Bøger af Barclay Celeste Barclay

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride...For more than a decade, Laurel Ross has been a lady-in-waiting at Robert the Bruce's royal court, a place where money is power. Laurel is the fourth out of five daughters, and the only one unwed. While Laurel isn't exactly a pauper, her father, the Earl of Ross, has already paid four large dowries. Sent to court to find a husband, Laurel's once youthful hope has turned to bitterness as one friend after another marriest. Her viperous tongue has earned her the title of "hellion". Will any man accept a bride who comes with such a small dowry?Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do...Guilt is slowly eating away at Brodie Campbell. When Brodie's betrothed unexpectedly, Brodie's guilt doesn't come from the woman's untimely death. It comes from the relief he feels that he's no longer bound to her. Brodie isn't interested in a biddable and mild bride. Intrigued by the fiery Laurel Ross, Brodie wonders if this shrew can ever be tamed. Armed with wealth and charm, Brodie welcomes the challenge. Will this spitfire relent long enough to find love with a man who tests her patience?When a wager puts their lives in peril, Brodie and Laurel discover trust is earned, not given.

A lady-in-waiting left behind...Over the past two years, Blair Sutherland has watched her sister and friends marry and leave King Robert the Bruce's royal court. Her parents have promised her a love match, but none of the courtiers who hang on the king's coattails interest her. Just when Blair wonders if she'll ever find the love the other ladies have found, her childhood friend, Hardwin Cameron, arrives at court in need of guidance. With more purpose to her days, Blair's loneliness no longer weighs so heavily upon her. But while Blair offers her assistance, she finds it hard to pay attention when the boy she used to race is now a man who's a constant distraction.A warrior never meant to be laird...Hardwin Cameron was the last person likely to inherit the Cameron lairdship, but he's watched one man after another in his family die until the title is thrust upon him. Amidst his grief, Hardwin struggles with the duties expected of a laird when he was never trained for such responsibilities. Thrust into a role that was never meant to be his, Hardwin is forced to make an appearance before the king. When he arrives, Hardwin can't believe his good fortune when he runs into Blair, a friend among wolves. The girl he used to tease is now a woman, and Hardwin can't deny his attraction as they work side-by-side to prepare him for his new role. A romance blossoms between childhood friends, but it's put to the test when enemies approach the Camerons from every direction. Affected by the deaths of the clan's leaders, neighbors assume the Camerons have weakened. Can Blair and Hardwin protect their new relationship while battling those who would tear them and Clan Cameron apart?

Can a lady-in-waiting resist the pressure to marry a stranger? Cairstine Grant has spent two years carefully cultivating a reputation at court that is sure to drive away any potential suitor. Traumatized from an attack as a young woman, Cairstine is bound and determined never to marry and never to be subjected to a man's control. She'd rather become a nun than a wife. But one obstacle stands in her way: her younger sister can't marry the man she loves until Cairstine marries first. When Cairstine's father refuses to consider her choice to become a nun, can Cairstine convince an unsuspecting friend to pose as her betrothed? Can she overcome the scars from her past and form a genuine partnership with a man she was never supposed to fall in love with?Can a renowned rake reform his ways in time to protect a lady-in-waiting he never thought he would befriend? Eoin Grant watched his twin brother, Ewan, fall in love and marry. A romantic at heart, Eoin hopes one day to marry and find true affection with his wife. But in the meantime, he's happy to live the life of a bachelor. When Cairstine Grant blindsides him with a proposition to pretend to be her betrothed, Eoin realizes a real future with Cairstine might be better than pretend. But one obstacle stands in his way: Cairstine will only agree to a marriage in name only, and Eoin's dreams of having a family one day. When Eoin's feelings develop beyond friendship, can he convince Cairstine to trust him enough to see a future together? Can Eoin help Cairstine overcome her fears and prove that his feelings are pure?Can a relationship based upon a falsehood grow into something real? Stripped of her choices, Cairstine turns to Eoin for help, but she fears making a lasting commitment. Eoin's conscience demands he help Cairstine when she asks for his help, but he's not certain he can live with a lie that might tear apart his heart. When danger and necessity force them to decide, Eoin and Cairstine discover playing pretend isn't just for children.

A lady-in-waiting struggling to fit in.... Even after three years at Robert the Bruce's Highland court, Cairren Kennedy still feels like an outsider. Quiet and kindhearted, Cairren has fought to make a place for herself among the queen's ladies-in-waiting when she doesn't look like any of the other young women. A Lowlander with a French mother, her Mediterranean heritage sets her apart both by her features and her customs. When her father hints at an arranged marriage to a Highlander, Cairren fears she'll face more discrimination when she's forced to make her home among strangers. Can Cairren prove that she's more than what people assume? Can she create a new life where she's not welcome?A second son with other plans...Padraig Munro doesn't need or want an arranged marriage because he already has the perfect woman in mind. When King Robert announces Padraig's betrothal to the unsuitable Cairren Kennedy, Padraig refuses to open his heart to a woman who couldn't be less of a Highland lass. Faced with a bride who can't blend in and a family who refuses to accept Cairren, Padraig is caught between his duty to protect his gentle bride and his family's expectations. Can Padraig balance the roll of husband and son when both sides couldn't be further apart? Can Padraig put aside his preconceived notions to make his marriage work?Pushed together by royal decree, Cairren and Padraig take an instant dislike to one another. Angry that he can't marry the woman he's certain he loves, Padraig leaves Cairren to navigate life in the Highlands until his clan's resentment puts her life in danger. Cairren doesn't trust the man she's ordered to share a bed with, but when threats can't be ignored, she must turn to the man she'd pledged her life to. Passion and desire spark between husband and wife, but outside the bedchamber, they can barely stand to look at one another. Can Padraig accept that Cairren isn't to blame for his life's unexpected path, and can Cairren stop seeing Padraig as the enemy before the real enemy destroys their chance to build a life together?

Allyson Elliot spent her childhood in the shadows of her five older siblings, but after surviving rumors about her parentage, she finds a new, carefree life at the Scottish Highland court. Free of suspicion, Allyson blooms into a vibrant lady-in-waiting, but an unexpected arranged marriage turns her world upside down. Desperate, Allyson becomes a runaway bride as she tries to escape her betrothal.Ewan Gordon may be the heir to his clan's lairdship, but he's enjoying the life of a bachelor with his twin, Eoin. Ewan is attracted to Allyson and even considers stealing a kiss, but when the king orders he marry Allyson, Ewan is forced to reconsider his ideas on marriage and fidelity. As Ewan chases Allyson, he discovers there's more than meets the eye to this naive but courageous young lady.When members of Allyson's family set out to destroy their blossoming relationship, Ewan must fight to keep Allyson from slipping back into the shadows. Jealous sisters, thoughtless brothers, and indifferent parents threaten to steal Allyson's and Ewan's chance for their happily ever after.

An English knight with a Scottish heart...Dedric Hartley wants to make a new life in Scotland after years of service to King Edward I, but the English king insists on one last mission. When Dedric is sent to spy on his mother's clan, the MacLellan's, the knight is forced to choose between the oath he swore to the man who stole him from his clan and the country that calls him home but where he knows no one.A Scottish lass in love with an English knight...Isabella Dunbar has served Robert the Bruce's court for eight years as a lady-in-waiting and a peace offering from her border laird father to a king he once challenged. When Isabella has two chance meetings with Dedric, they recognize an undeniable attraction that could place them both in danger. Questionable allegiances threaten to drive a wedge between the young couple as their lives take them back to the Scottish-English border and into the heart of a war for Scottish independence.Will either side accept their union, or will a battle between two kings tear them apart?Dedric Hartley and Isabella Dunbar must trust one another enough not only to make their relationship last but to stay alive when two kings try to tear them apart.