The 16th century was rife with disputes and battles between the Sinclairs and their neighbors, the Sutherlands. When Alexander Gordon, Twelfth Earl of Sutherland, divorced his annoying Sinclair wife in 1573, he started a war with her father, culminating in a battle outside Wick, Scotland in 1588. More than a hundred Sinclair warriors were killed in this battle along the shoreline, but the Sinclairs withstood a siege of Girnigoe Castle. In 1589, in retaliation, George Sinclair, Fourth Earl of Caithness, invaded and laid waste to Sutherland lands.

In the 17th century, George Sinclair, the Sixth Earl of Caithness, had accumulated a huge debt with the Campbells of Glenorchy. To pay the debt, the Campbells claimed the earldom and lands from George Sinclair. In 1679 the castle was besieged and captured back from the Campbells by George Sinclair of Keiss. The ensuing battle over the earldom and lands was at Altimarlach, where the Sinclairs were “slaughtered in such numbers that the Campbells reportedly could cross the river without getting their feet wet.”

In 1681, the Privy Council of Scotland settled the feud by giving the Sinclairs back the earldom, while the Campbells were made Earls of Breadalbane. Girnigoe Castle was so damaged by Sinclairs, who had strived to make it uninhabitable for the Campbells in 1680, that it was never reused.

After being owned by several families through the centuries, it was sold back to the Sinclairs in 1950 and now sits in a historical trust. Today the castle ruins are open to visitors, although the cliffs and structure can be dangerous. I plan to visit it in 2020!

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

A huge thank-you goes out to all of you wonderful readers! Your support of historical romance and the authors, who work for months to create these adventures, is as rich and valuable as gold. Slàinte!

And to my family who give such amazing, constant encouragement. Braden, Skye, Logan, Kyrra, and Mom—thank you for all your love and words of support. Thank you for making your own dinners, doing your own laundry, and living in a messy house during deadline weeks. And for not teasing me too much when I stare off into space or put the butter in the dishwasher while I’m listening to the voices in my head. You all are an integral part of me being able to achieve my dreams. I love you so very much!

A special thank you to Lisa Kim and her horse, Chloe, for letting me visit and learn so much about these grand creatures. Large, patient, and kind, Chloe let me look in her big brown eyes and pet all the contours of her face for as long as I wanted. She is the inspiration for the gentle giants, full of beauty and majesty, in my books.