancing, through the long summer night. It was a long time since the MacBennets had held an event at the Eilean Bennet Castle with guests from the outside of their clan.
Situated on an island in Loch Tay, the castle was only accessible via the stone bridge, an advantageous feature in the Scottish Highlands in periods of unrest but it also made the young sisters a bit secluded from the rest of the clan, especially as children. Their father did not appreciate when either of them ventured too far outside the castle's walls which most of them obeyed but not Lizzy. She could be seen riding at breakneck speed on Kelpie, her skewbald mare of bay and white, rummaging through the woods on foot or high up in a tree. The girl had more vigour than was healthy, her mother used to say but in the later years she had given up entirely.
The sisters put their heads together to plan their appearance. Their mother would surely insist on a new gown for each of her daughters to wear. It was important to get a head start on their younger sisters and they headed for the chest with bolts of fabric and decided on the cloth that would suit them most. Mary would probably not bother with a new gown as hers were all in impeccable condition while Kitty and Lydia were too immature to consider marriage yet. They should definitely have the last pick as it mattered little either way what they looked like on the occasion.
Not that Jane nor Lizzy was desperate to marry but they had to concede with their mother on this. They were of marriageable age and Jane desperately wanted a knight in shining armour, the love story above anything else while Lizzy craved to get out from under her parents' feet and explore the world outside of Eilean Bennet.
If it had been solely the MacBingleys that had been invited, Lizzy might not have been so eager to comply but the guest list was long and promising.
The Kinkaid clan was invited and they were currently being visited by several members of the MacIntyre clan. The heir to the Kinkaid clan was a brawny fellow or so they had heard. There had to be a tall, dark and handsome highlander among them, the tall bit being relative in Lizzy's case as she did not tower much above the ground. Pretty much everybody was tall in her eyes but she had someone to measure them by. Camkirk, her personal protector. He had been assigned to Lizzy after she had failed to come home one night. She had been found unconscious on the forest floor the next day and had suffered a concussion for weeks afterwards. Luckily for her, it had been summer or she might have frozen to death.
Camkirk was a little past his prime which was probably the reason her father could spare him but he was big as a mountain and strong as an ox.
Sewing was not Lizzy's favourite pastime but for this occasion, she set to the task with a devotion previously unheard of.
Her old frocks were threadbare and several had green spots from rolling in the grass or tears from a stubborn branch. She needed a new tunic as well, one that was not yellow at the neckline...
It was a good thing they had three weeks to prepare, Lizzy figured she would have to utilize every vacant minute to finish.
Her mother would be in a state of fit with the preparations and none of her daughters would be left unscathed to aid her in her endeavours.
*Skewbald is a term often used as a generic reference to colour to describe a horse of any colour, except black, with the overo or tobiano pattern or both (tovero). (Equine World)
*Kelpie, or water kelpie, is a shape-shifting water spirit inhabiting the lochs and pools of Scotland. Often described as a horse. (Wikipedia)