Thistles and Thieves by Elizabeth Preston

Scottish Highlands
1245

English Juliette is sent to the Scottish Highlands on a charity visit, a mission that’s to last two hundred days. Her job is to pull a valuable warlord out of his black hole. The king wants Laird Tam out of the doldrums and back doing what he does best: killing in the name of Scotland. Juliette reluctantly agrees to the king’s task, because she has no choice.

Lady Juliette is sweet, sassy, and determined, but also a little spoilt. She knows she’ll cope with the bleak north, the boredom and the barbarous Scotsmen, but when these two hundred days are done, she’s bolting back to England as quickly as her silk slippers will take her.

Juliette underestimates the Scottish Highlands. She greatly underestimates Laird Tam. And there’s something else she doesn’t realise: the Highlands are never boring . . .

“We’re going into the sea, Juliette.”
“No, no, no . . .”
“Aye, we are. You’re a strong Sassenach, remember that. You’ll survive this shipwreck.”
“No. I won’t . . .”
“I’ll find you, my darling, I’ll always find you . . .”
Then the wave hits.

Now Lady Juliette must survive the sea, the Irish outlaws, runaway nuns, and the ancient Caledonian Forest. Not to mention her growing attraction to Laird Tam . . .