The Witches of Scotland series
ANNABEL is an erotic historical novelette - a prequel and introduction to the Witches of Scotland series.
Available as a free read from online retailers including: Amazon.com, Amazon.UK, and Amazon worldwide. Nook, iTunes, and Kobo
COVER COPY:
ANNABEL ~ the inquisition of a Scottish witch
The year is 1705.
My name is Annabel McGraw, and I am gifted with witchcraft. Here in Scotland the fear of persecution still runs rampant, and I seek a place to hide. My treacherous journey led me to Carbrey, a sleepy fishing hamlet on the coast of Fife. I sought a safe haven, perhaps a man to love. But the locals grew suspicious, and an inquisitor has been sent…
This short story is meant as an introduction to the Witches of Scotland series. It can, however, be read as a stand-alone story. Please note: this story contains scenes of explicit sexuality.
EXCERPT:
Carbrey, Fife, Scotland, 1705.
“Witchcraft!”
The accusation haunted me, fleeing as I was from witch-hunters and the noose. Even here on the rugged coast of Fife, those who hunted the pagan ones were everywhere. It wasn’t wise to trust a soul. I had to be alone in order to survive. But now my affections had been roused, which meant I was in even greater danger. For when a woman such as I—gifted with magic—lays with her lover, her magic shines brightest, fuelled as it is by desire.
And now the man I desired was close by, bringing trouble to my door.
The moment he crossed the threshold I sensed it. Ewan Findlay—the man I’d craved from the moment I first saw him—was here in The Silver Birch. The sound of his boots on the flagstones made my lust surge.
Plunging my scrubbing brush into the pail of water, I carried on with my work at the inn. To be distracted by a man was foolhardy. No matter where I roamed on Scotland’s fine soil, I had to shield what I was to avoid persecution. Yet I couldn’t help myself. Ever since I’d been here in Carbrey I imagined what it would be like to lay with Ewan Findlay, and as I watched him stride across the flagstones of the inn my centre ached for him.
Desire was leading me into dangerous ways, yet I couldn’t stop my gaze flitting over to the silver buckles on his shoes. How I wished it had been me who’d polished those shoes this morning. His legs were long and his thighs strong, outlined as they were in his tight breeches. I wanted to look higher but told myself to resist, lest anyone notice. It was an impossible task. Master Findlay’s image had bonded to my blood the moment I arrived in the village of Carbrey. I pushed my loose hair back over my shoulder and glanced his way.
Rugged yet handsome, there was no mistaking Master Findlay. Thick dark hair fell across his brow, shadowing his gleaming eyes. Nonetheless I could tell they were focused on me. His heavy frown and arrogant stare set me alight. Fear entwined with desire, knotting inside me and causing my blood to rush.
He reached into his pocket for a coin.
My stare lingered a moment longer on his fine figure while I scrubbed on across the muck-covered flagstones of the inn. The snug cut of his frockcoat revealed the breadth of his shoulders, his tight knee-breeches emphasizing his arrogant, proud stance. A desirable man he was, a masterful one too.
Ewan nodded at the landlord as he pushed the coin across the wooden counter, his gaze alert and enquiring. “Tam.”
“Good day, Ewan. ‘Tis a fine morning.” Tam Moray poured ale from a jug into a tankard. Beyond him, a gaggle of older men gossiped over their tankards. Tam watched where Ewan looked, and Ewan continued to look at me.
Was it desire I saw in his eyes? Curiosity, perhaps? The nature of his stare thrilled me. How I wished I were on my knees before him in more intimate circumstances. There would be much pleasure in that.
He supped from the tankard then set it down. “Wench!”
My heartbeat faltered. I lifted my head, my hand stilling on the scrubbing brush. His smile had gone. In his eyes I saw a warning.
“Are you Annabel McGraw?” He’d spoken directly to me, but it was no intimate inquiry.
“Aye, Sir.”
“Several of the villagers have spoken to me about your presence here in Carbrey.”
It was then I noticed he was not alone. Hovering outside the doorway was a man who held a musket in his hands. They were here to interrogate me. Panic let loose in my veins.
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Available as a free read from online retailers including: Amazon.com, Amazon.UK, and Amazon worldwide. Nook, iTunes, and Kobo
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