It is the year 1613, and King James is sending his messenger Andrew Logan into Scotland with secret orders to arrest Sir David Moray, close friend and advisor of the late Prince Henry. Secrets are second nature to Andrew, who must hide his Second Sight to stay alive. Joined by a court scrivener and the scrivener’s spirited daughter Phoebe, Andrew slowly untangles the true purpose of his mission—to frame Sir David for Prince Henry’s murder. But Andrew is unwilling to betray an innocent man.
Phoebe Westaway dislikes Andrew, and their history makes it hard for her to trust him. But as their journey draws them deeper into the dark web of court intrigue, Phoebe begins to suspect that she might have more need of the King’s Messenger and his unusual gifts than she could ever have foreseen.
Dear Ms. Kersley,
I have to say thank you for the amount of research that goes into your books. I can always be confident that what occurs in them has historical backing, a reason to be there, and that it could have happened. Also kudos for creating heroines who are strong without them coming off as 21st century women in (often non period) historical dresses.
The things I Saw were destined, they were set, and they could not be changed.
Kaetrin has already provided a summary of the plot in her review which saves me the effort. Thanks, Kaetrin!
“What does pass between the king and queen is not your business, Logan. Keep your focus. Mind your orders. And remember,” he said gravely, “every wall has ears.”
The first part of the book seemed to me to be mainly character studies of the people on the journey to Scotland as well as Sir David’s memories of his time with Prince Henry who, at the time, was thought of as the hope of the nation. There are secrets here as well as long held misunderstandings which – be patient – will turn out to be based on Reasons. So yeah, miscommunications.
I understood the thrill my answer gave the lad. I’d been a lad myself, once, and I’d craved adventure. Now I was a man who must deliver this young lad, a dying scrivener, a lass who didn’t like me, and my prisoner to London. All I craved now was a safe road, and a quiet one. I knew that I’d find neither.
Then throw in a road trip which actually picks up once Phoebe and her father arrive – via boat – in Leith and meet up with Andrew and a young boy he’s taken under his wing. Oh, I hope there is or will be more heard about from young Hector as he’s a delight who avoids plot-moppethood.
His voice hadn’t changed. He still sat the same way in his chair. But I thought I saw something pass over his face like a shadow that made me remember his brother’s words, back in the stables of Somerset House: “David grieves the prince as well. He should be given space to do so.”
The fact that Sir David Murry knows that it’s likely that he will be arrested on orders of King James and that his likely fate will not be a good one but that he still arrives back in Scotland says a lot about his character to me. He throws aside his personal safety for one who loves/loved Prince Henry as much or more than David and who asks David for information. Along the trip and through his memories, David will serve as our source of information about Prince Henry whom it is clear he loved as a son and whose death devastated him. Sir David also cleverly works with Andrew to bolster Hector’s knowledge of men and horses and becoming a man of honor.
“’Tis a good man ye’ve married, lass. Just like my Hob. Bigger men have the biggest hearts. See that ye don’t let him go.”
Phoebe starts the book with a chip on her shoulder and a starry eyed view of a certain asshole whom she thinks she loves. As Kaetrin says, it’s obvious from early on that Valentine is a dick but he’s charming, handsome, and just possibly Phoebe’s father has pushed the relationship a little in his efforts to see his daughter settled into a good and prosperous marriage. Phoebe’s eyes are slowly opened along the journey when she sees men of true worth and honor and then remembers and rethinks things from her past. It’s a gradual transformation which makes it all the more believable for me.
David said, “They’re not the same, though, are they? Education and intelligence. A learned man can yet be witless in all other aspects of his life, while an uneducated man who’s never set foot in a classroom can possess a fine and gifted mind.
Our view of Andrew is initially colored by the fact that we begin by seeing him through Phoebe’s eyes. But it doesn’t take long to realize that he’s not what she shows us. He has strong values, worries about and takes care of his widowed mother and two unmarried sisters, has true friendships with others and his horse (who we learn had an earlier owner who mishandled him) adores Andrew. Slowly the truth of how Andrew views Phoebe emerges but then this is followed up by numerous incidents which show Andrew’s deep feelings and care for her.
Sir David said, “It takes a man of strength to let another man be strong. To stand aside and let him claim his moment. I’ve known men of high estate who could not do so.”
The road trip reveals the Border areas between Scotland and England as well as life in the early seventeenth century. It wasn’t always great but it wasn’t all that bad either. The border reivers might not still be stealing their neighbor’s cattle and livestock anymore but old prejudices and means of household protection remain. A Whitsunday fair sounds like a lot of fun.
It was curious, but I found that I could not clearly see his face within my memory. I could hear his words, though. And they did not paint a fetching portrait, for beneath their charm they sounded selfish and unkind.
I turned my thoughts back through the years and saw how I’d allowed those words to color my own view of Logan, when in truth, if I unraveled everything, like pulling on a thread, I found that at the very start of things he’d done me no true injury, nor offered me an insult, and I could not think where our dispute began.
As the travelers get closer to London, opinions and loyalties have shifted. Phoebe learns a secret her father has held for years. But the King is the one who issued Andrew’s orders and he must be obeyed – not because Andrew agrees with what looks to be Sir David’s ultimate fate, being made to “fall in his sword” to cover up the deeds of others, but rather that a king in general, and King James in particular, is not to be messed with. But then a possibility opens up which harks back to something that we’ve already seen in action. Sometimes it is what you know that counts.
I think that this is a “still waters run deep” novel. It has romantic love, intrigue, danger, family love, politics, and history. I stayed up late to read just one more chapter and then settled myself down the next day to discover what would happen next. One of the best things I can say about this book is that it is written in a way that makes me want to know more. The wait for another Kearsley novel is long but the reward is great. A-
~Jayne
“We have had our difficulties,” I began again, “but I would like to think we’ve overcome them. I’d like to think ye ken my feelings have…my feelings are…”
I stumbled on the order of the words, and drew a breath, prepared to start again, but in her upturned face I saw a tiny gleam of hope that sparked a deep response within me, and I threw aside my mental script.
“The Devil take it, Phoebe. I do love ye.” The confession came out in a rush, but honestly. “Ye took my heart the moment I first saw ye, and no other lass will have it.”
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Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.
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