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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

Why she cared, she wasn’t sure, only she did. She didn’t want the captain, or their burgeoning friendship, tarnished.

That night, a pair of jet-black eyes and a dimpled grin disturbed her sleep, as did the memory of a pair of strong thighs and arms and the sensations they aroused.

After that, not only would Captain Ross wait for Sorcha and the fishwives to pass by each morning, sometimes she’d see him atop the western braes observing them at work on the sand or fossicking among the skerries. It was the same place she sometimes saw the reverend, only, unlike Reverend Cowper, who would move away as soon as he was certain he’d been seen, the captain would remain, uncaring, bold as you like. She took comfort from his presence.

She even saw the captain leading his men in a march down the High Street one afternoon. As she hurried out of a shop, he’d doffed his hat.

‘Mrs McIntyre,’ he called above the stomp of boots and clop of his horse’s hooves.

Folk turned at the sound of his voice, noting with great interest who he was hailing.

‘Captain Ross,’ she replied formally, uncaring of the stares and whispers as his men moved in formation towards the sea, their muskets slung over their shoulders, their chins held high. He looked so grand, so in command riding beside his men; a fine figure in his uniform, even if it had seen better days. Aye, it was just as Nettie said, Captain Ross had brought order to the soldiers and to Pittenweem. What Nettie didn’t know was the disorder he’d brought to Sorcha’s mind.

Nine

NINE

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You’ll get the claw.

(You’ll get punished.)

As she arrived at the shore with Nettie and Janet early one morning in March, Sorcha paused where the harbour wall met the ocean. Salt spray kissed her face, the tang of seaweed made her nose twitch, and the ballet of gulls on the thermals delighted her eyes; the cries of the terns and shearwaters, and the steady sucking of the tides, were a welcome chorale. It was hard to credit that over two months had passed since she’d returned. Behind her, women were busy drying the wives who’d carried the men out to the boats. Wet stockings were held before a fire as they all downed a dram or two before starting work.