Book Title: A COLD HIGHLAND WIND
Character Name: Lady Emily Hargreaves
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
My older twin brothers died of influenza when they were thirteen, leaving me alone with my parents. My father, Earl Bromley, is descended from Vikings and indulged my love of reading. My mother indulged me not in the slightest; I agreed to marry my first husband primarily to escape her household. One can only tolerate having one’s waist measured and criticized so many times. In my case, that was once.
What was your greatest talent?
I have an affinity for translating ancient Greek texts.
Significant other?
I married Colin Hargreaves more than a decade ago. The beginning of our relationship was somewhat dodgy. First, he was my late first husband’s best friend, a fact that still gives me pangs of guilt. Second, I thought he’d murdered said late first husband. Fortunately, I was wrong. Colin is as classically handsome as a Praxiteles sculpture, believes women to be as capable as their male counterparts, and does discreet, confidential work for the Crown. The latter occasionally proves problematic.
Where do you live?
When in London, I can be found at our house in Park Lane, which contains the loveliest—and most comfortable—library in Britain. Our country estate, Anglemore Park, is in the midst of Derbyshire’s Peak District. It’s been the Hargreaves family seat since Henry V’s victory at Agincourt, after which the grateful king gave the land to one of my husband’s ancestors as thanks for his bravery in battle. During the reign of Henry VIII, the grounds expanded to include a nearby abbey, defunct after the reformation and all but destroyed by Cromwell’s men. Its ruins, perched near a large lake, are some of the most picturesque in all of England. The structure appears to have crumbled with deliberately artistic intent.
Do you have any enemies?
The criminals I’ve brought to justice aren’t particularly fond of me. The feeling is entirely mutual.
How do you feel about the place where you are now?
I’m currently in the Scottish Highlands, visiting the castle that belongs to my childhood friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge. The grounds couldn’t be more beautiful and his great aunts, who live in their own wing, are endlessly amusing, but the entire visit has been marred by a brutal murder in the village.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Colin and I have three boys: twins, Henry and Richard, and a ward—as dear as any son could be—Tomaso. They’re all nine years old. Tom and Richard are perfectly lovely, but Henry moves at the speed of an asteroid racing toward central London and causes an equal amount of destruction. I’ve no doubt it’s his intentions that pave the road most of the way to Hell. As for pets, my husband keeps a pack of foxhounds named after the Argonauts: Acastus, Iphitos, Bellerophon, Leitus, Pollux, and Telamon. They view him as their leader, just as their namesakes did Jason. Mighty though they think themselves, they all cower at the sight of my dear little cat, Ailouros.
What keeps you awake at night?
Colin. Marriage is a wonderful thing, particularly when one’s spouse’s thorough attentions have a deleterious effect on one’s sleep.
In this new installment of Tasha Alexander’s acclaimed Lady Emily series set in the wild Scottish highlands, an ancient story of witchcraft may hold the key to solving a murder centuries later.
In the summer of 1905, Lady Emily, husband Colin Hargreaves, and their three sons eagerly embark on a family vacation at Cairnfarn Castle, the Scottish estate of their dear friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge. But a high-spirited celebration at the beginning of their stay comes to a grisly end when the duke’s gamekeeper is found murdered on the banks of the loch. Handsome Angus Sinclair had a host of enemies: the fiancée he abandoned in Edinburgh, the young woman who had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and the rough farmer who saw him as a rival for her affections. But what is the meaning of the curious runic stone left on Sinclair’s forehead?
Clues may be found in the story of Lady MacAllister, wife of the Laird of Cairnfarn Castle, who in 1676 suddenly found herself widowed and thrown out of her home. Her sole companion was a Moorish slave girl who helped her secretly spirit her most prized possessions—a collection of strange books—out of the castle. When her neighbors, wary of a woman living on her own, found a poppet—a doll used to cast spells—and a daisy wheel in her isolated cottage, Lady MacAllister was accused of witchcraft, a crime punishable by death.
Hundreds of years later, Lady Emily searches for the link between Lady MacAllister’s harrowing witchcraft trial and the brutal death of Sinclair. She must follow a trail of hidden motives, an illicit affair, and a mysterious stranger to reveal the dark side of a seemingly idyllic Highland village.
Women's Fiction | Historical | Mystery Woman Sleuth [Minotaur Books, On Sale: October 3, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250872333 / ]
Tasha Alexander attended the University of Notre Dame, where she signed on as an English major (with a concentration in Medieval Studies) in order to have a legitimate excuse for spending all her time reading. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. She and her husband, novelist Andrew Grant, divide their time between Chicago and the UK.
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