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Back The Darkest Shore Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Karen Brooks
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. EXPLANATORY NOTE
  7. PART ONE
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. PART TWO
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. PART THREE
  45. Thirty-Six
  46. Thirty-Seven
  47. Thirty-Eight
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Forty-Eight
  58. Forty-Nine
  59. Fifty
  60. Fifty-One
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. PART FOUR
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Epilogue: Autumn 1706
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. GLOSSARY
  75. LIST OF CHARACTERS
  76. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

But how could a woman who looked like that, sounded like that, be malicious? God, she was a beauty, even with the lesions upon her body and the cropped hair. More slender, more frail, she was like a goddess of old; ethereal. A woman like that needed a man. To protect her — even from herself. And what was he, if not a man? Forget what the advocate said, calling him a foolish lad and all but accusing him of lying. He was a man fully grown with hair upon his face, his chest, and a man’s needs. What was Sorcha but a woman to fill those? Why, before he’d fallen ill, she’d all but made her intentions clear.

He glanced over his shoulder one last time, checking there was no other soul in sight. Just the murmur of the incoming tide, the caw of gulls and the dizzy dance of terns. Crabs scuttled across the rocks, a large beetle rolled into the water, making a tiny splash. Flexing his shoulders, puffing out his chest, aware of a disturbing warmth, Peter reached a decision.

He got to his feet and was about to reveal himself when another voice forced him to freeze.

‘I thought I’d find you here.’

Skipping across the rocks as if he were born to it was the officer from Skye. What was his name? Och, aye, Aidan Ross.

Sorcha dropped her skirts and turned towards him, breaking into a smile that took Peter’s breath away. She’d never smiled like that for him.

The captain caught Sorcha in his arms, lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Arching her back so her body melted into his, Sorcha laughed, the sound an aphrodisiac that set Peter’s heart racing so hard, he fell against the boulder. Lowering his mouth to hers, the captain and Sorcha shared a long, deep kiss.

Peter knew he should look away as heat crawled across his cheeks and neck, but he was transfixed. He’d not seen two people kiss like that before, with such wanting, such… devotion. That was a word the reverend oft used when he spoke of God, Jesus and the power of faith. What Peter saw now, that was devotion. The way they reluctantly ceased, their lips parting as they held each other, gazing into each other’s eyes.

A dreadful ache seized Peter. Starting near his heart, it radiated to his groin, across his chest and into his throat. Anger marched through his mind, making it blaze before it turned freezing cold, leaving him hurting, wanting, needing.