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Fair Is the Rose (Lowlands of Scotland)
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Item description for Fair Is the Rose (Lowlands of Scotland) by Liz Curtis Higgs...
Overview
Rose and Leana McBride both love the same man, but each must deal with her own choice when the Church Elders rule on what they see as an unusual and illegal situation.
Publishers Description
The Scottish Lowlands, October 1789.
A year has come and gone since Jamie McKie fled for his life, arriving at Auchengray in search of sanctuary and a bonny wife. Young Rose McBride, as fair a lass as any in Scotland, dearly loves her handsome cousin—but so does her older sister, Leana.
Determined to have Jamie all to herself, Rose puts in motion one desperate plan after another, enlisting the aid of Lillias Brown, a wise woman—a wutch, some say—still keen on the old ways. Impetuous Rose ignores the cruel whispers that travel up and down the parish hills, never dreaming of the tragic consequences that await her.
Her sister, Leana, clings to her hard-won sense of peace and assurance by a slender thread of faith. Day and night, Leana's hours are apent caring for wee Ian and praying that her future will hold more promise than her past.
Jamie McKie is busy making his own plans to return home to Glentrool and claim his inheritance. To do so means facing Evan, the brother whose blessing he stole, and Alec, the father whom he ruthlessly deceived. It is a perilous journey that will test the depth of his courage, the strength of his sword, and the tenacity of his vow to honor Almighty God, no matter the cost.
“Wonderful writing and a terrific story. Fair Is the Rose explores living, breathing people with heart-wrenching conflicts and one woman with a faith that shines. The reader is transported. Be sure to have a box of tissues close at hand.”
–Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love
“A colorful tapestry woven from painstaking research, a rich, vivid setting, and compelling, wonderfully real characters. With excellent writing and a keen understanding of human nature, Liz Curtis Higgs delivers a first-rate, fascinating historical saga. As big and bold a story as the Galloway landscape where it takes place and the hearts of the people who inhabit it.”
–B. J. Hoff, author of Cadence and An Emerald Ballad
“Och! What a guid buik! Once again Liz Curtis Higgs transported me to 18th-century Scotland and caused me to lose my heart to Jamie, Leana, and Rose. I couldn't help but yearn for all three to find lasting love and happiness. The next installment can't get here fast enough to suit me.”
–Robin Lee Hatcher, author of Catching Katie and Beyond the Shadows
“Fair Is the Rose is an absolutely stunning sequel to Thorn In My Heart. I was transported back in time to my ancestral Scotland and relished every moment. An exceptional work!”
–Linda Lee Chaikin, author of Yesterday’s Promise
“Liz Higgs’s writing resonates with romance and the inward struggles of the human heart. You can almost hear the tunes rising o’er the brae.”
–Patricia Hickman, author of Fallen Angels and Nazareth’s Song
Liz Curtis Higgs has been telling tales since she wrote her first “novel” at the tender age of ten. Careers in broadcasting, public speaking, nonfiction writing, and children's books brought her back to her first love–fiction–at the turn of the 21st century.
Since 1986, Liz Curtis Higgs has presented more than 1,500 inspirational programs for audiences in all 50 states as well as Germany, England, Canada, Ecuador, France, and Scotland. In 1995, Liz received the highest award for speaking excellence, the “Council of Peers Award for Excellence,” becoming one of only forty women in the world named to the Speaker Hall of Fame by the National Speakers Association.
Feature articles about Liz have appeared in more than 250 major newspapers and magazines across the country, and she has been interviewed on more than 600 radio and television stations, including guest appearances on PBS/Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, A & E, MSNBC, NPR, CBC Canada, BBC Radio Scotland, Focus on the Family, and Janet Parshall's America.
A member of Novelists, Inc., Liz now focuses her writing efforts on historical fiction, particularly novels set in eighteenth-century Scotland. To aid in her research, she has visited the U.K. on eight occasions, including her "Heart for Scotland" 12-city U.K. book tour in October 2003, and she has collected nearly 700 resource books on Scottish history and culture. A graduate of Bellarmine College with a B.A. in English, Liz is a member of the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society and the Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society, as well as supporting the National Museums of Scotland, Historic Scotland, and the National Trust for Scotland.
Liz is the author of twenty-one books, with more than 2 million in print. Her fiction to date includes two historical novels and two contemporary novels:
• Fair Is the Rose
• Thorn in My Heart
• Bookends
• Mixed Signals
The most recent of her 11 nonfiction, best-selling books include…
• Unveiling Mary Magdalene
• Really Bad Girls of the Bible
• Bad Girls of the Bible
The above titles also have corresponding VHS videos and companion workbooks.
And she has written five books for young children:
• Go Away, Dark Night
• The Parable of the Lily
• The Pine Tree Parable
• The Sunflower Parable
• The Pumpkin Patch Parable
Her children's Parable Series was awarded the ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence at the Christian Booksellers Association Convention in July 1998, and her book Bad Girls of the Bible was an ECPA Gold Medallion Finalist in 2000. Her first novel, Mixed Signals, was a RITA Finalist for both Best First Novel and Best Inspirational Novel. Her second novel, Bookends, was a Christy Finalist for Best Contemporary Fiction. And her third novel, Thorn in My Heart, was a #1 historical fiction Christian bestseller, followed by a second historical bestseller, Fair Is the Rose. Whence Came a Prince, the latest novel in the series, publishes in March 2005. In addition, Liz is the editor of an annual newsletter, The Graceful Heart, with 25,000 readers, and is a columnist for Today's Christian Woman magazine with her back page feature, "Life with Liz." Her first video Bible study series, Loved by God, was released in March 2004.
On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill share their 19th-century farmhouse in Louisville, KY, with their two teenagers, Matthew and Lillian, and too many cats. For more about Liz, visit her Web site: www.LizCurtisHiggs.com.
Chapter One
Never wedding, ever wooing,
Still a lovelorn heart pursuing,
Read you not the wrong you're doing
In my cheek's pale hue?
THOMAS CAMPBELL
Newabbey Parish Manse
October 1789
Rose McBride pressed her back against the paneled wall, her gaze
fixed on the man kneeling by her sister's bedside. She could not
see Jamie McKie's face at that late hour. Only his sleek brown hair,
tied at the nape of his neck, and his favorite blue waistcoat, crumpled
from a long day of waiting for his son to be born. Moments after the
child had made his entrance into the world, Jamie had appeared in the
birthing room and sent her heart spinning.
He'd not come to see her, but Rose would see her fill of him. Aye,
she would.
A peat fire burned low in the grate, barely warming the chilly room.
The minister's spence served as a parlor during the day and as a bedroom
and study in the evening. 'Twas the last place her sister had expected to
give birth; when her labor had started in the middle of services, Leana
had had little choice. Though Rose's knees ached from crouching in the
same position for several minutes, she dared not move and risk discovery.
Her beloved Jamie had yet to spy her hiding behind the high-backed
chair in the darkest corner. She intended to keep it that way.
Now he was leaning toward her sister, Leana. Touching her hand,
then caressing his son's wee head. The catch in his voice said more than
his words. “Leana, will you forgive me?”
Nae! Rose bit down on her lower lip, fighting tears. 'Tis Leana's fault,
not yours, Jamie.
She could not hear the whispered words that followed, but her eyes
told her more than she wanted to know. Leana brushed aside her damp
blond hair and put the babe to her breast while Jamie stood gazing
down at her, his growing fondness for Leana palpable even from a distance.
Rose averted her gaze, though the tender image lingered. Why,
oh, why hadn't she left the room with the others?
All at once they both laughed, and Leana's voice carried across the
room. “One has found a way to come between us.”
Rose swallowed hard. Did Leana mean the babe…or her?
“Nothing will come between us again,” Jamie said firmly.
He means me. Rose clutched the back of the chair, feeling faint.
Why would he say such a thing? You love me, Jamie. You ken you do.
Jamie entreated her sister with words no woman could resist. “Will
you give me a chance to prove myself to you?”
Prove yourself ? Oh, Jamie. Rose sank to the floor on her knees, not
caring if they heard her, not caring if she drew another breath. Jamie,
the handsome cousin who had kissed her that very morning, was prepared
to put her aside like a dish of half-eaten pudding.
“We shall begin again,” she heard her sister say. “Now then, tell me
about your dream.”
“So I will.” A chair scraped against the wooden floor.
Much as Rose tried to resist, Jamie's voice, low and familiar, drew
her like smoke to a flue. He spun a far-fetched story about the night he
left his home in Glentrool and slept on a stony cairn among the crushed
berries of a leafy Jacob's ladder plant. Then he dreamed of a mountain,
he said, taller than any in Galloway and bright as a full moon in a midnight
sky. Winged creatures moved up and down the mountainsides
like stairsteps, and a voice roared like the sea.
“What did this…this voice tell you?” Leana asked.
When Jamie did not respond, Rose shifted to see him better, her
curiosity aroused. In a twelvemonth, Jamie had not mentioned such a
dream to her.
“Leana, it was a voice like no other. Wondrous. And frichtsome. The words clapped like thunder: ‘Behold, I am with you wherever you go. I will never leave you.' ”
Leana gasped. “But, Jamie–”
“Aye, lass. The same words you whispered to me on our wedding
night.”
Nae! Rose pressed her hands to her ears at the very moment a sharp
knock sounded at the door. Startled, she fell forward with a soft cry, her
hiding place forgotten.
Leana's voice floated across the room. “Who's there, behind the
chair?”
Rose drew back, her heart pounding beneath her stays. But it was
too late. Taking a long, slow breath, she stood to her feet and did her
best to look penitent.
The peat fire lit Jamie's astonished face. “Rose?”
Shame burned her cheeks. Before she could find words to explain
herself, the door creaked open, and the coppery head of their housekeeper,
Neda Hastings, appeared.
“Leana, I've come tae see ye get some rest…” Neda's words faded as
she caught sight of Rose. “There ye are, lass! I thocht ye'd wandered off
tae the kitchen.”
“Nae.” She could not look at Jamie. “I…I wanted to see…the baby.”
“Come, dearie,” Leana murmured, stretching out her hand. “You
had only to ask.”
Gathering her skirts and her courage about her, Rose crossed the
wooden floor to Leana's bedside, barely noticing the others as her gaze
fell on the tiny bundle in Leana's arms. “Isn't he a dear thing?” While
Leana held back the linen blanket, Rose smoothed her hand across Ian's
downy hair, as rich a brown as Jamie's own. “ 'Tis so soft,” she whispered.
Had she ever touched anything more precious? His little head fit
perfectly within the cup of her hand.
“Would you like to hold him, Rose?”
Her breath caught. “Might I?” She bent down, surprised to find her
arms were shaking. She'd held babies before, but not this one. Not
Jamie's. “Ohh,” she said when Leana placed the babe in the crook of her
arm. “How warm he is!”
Rose held Ian close and bent her head over his, breathing in the scent of his skin, marveling at how pink he was. And how small. Deep inside her a longing stirred to life, as if some unnamed desire had waited for this moment to arrive. All of her sixteen years Rose had feared motherhood; the miracle in her arms put such foolish concerns to rest. Her mother had died in childbirth, yet Leana had lived, and so had her babe. “My own nephew,” Rose said gently, stroking his cheek. “Ian James McKie.”
No wonder Jamie was enchanted. Leana was not the one who'd
stolen Jamie's heart this night; it was Ian, his newborn son.
Neda came up behind her, resting her hands on Rose's shoulders,
peering round her to look at the babe. “Ye'll make a fine mither someday.
Suppose ye gie Ian back tae yer sister afore he starts to greet.”
“Aye.” Rose did as she was told, chagrined at how cool and empty
her arms felt.
“The auld wives say,” Neda cooed, tucking Leana's bedcovers in
place, “the child that's born on the Sabbath day is blithe and bonny and
good and gay. Isn't that so, Mr. McKie?”
Jamie smiled down at his son. “Ian is all those things.”
When Jamie lifted his head, Rose looked into his eyes, hoping she
might find his love for her reflected there. “I'm sorry, Jamie. For hiding
in the corner.”
“No harm was done, Rose.” His steady gaze confused her. Was he
glad she was there? Or eager for her to leave?
Neda picked up the candle by the bed and waved it toward the
door. “Go along, lass. And ye as well, Mr. McKie. Leana needs a bit
mair care and a guid deal o' sleep. We'll bring yer wife and babe hame
tae Auchengray soon.”
Rose took her leave, pretending not to notice as Jamie bent down
to kiss her sister's hand, then her brow, then her mouth, where he tarried
longer than duty required. Oh, Jamie. Had his affections shifted
so quickly? In a day? In an hour? Rose closed the door behind her,
shutting out the worst of it. Her empty stomach squeezed itself into a
hard knot, even as her chin began to wobble. She would not cry. She
would not.
The hall was pitch-black, the last of the candles snuffed out by the
thrifty minister's wife, who'd shooed her household off to bed an hour
ago. Rose halted, unsure of her way in the darkness. Was that her green
cloak hanging near the door or someone else's? She would need its thick
woolen folds for the journey home.
Behind her the spence door shut with a faint click of the latch.
“Rose?”
Jamie. She could not bring herself to answer him, though she sensed
him closing the distance between them, his footsteps echoing in the
empty hall. His hand touched her waist. “Rose, you must understand…”
“I do understand.” Her voice remained steady while the rest of her
trembled. “Now that she has given you a healthy son, Leana is the one
you love.”
“Nae, Rose.” Jamie grasped her elbow and spun her about. The heat
of his fingers penetrated the fabric of her gown, and his eyes bored into
hers. “To my shame, I do not love Leana. Not yet.” He lowered his
voice, tightening his grip on her arm. “But I will learn to love your sister.
By all that's holy, I must, Rose. She is my wife, the mother of my son,
and–”
“And she loves you.”
He dared not disagree, for they both knew it was true. “Aye, she
does.”
“Well, so do I.” Swallowing her pride, Rose reached up to caress his
face, reveling at the rough feel of his unshaven skin. “And you love me,
Jamie. You told me so again this morning, you said–”
“Things I should not have said on this or any other Sabbath.” Jamie
turned away, releasing his hold on her. “Something happened this day,
Rose.”
“Aye. Your son was born–”
“Before that, I mean. I had a discussion with Duncan.” He hung
his head. “More like a confession.”
“Duncan, you say?” Neda's husband, the overseer of Auchengray,
was a good man and kind. But unbending when it came to certain
matters. “Whatever did you confess to him?”
“The truth.” The relief on Jamie's face was visible even in the dim
entrance hall. “I promised Duncan…nae, I promised God that I would
be a good husband to Leana and a good father to Ian. I must keep that
promise now. You ken I must.” He stared down at the flagstone floor,
his voice strained. “Let me go, Rose. Please.”
“Let you go?” Her throat tightened. “But, Jamie, I love you. After
all we've been through, how can you ask such a thing of me?”
“Because you love your sister.”
She cringed at the reminder. “Not as much as I love you.”
Jamie looked up. “You've loved her longer though. Every day of
your life.”
“Not this day,” Rose protested, though they both knew she didn't
mean it. Hour after hour she'd held Leana's hand, pleading with her not
to die, praying for her with Neda and the others. Aye, she loved her
sister. But she loved Jamie as well. How could she possibly let him go?
He took her hand and led her toward the hall bench, pulling her
down onto the wooden seat next to him. “Rose…” His voice was as tender
as she'd ever heard it. “I saw you with Ian. You were born to be a
mother. And someday you will surely be one. But first you must find a
husband of your own.”
“Please, Jamie!” Did he not understand? Did he not see? “You should
have been my husband. And Ian my son–”
“Nae!”He fell back against the wall with a groan. “I beg you, do not
say such things, Rose. 'Tis too late for all of that. God in his mercy
has forgiven my unfaithful heart, and I will not disappoint him–or
Leana–again.”
Her heart sank. “Instead you will disappoint me.”
“Aye, it seems I must.” Jamie turned toward her, his face a handbreadth
away. “Forgive me, darling Rose. You were my first love; I cannot
deny it.”
His first love. But not his last. She closed her eyes. He was too near.
“I may never care for Leana as I have for you. But I must try. Don't
you see?”
“I…” She could hold back her tears no longer. “I only see that you
don't want me.”
“As my cousin, always. But not as my wife.” His grip tightened.
“You must let me go, Rose. For Ian's sake.”
She stood, tugging her hands free to wipe her cheeks, looking away
lest he see the sorrow in her eyes. “You ask too much of me, Jamie. You
ask…too much.” She fled for the front door, stopping long enough to
fling her cloak over her shoulders before disappearing into the fogshrouded
night. |
Item Specifications...
Studio: WaterBrook Press
Pages 480
Dimensions: Length: 1.25" Width: 5.5" Height: 8.25"
Weight: 0.8 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Mar 16, 2004
Publisher WaterBrook Press
Series Lowlands of Scotland
ISBN 1578561272
ISBN13 9781578561278
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Availability 12 units.
Availability accurate as of May 25, 2012 09:20.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Johnson City, TN.
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More About Liz Curtis Higgs
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<b>Liz Curtis Higgs</b> has been telling tales since she wrote her first “novel” at the tender age of ten. Careers in broadcasting, public speaking, nonfiction writing, and children’s books brought her back to her first love–fiction–at the turn of the 21st century.<br><br>Since 1986, Liz Curtis Higgs has presented more than 1,500 inspirational programs for audiences in all 50 states as well as Germany, England, Canada, Ecuador, France, and Scotland. In 1995, Liz received the highest award for speaking excellence, the “Council of Peers Award for Excellence,” becoming one of only forty women in the world named to the Speaker Hall of Fame by the National Speakers Association.<br><br>Feature articles about Liz have appeared in more than 250 major newspapers and magazines across the country, and she has been interviewed on more than 600 radio and television stations, including guest appearances on PBS/<i>Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, </i>A & E, MSNBC, NPR, CBC Canada, BBC Radio Scotland, <i>Focus on the Family,</i> and <i>Janet Parshall’s America.</i><br><br>A member of Novelists, Inc., Liz now focuses her writing efforts on historical fiction, particularly novels set in eighteenth-century Scotland. To aid in her research, she has visited the U.K. on eight occasions, including her "Heart for Scotland" 12-city U.K. book tour in October 2003, and she has collected nearly 700 resource books on Scottish history and culture. A graduate of Bellarmine College with a B.A. in English, Liz is a member of the Eighteenth-Century Scottish Studies Society and the Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society, as well as supporting the National Museums of Scotland, Historic Scotland, and the National Trust for Scotland.<br><br>Liz is the author of twenty-one books, with more than 2 million in print. Her fiction to date includes two historical novels and two contemporary novels:<br><b><i>• Fair Is the Rose<br>• Thorn in My Heart<br>• Bookends<br>• Mixed Signals<br><br></i></b>The most recent of her 11 nonfiction, best-selling books include…<b><i> <br>• Unveiling Mary Magdalene<br>• Really Bad Girls of the Bible<br>• Bad Girls of the Bible <br><br></i></b>The above titles also have corresponding VHS videos and companion workbooks.<br>And she has written five books for young children:<br><b><i>• Go Away, Dark Night<br>• The Parable of the Lily <br>• The Pine Tree Parable <br>• The Sunflower Parable<br>• The Pumpkin Patch Parable<br><br></i></b>Her children’s Parable Series was awarded the ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence at the Christian Booksellers Association Convention in July 1998, and her book <b><i>Bad Girls of the Bible</i></b> was an ECPA Gold Medallion Finalist<i> </i>in 2000. Her first novel, <b><i>Mixed Signals</i></b>, was a RITA Finalist for both Best First Novel and Best Inspirational Novel. Her second novel, <b><i><u>Bookends</u></i></b>, was a Christy Finalist for Best Contemporary Fiction. And her third novel, <b><i><u>Thorn in My Heart</u></i></b>, was a #1 historical fiction Christian bestseller, followed by a second historical bestseller, <b><i><u>Fair Is the Rose</u></i></b>. <b><i>Whence Came a Prince</i></b><i>,</i> the latest novel in the series, publishes in March 2005. In addition, Liz is the editor of an annual newsletter, <i><u>The Graceful Heart</u></i>, with 25,000 readers, and is a columnist for <b><i>Today’s Christian Woman</i></b> magazine with her back page feature,<i> </i>"Life with Liz." Her first video Bible study series, <b><i>Loved by God,</i></b> was released in March 2004.<br><br>On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill share their 19th-century farmhouse in Louisville, KY, with their two teenagers, Matthew and Lillian, and too many cats. For more about Liz, visit her Web site: <u>www.LizCurtisHiggs.com</u>.
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Reviews - What do customers think about Fair Is the Rose?
 | Excellent Bible re-telling Jul 14, 2008 |
| This whole series is amazing! I love how it turns the story a bit to make you fall in love with Leana (Leah) instead of the normal hero Rose (Rachel). | | | | A book that reveals the true heart of the reader Jan 8, 2008 |
WHAT A STORY!!! I was so caught up in the characters being frustrated with Jamie and tempted to judge Rose by criticizing and condemning her, that I nearly missed the whole point of the story - do I love like Rose, or like Leana? As I began to examine myself and my thoughts about each character more closely, I realized how tempted I was to pity Leana, and condemn Rose. The truth is that Leana is to be admired. She did wrong, owned up to it, faced the consequences, and ends up paying dearly for her mistake (her deception costs her her family just as Jaime's deception costs him his family). She learns to loves as Christ does - completely, no matter what the cost to herself.
Rose and Jamie are to be pitied. Rose lives life with both hands open - not in offering, but in taking. In serving only herself, she has an empty heart and has nothing to give to anyone.
True, Jamie was clearly deceived on his wedding night. But he then uses this to justify his behavior and punishes his wife - for the very thing he did to his own brother. It's easy to judge them all, but the Bible says to judge ourselves, and love others. Bravo to the author for writing a fictional story that does exactly what God's word does - it reveals the true heart of the reader.
| | | | Second book is better than the first Nov 20, 2007 |
Rose Mcbride wants what her sister Leana McKie has, a loving husband and child to call her own. After coming home sick from school though she finds out that her dream is to come true.
There had been a mix up when Leana and James McKie got married and as far as the kirk (church) is concered Jamie is still married to Rose and Ian, his son by Leana is illegitimate.
Rose and Jamie are married and Leana goes to visit her aunt several miles away.
The three try to get their lives back to normal after what has happened to them will anything be normal again? Read Fair is the Rose. | | |  | Rose turned into a Weed... Jul 13, 2007 |
| After reading the first book "Thorn in my Heart", I was so excited to read the rest of the series. I was so sickened by Rose from the first chapter. Her character was terribly self-serving and horrid. I was disgusted by the end of the book with her. I have never felt so strongly about a fictional character before! I found myself sobbing for Leana during her trials. I was very tempted to put the book aside, as it was making me feel such emotions. I am in total agreement with other reviewers who had negative feelings towards Rose. Although she did try to better herself, she continuously made herself out to be a poor, pathetic victim. ICK!! The book in itself was very well written, but I felt myself just wanting the story to end already. There was just entirely too much suffering for Leana in this book. | | | | Highly recommend Apr 1, 2007 |
| This book follows A Thorn In My Heart which I loved and quickly ordered the next two in the series. There is no way that the plot can be called predictable and it has such character since it is written around the 18th century in Scotland. If you enjoy Higgs writing or even Irish type stories, then you will love this book. The first book leaves you amazed at the events but this book is not boring and a sudden turn of events keeps the reader guessing and entranced. I give it 5 stars because I couldn't put the first book down once I got going and couldn't wait to buy the second two. | | | Write your own review about Fair Is the Rose
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