Love by the Stroke of Midnight

By Raven McAllan

FROM BESTSELLING ROMANCE AUTHOR RAVEN MCALLAN

Book one in the Castle on the Loch series

History, family, fate. Accept it or deny it at your will.

The day you discover your boyfriend is using you as a free meal ticket and a way to save his money is the day to say bye-bye.

Marcail Drummond does better than that.

She sells up, plans the rest of her life and heads north. It's time to go home, to a castle on an island in a Scottish loch, and face up to the fact she's not quite the same as the rest of her family.

They can see the past—and the future—and hear others. Heal the sick and help the broken hearted.

She can't.

After all, talking to yourself just isn't the same thing, even if one of the voices in your head is male and argues a lot.

As far as Marcail is concerned, it's just her way of amusing herself.

To Paden it's more than that.

To him it's matter of life and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781839434914

Raven McAllan

After 30 plus years in Scotland, Raven now lives near the east Yorkshire coast, with her long-suffering husband, who is used to rescuing the dinner, when she gets immersed in her writing, keeping her coffee pot warm and making sure the wine is chilled. With a new home to decorate and a garden to plan, she’s never short of things to do, but writing is always at the top of her list. Her other hobbies include walking along the coast and spotting the wildlife, reading, researching, cros stitch and trying not to drop stitches as she endeavours to knit. Being left-handed, and knitting right-handed, that’s not always easy.

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Author

Totally Bound Publishing books by Raven McAllan

Single Books

Hong Kong Heat

Taken Identity

Fairground Attraction

The Duke’s Temptation

The Viscount Meets his Match

Diomhair

Secrets Shared

Secrets Uncovered

Secrets Remembered

Secrets Dispatched

Secrets Learned

Secrets Dispelled

Daring Ladies

The Earl and The Courtesan

Anthologies

Bully for You: Chasing Charlie

Collections

A Little Bit Cupid: For One Night Only

Castle on the Loch

LOVE BY THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT

RAVEN MCALLAN

Love by the Stroke of Midnight

ISBN # 978-1-83943-491-4

©Copyright Raven McAllan 2021

Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright March 2021

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Totally Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

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The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2021 by Totally Bound Publishing, United Kingdom.

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Book one in the

Castle on the Loch series

History, family, fate. Accept it or deny it at your will.

The day you discover your boyfriend is using you as a free meal ticket—and a way to save his money—is the day you say bye-bye.

Marcail Drummond does better than that.

She sells up, plans the rest of her life and heads north. It’s time to go home, to a castle on an island in a Scottish loch, and face up to the fact she’s not quite the same as the rest of her family. They can see the past—and the future—and hear others. Heal the sick and help the broken-hearted.

She can’t.

After all, talking to yourself isn’t the same thing, even if one of the voices in your head is male and argues a lot.

As far as Marcail is concerned, it’s just her way of amusing herself.

To Paden, it’s more than that.

To him, it’s a matter of life and death.

Dedication

To June who is my go-to for all things paranormal.

To Ann, my fabulous editor.

To Paul as ever

And

To the RavDor Chicks who support me all the way

Thank you

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Kindle: Amazon Technologies, Inc

Mini: British Motor Corporation

Uggs: Deckers Outdoor Corporation

Scooby: Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.

Rhett Butler: Margaret Mitchell

Calor: SHV Gas Group

Eyes Wide Shut: Stanley Kubrick Productions, Pole Star Hobby Films, Warner Bros.

Prologue

April 1746

Scottish Highlands

The smell of death hung in the air. Morven covered her mouth and nose with her plaid, gritted her teeth and forced herself to look carefully at each Jacobite body. The stench of powder mingled with that of blood and entrails was unpleasant but there was nothing she could do about it.

Best to ignore it and concentrate on the job she had to do. Where was he? She had no intention of leaving without his body. Alongside her, other women were doing the same thing. Not prepared to leave their loved ones dead or dying on a bloody battlefield, alone…unloved…

Over here, one’s alive. The shout from an elderly woman a few yards away had several other women lifting their heads and moving towards the woman. Without a lot of hope, Morven followed them, and looked at the man in the bloodied plaid who was cradled in the arms of the older woman.

He’s no long for this world, the old crone said in a kindly voice. We can at least give him our love. ‘Until he goes’ were words unsaid but understood.

Morven gulped and forced herself not to cry.

Rian… For God’s sake, Rian, my Rian. She knelt by him and took his hand. Rian, it’s me, your Morven. Lord, he looked so bad. Grey, shivering, blood trickling from his mouth. She might be a witch, but her powers were not those of healing. Hers were of sight. And she knew… Rian, will you be mine? she asked urgently. In front of these people here can we be wed?

He opened his eyes. Morven? My Morven?

That’s me, my love.

Then marry me, I pl…plight my troth to you, you and the bairn.

You guessed?

I… He coughed. I hoped. So I take you as my wife, my Morven. Now and for ever more.

He handed her something round. Small, no larger than her thumbnail, cold and slippery and…and warm? Cold and warm? She didn’t have time to wonder what then. The man in front of her took all her attention.

As my wedding gift to you.

Her heart was breaking, but as the old crone next to her nodded encouragingly, Morven smiled. To be your wife, mother of our child, to be your soul mate, is all I ever want. I’ll bring our bairn up to be proud of his or her pa. Rian McKinnon, I take you as my husband, I am yours. Your wife. Your love for ever.

Bairns, Morven, it will be bairns… Oh my love…my…I take you, Morven Murray, as my wife. I w-want…

The old crone put their hands tight together and covered them with hers. I pronounce you man and wife. Kiss and seal your marriage.

Morven bent and put her lips to his bloodless ones. For a second she felt—she thought, she prayed—a slight pressure. And she knew.

She would never know what he’d wanted.

She was a widow.

The sky darkened and thunder cracked.

Morven looked to see what he had given her.

A pearl, a black pearl on a chain. She slipped it around her neck, held it tight for a second then took it off and put it around his. To keep us together, forever, my love.

Lightning hit the ground not two feet away from her. Somewhere she heard…two…two to be born…

How did she know she’d angered their gods? Morven couldn’t care. She was Rian’s for ever more.

Chapter One

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, Scotland

Present Day

Marcail Drummond staggered out of bed, tired and sated, and wished she could sleep for a few hours more. As it wasn’t going to happen, she turned to speak to the man who had shared her night to…to what?

To see no second indent in the pillows. No crumpled sheets except where she’d slept—or not slept, as the case may be.

In fact no sign of any occupant—except herself.

She surely hadn’t imagined the night she’d just had? The sinfully sexy, hot, male, aroused body next to hers. The way his hands had caressed her so skilfully and held her close when she flew over the edge and into one of the best climaxes ever. How he’d gradually inched inside her, almost reverently, until she’d tightened herself around him and begged… Please fill me now…please. And he’d obliged so they could move together.

Then another climax, this time as he also came hard and fast, and the long gradual coming down to earth, held close and cherished.

The soft words in her ear… "Mo ghaol, it’s been oh so long…"

Marcail blinked. Had she dreamed it all, or…or what?

There couldn’t be any other explanation—could there?

Somewhat disgruntled, she stood up and stretched.

Boy she ached. Ached in places she hadn’t known it was possible. If that was what happened after an erotic dream, she wasn’t sure she’d have another one in a hurry.

I’m here when you need me.

That was the last thing she wanted. She had enough to worry about, without him niggling her. It was bad enough to know his voice was in her head—whoever he was—but surely he wasn’t in her dreams as well?

You know I’m yours, however, wherever and…

Enough. She put her hands to her hot cheeks. Go away and let me get on in peace.

As ever, I’ll do your bidding.

That’ll be the day. Marcail muttered under her breath, stripped the bed, got washed and dressed and headed out. She hadn’t the time to argue with herself, voices, or the man in the moon. Dammit, she hadn’t even seen his face.

You’ll know me.

Ha, as if I’m bothered. She ignored the laughter that appeared to surround her at that mental comment. The long drive ahead was her priority.

The journey north wasn’t easy. Especially after that night of very explicit, erotic dreams, where she woke up hot and bothered, every nerve in her body throbbing, and dozed off again before she welcomed ‘him’ into her bed. The man who, she understood, was important, but whose face she couldn’t see.

Why? What was she missing?

Me.

Go to hell.

The laugh in