N. N. Light
Feb 26, 20197 min
The Pirate’s Jewel
Previously Recorded
Welcome to this special edition of The Inside Scoop. I am your host and moderator, Justin Case. In our continuing effort to bring you information about the people portrayed in The Stelton Legacy, we’ve been able to pull off a real coup. Today our guests are Lord and Lady Wesley Reynolds, the parents of Lady Lisbeth Reynolds-Stelton. Lisbeth is the wife of Alex Stelton, the seventh son of the seventh son of Phillip and Celeste Stelton, but that is another story.
Tonight we meet Lady Darla Maxwell, a young woman whose father Graeme Maxwell and close friend, Lord Ewan MacDougall were searching for a suitable husband for her. Lady Darla has a … magical background which as a young woman she sought to deny. I hope we can find out more about how her magic influenced the outcome of the story.
Lord Wesley Reynolds, the son of the well-known silk merchant William Reynolds has a most interesting background that I hope he’ll elaborate on today. It’s what made him the man trusted by the King of England as well as the Guardians of Scotland.
One moment, please. I’m getting instructions from our producer. (Listens to instructions over his ear piece). Ladies and gentlemen. Our producer has just informed me our guests have arrived at the studio.
Ah. The lights have dimmed. A hush has come over the studio. I can see into the wings. Yes. The door has opened. The anticipation in the room is palpable. Wait. I see them. They’re walking toward us. They have a stately and commanding appearance, and they’re holding hands. It is very tender and touching.
(Justin rose from his chair as his guests’ approach.)
Justin: Lord Wesley, Lady Darla. It’s good to meet you.
(Chairs scrape the floor, feet shuffle as everyone takes their seats.)
Justin: Lady Darla please sit here next to Lord Wesley.
(Darla and Wesley hold hands. Wesley eases back in his chair and crosses his legs in a relaxed position.)
Justin: Thank you for granting us an interview. Everyone here at Inside Scoop is excited you’re with us.
Lord Wesley: Lady Darla and I are happy to be with you today.
Justin: Our time is short so unless you have any questions I’d like to get right to the questions.
Wesley: I have no questions at the moment. Please begin.
Justin: (Papers rustle as Justin gets settled.) Lord Wesley, you have a very interesting personal history with several twists and turns. Please explain how your background made you the man you are today.
Wesley: As a young man I followed in my father’s footsteps. He was both an excellent silk merchant and business man. He taught me the silk business from cultivating the silk worms, to making the final bolts of cloth, to selling and shipping the bolts. I learned by traveling with him and observing him at his work. He was a well-respected merchant and excellent negotiator. When he passed away, I was ready to take over although I will never be able to take his place.
(Darla squeezes Wesley’s hand, her face full of encouragement.)
Justin: I understand you sailed out of the Cinque Ports in southern Europe, in the service of the King of England. Some say you were a privateer.
(Wesley lets go of Darla’s hand and moves to the edge of his seat.)
Wesley: Why do you ask?
Darla: Wesley. (She touches her husband’s arm.)
Wesley: My Love, it still pains me to think of those days much less speak about them.
(Darla gives her husband an encouraging smile. Wesley turns back to Justin and lets out a slow breath.)
Wesley: I provided the king with the silks he wanted, as I did with many monarchs across Europe. Because of my connections I was a good sounding board for him. I had my own ships and one thing led to another. I had no love for the Spanish. They thought I was a charity, taking my goods without paying for them. So, I simply took from their ships to repay their debt. All in all, a good transaction.
Darla: When Wesley’s father took ill he went to help him.
Wesley: There were certain family incidents that happened. Over the years, my brother told me what happened and why. I believed Darla’s father and Lord Ewan, my father’s closest friends plotted against him and my family. I thought they ruined his business and took his property, circumstances that led to his death.
Justin: You said you thought they conspired against your father. I surmise you don’t believe that now. What made you believe it in the first place and why did you have a change of heart?
Wesley: Simply said, I put my trust in someone close and was deceived.
Justin: Did this have anything to do with the pirate king, MacAlpin?
(Wesley chuckles.)
Wesley: I understand why you ask. The MacAlpin has the reputation of being a ruthless savage pirate. But, in all my dealings with him he proved to be fair and trustworthy. He was instrumental is seeing justice was served. It was difficult after years of believing something so strongly that it became your essence, to have the truth uncovered and recognize you’d been lied to for a very long time.
Justin: I’m sure it is. I understand Lady Darla was at your side.
Darla: From the first moment we met on the docks by my father’s ship and I mistook him for Lord Ewan’s son-in-law, Magnus I was drawn to Wesley. I was relieved to learn he wasn’t Magnus. Very pleased in deed.
Wesley: Darla’s father, Lord Graeme Maxwell—
Justin: The renowned gem and jewelry merchant?
(Darla beamed with pride.)
Wesley: Yes. Maxwell and Lord Ewan were nothing like I expected. After my father’s death I was told again of their thievery, had it stamped into my brain. I didn’t question it. You see, from an early age I was fostered to the Highland Maxwells. When I came back and worked with my father he had already moved the family from our home on Lord Ewan’s island, forced out I was told. I accepted it as truth and when my father died I vowed to take revenge for all the injustices Graeme Maxwell and Ewan MacDougall did to my father and family.
Darla: Wesley thought to use me as a pawn in his effort to hurt my father.
Wesley: (He turns to Darla) That wasn’t one of my shining moments. The more time we spent together and the more I got to know you, your father, and Lord Ewan, the more I knew I had it all wrong, but evil kept buzzing in my ear, pushing me to carry out the plans.
Darla: You found the truth. It’s all over now.
(Wesley holds Darla’s hand and looks into her eyes.)
Wesley: I’m a very lucky man.
(Justin coughs to remind them they aren’t alone. They both turn toward Justin.)
Justin: Lady Darla, I understand you have unique insight—
Wesley: Come Darla. (Wesley gets to his feet.) It’s time to leave.
(Justin, astonished by Lord Wesley’s action looks at Wesley. Darla remains calm and seated.)
Justin: M’lord. I apologize if I have offended you or your lady.
Darla: No, Mr. Case. My husband is very protective. (Darla stands next to her husband.) I do have a unique ability. I have second sight. I see things before they happen. Some people—
Wesley: Unintelligent, witless ones—
Darla: Mr. Case gets your meaning. Some people believe it witchcraft. They say and do foolish things. It is why I kept to myself while growing up. Why I never allowed myself to become attached to a gentleman. How could I get someone I loved tangled in that rat’s nest. Some may see my gift as a blessing, but I assure you it is not. Imagine knowing something terrible is going to happen and you’re not able to influence it at all. I thought I would never marry. I was satisfied with being alone the rest of my life. I was wrong. I had no idea that I waited for the right person, my soul mate. I never saw that coming until I met Wesley. So much for my second sight. When I found him I knew I would never let him go. He is my love, my life.
(Wesley takes his wife in his arms. Justin stands.)
Wesley: As you are mine. (Wesley turns to Justin.) Deception and family honor were at stake.
Darla: So was my heart.
Wesley: Do you have any other questions?
Justin: No, Lord Wesley. Thank you both for speaking to us. (He turns to the audience.) Thank you for coming today. Lady Darla hasn’t told us much about her second sight, but I understand it is quite interesting. You can find out more about Lady Darla’s magic and Lord Wesley in The Pirate’s Jewel. Until next time.
The Pirate’s Jewel
Deception and family honor are at stake – so is her heart.
Wesley Reynolds will do anything to avenge his family’s banishment from Dundhragon Castle even throw in with the notorious pirate, MacAlpin. His plan, ruin Lord Ewan’s trading network. He has a more devious plan for his father’s ‘best friend,’ the man who abandoned them at the eleventh hour. He’ll ruin the man’s most precious jewel, his daughter Darla. Wesley’s so close to ruining the trade network and succeeding he can almost taste it, but revenge is not nearly as sweet as Darla’s kisses.
Darla Maxwell, beloved by her parents has no prospects of marriage. Her father and Lord Ewan search to find her the right husband. Darla’s special gifts are frightening to many. She has visions that often come true. The murky image of a man haunts her, she’s sure it’s Lord Ewan’s soon-to-be son-in-law, but the vision morphs when she meets Wesley. The meaning couldn’t be any clearer to her, her destiny lies with Wesley.
When revelations surface indicating Wesley has been deceived and his revenge misplaced. Will he find the truth of what really happened to his family in time to stop the pirates? Will Darla ever forgive him? Will he ever forgive himself?
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About the Author
RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author of historical swashbuckling action-adventures and contemporary romance with enough action to keep you turning pages. Her stories feature strong women and the men who deserve them, endearing flaws and all. She lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at an international bank where she was a product/ marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing romance. She hopes her stories become your favorite adventures. For more information, please visit RuthACasie.com or visit her on Facebook, @RuthACasie, Twitter, @RuthACasie, or Pinterest RuthACasie.
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