To Love a Scottish Lord Page 32

  Several localized rebellions occurred in India in the late eighteenth century as the native populations protested the British presence in their country. These rebellions were always suppressed, at least until the nineteenth century.

  There were several deserted castles along the coast of Scotland in the last two hundred years. One, Castle Stalker near Oban, was the model for Castle Gloom, in size and location. My imagination, however, furnished the rest.

  The Heritable Jurisdictions Act in 1747 abolished the clan laird system of justice in Scotland. Because this act also breached the Treaty of Union, a judicial vacuum was formed, creating the Scottish sheriff. The Sheriff’s Courts had jurisdiction over most crimes, except cases of murder, which were always sent to a higher court.

  The origin of chess is still a point of contention in many circles. Some believed it began in China, others in India. There are at least three different ways of spelling shatranj, which is considered the second known variant of chess. I’ve chosen the easiest to pronounce.

  The word Atavasi appeared during my early research on India and then disappeared among my copious notes. Although I’ve never been able to define the word, I’ve taken it to mean the native peoples of India, especially those who resented the British incursion into their land, their culture, and their way of life.

  About the Author

  KAREN RANNEY began writing when she was five. Her first published work was The Maple Leaf, read over the school intercom when she was in the first grade. In addition to wanting to be a violinist (her parents had a special violin crafted for her when she was seven), she wanted to be a lawyer, a teacher, and, most of all, a writer. The violin discarded early, she still admits to a fascination with the law, and she volunteers as a teacher whenever needed. Writing, however, has remained an overwhelming love of hers. She loves to hear from her readers—please write to her at karen@karenranney.com or visit her website at www.karenranney.com.

  Karen Ranney lives in Texas.

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  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  TO LOVE A SCOTTISH LORD. Copyright © 2003 by Karen Ranney. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Microsoft Reader March 2007 ISBN 978-0-06-137725-9

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