Off to Scotland with an excerpt from Nancy Jardine's Fraying Skeins

Fraying Skeins
by Nancy Jardine

About the book...

Escape In Paradise Evasion
1870 Scotland

Fleeing from Peterhead, Margaret Law makes Aberdeen her refuge. Menial jobs keep her and her toddler son fed– till an unusual tutoring task boosts her finances, and self-worth. Letters to best friend Jessie contain the absolute truth, especially when Johnny Fraser re-enters her life. Is he the man for Margaret to grow old with? When better employment emerges in St. Andrews, Margaret is torn. Will the move mean losing Johnny?

When Johnny follows Margaret to St. Andrews, their life together is idyllic. But when menacing secrets unfold, will Johnny’s past indiscretions be their undoing? Will he lose the cherished family he is establishing with Margaret?

Praise for Fraying Skeins

"Jardine has once again brought nineteenth-century Scotland vividly to life while keeping Margaret and the people around her firmly at the heart of the story. Watching the determined little girl I first met in Novice Threads grow into this resourceful and courageous woman has been immensely rewarding, and there are more than enough intriguing threads left to make me eager to continue Margaret’s journey in the next instalment." ~ The Coffee Pot Book Club 5* Editorial Review

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Read an Excerpt

Fraying Skeins – Moving On To St. Andrews

My dearest Margaret,

What exciting news from you. When you do things you rarely waste time about setting them into motion. Just think, St. Andrews is much nearer to Glasgow than Dundee, Peterhead or Aberdeen. I’ll make you a promise – and try to keep it – that when I’m done with this pregnancy, I will visit you for a change. I’m very impatient for the end of May when this new little darling pops out, though I do acknowledge that this one is the easiest pregnancy so far. Is it a case of the more, the merrier?

I wish I was closer to help you but I’m so glad that you have friends in high places – well, the university is high in my opinion.

Margaret read the rest of the letter, chuckling at the news of what Jessie’s children were doing.

Her second letter, though not as whimsical, made her eyes fill.

Dear Margaret,

Your news about your new job tutoring in St, Andrews is delightful and we all wish you well for the future, knowing that your capabilities lie far beyond being excellent at sewing.

The letter continued to give her news of her two sisters-in-law’s children and their husbands. It made her smile to read that her brother-in-law James wondered on a daily basis why he had never got a job with another tailor till more recently. Jeannie wrote that he was a different man after he stopped working for his disgraceful father.

Opening up the letter from her Uncle James was also poignant but in a different way. She hadn’t actually set eyes on him since she was sixteen, and correspondence between them had been infrequent.

Dear Margaret,

That was very good to hear that you are moving to St. Andrews. I’ve been to the town only once when I was much younger and liked it very well.

As she read on Margaret tried to picture her father’s brother’s face. She had a hint of his features but time had a way of eroding such images. It was delightful, though, to read that he was well, and had been busy enough during the previous couple of years to take on some journeymen tailors.

The news about her cousins also made her smile. They were all settled, married, and now had children of their own.

I still ask from time to time about your father William but, as before, there has been no news of him anywhere in the tailoring trade.

Reading that bit of news was as though it was some stranger, because that was exactly what her father was to her. She idly wondered if he would have approved of anything she’d done with her life since she’d last seen him in Edinburgh. She could hardly remember what age she’d been. Fourteen or maybe fifteen? As she tucked her letters away, she acknowledged it didn’t matter. Her father didn’t matter.

Banishing any negative feelings, she looked around the room and forced herself to consider her packing. Unlike when fleeing from Peterhead, she would not be wearing extra layers of clothing which had been a good plan back then. Her two serviceable dresses, and three better outfits were going to fill at least one of her large fabric bags.

Jamie was growing so tall that he had been moved out of his smocks to wearing short trousers. Since he was a well-dressed little boy, his clothing would almost fill another whole bag. His toy collection would be awkward to pack but she couldn’t see herself giving away any of his precious playthings. Not her small collection of books either, nor the precious folded embroidery sampler that she had carried everywhere since she had left Edinburgh at only sixteen years of age.

She fetched the largest of her cloth bags from the wardrobe and pulled out the embroidery that had been painstakingly created by little Rachel Duncan, and completed not long before the girl’s too-early death. The sampler had been stored in the bottom of that particular bag for more than a decade and it had been transported to wherever Margaret had moved on to.

Opening it out from its folds, she let her fingers slide over the images of flora and fauna that Rachel had designed and created, the backdrop surrounding the typical alphabet that a girl embroidered. The expensive gold and silver coloured threads were surprisingly still quite vibrant, though the memories of Rachel using the threads were not often brought to mind. The piece of cloth might not be prominently displayed, as many samplers often were, but it represented a pivotal time in Margaret’s maturing years. Determination, endurance and stamina were what it represented.

Where she went the sampler would go, unquestionably, even if some other item had to be discarded.

Slumping down on the chair, she couldn’t help a grin spreading. She’d ask permission to pop out of Mistress Graham’s shop the following day. She’d go to the nearest pawnbrokers and get herself another second-hand travel bag – a large one to accommodate her hats!

Follow the Tour

About Nancy

Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research gobbles up lots of time but it’s a delight, and never a chore. Her garden wouldn’t win any prizes but tending it is a great way to unwind and gives her some lovely plants to post on Instagram!

When not creating her novels, or promoting her writing, she loves to interact with readers at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. Recently she’s taken part in author panels at Book Festivals.

Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Society of Authors; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland; Romantic Novelists’ Association; and Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with Ocelot Press.

Connect with Nancy

Website: https://www.nancyjardine.com/
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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nancy-Jardine/author/B005IDBIYG/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5139590.Nancy_Jardine

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Charlene Newcomb’s passion for historical fiction and Star Wars led to her writing a bit of both. She has multiple short stories in the Star Wars Adventure Journal, published a space opera Echoes of the Storm, and has written medieval historical fiction short stories and five novels: the Battle Scars trilogy, and Tales of Robin Hood.

Download her free medieval short story, A Boy’s Life – about 9 year old Allan A Dale – and dive into 12th century England.