PRAISE FOR
Grace in Thine Eyes
“Grace in Thine Eyes was a joy to read! I savored every word of this tender and transcendent story of one young woman’s journey from disgrace to his grace. Liz Curtis Higgs is a masterful storyteller whose eloquent pen has truly been blessed.”
—TERESA MEDEIROS, New York Times best-selling author
“If you’ve read Liz Curtis Higgs’s earlier Scottish trilogy, you already know that she has an extraordinary gift for building a beautiful, elegant story around people thrust into crisis, people whose faith is severely tested in ways that hold us captive until the final pages. Grace in Thine Eyes sings throughout with the pulsating rhythm of love—God’s love for his people and our love for one another. Higgs manages to turn history and imagery and language into an unforgettable work of art. A timeless masterpiece.”
—B. J. HOFF, author of A Distant Music
“Grace in Thine Eyes is a phenomenal story that beautifully parallels its biblical counterpart. In a world where love has so often been replaced by lust, Liz Curtis Higgs reminds us that what the heart is truly seeking is the grace and mercy of God’s forgiving love.”
—TRACIE PETERSON, best-selling author of What She Left for Me
PRAISE FOR
Thorn in My Heart
Fair Is the Rose
Whence Came a Prince
“A luminous sense of hope shines through this truly wrenching story of characters who are both larger than life and all too human. This unforgettable saga is as multilayered, mysterious, and joyous as love and faith can be.”
—SUSAN WIGGS, New York Times best-selling author
“Absolutely wonderful! These characters are real people. History is woven seamlessly into the compelling story. Wise, heart-wrenching, and ultimately triumphant. I couldn’t put it down.”
—FRANCINE RIVERS, author of Redeeming Love
“The dynamic conclusion to Higgs’s acclaimed retelling of the biblical Jacob story fulfills the promise of the first volumes—a must-own for historical-fiction fans. Emotions run the gamut, and clear-cut characters sparkle against a backdrop of superbly researched historical detail.”
—ROMANTIC TIMES Inspirational Romance TOP PICK
“With Thorn in My Heart, Liz Curtis Higgs places herself among the best novelists writing today. The story held me spellbound from beginning to end, capturing my heart and never letting go.”
—ROBIN LEE HATCHER, author of Beyond the Shadows
“Liz Curtis Higgs maps the human heart with indelible ink … teaching us both the price of passion and the redeeming power of love. An extraordinary trilogy.”
—TERESA MEDEIROS, New York Times best-selling author
“The challenges of adapting the scriptural story to the eighteenth century are daunting and make for some contrivances that would be difficult to believe from any author not as talented as Higgs. Admirably, Higgs keeps her protagonists multifaceted and readers’ allegiances shifting as the story unfolds. A welcome glossary helps readers navigate the Scottish terms that lend color to the dialogue, and historical details … create a vivid backdrop.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Liz has taken what could have been a triple threat—biblical history, Scottish history, and the difficulty of not overwhelming the reader with either one—and has created a story that is sure to last the ages. I highly recommend this book—this series!”
—TRACIE PETERSON, author of Land of My Heart
“Generously researched, heartily written, this grand stew of a novel is filled with meat, spice, and enough Scotch broth to satisfy the palate of the most finicky Scottish historical buffs. Compelling, shattering the barriers of time with frequently stunning imagery and always solid storytelling, Thorn in My Heart measures up against the finest historical fiction of our day.”
—LISA SAMSON, author of Women’s Intuition
“All the character portrayals are very authentic, as is the atmospheric setting. The dialogue is interspersed with plenty of Scottish words, whose meanings are thoughtfully provided in a glossary at the end of the book. The entire novel gently carries the message of faith in God and his mysterious ways. Simply put, the book leaves its readers with a satisfied feeling and teaches them to hope.”
—THEBESTREVIEWS.COM
“A triumphant conclusion to a remarkable trilogy. Liz’s impeccable research, sense of history, and love of her subject bring her characters’ struggles and victories to life in a story you’ll never forget.”
—DONNA FLETCHER CROW, author of The Fields of Bannockburn
“A colorful tapestry woven from painstaking research, a rich, vivid setting, and compelling, wonderfully real characters. With excellent writing and a keen understanding of human nature, Liz Curtis Higgs delivers a first-rate, fascinating historical saga.”
—B. J. HOFF, author of An Emerald Ballad
“An engrossing tale that transplants the Old Testament story of Jacob and Esau to eighteenth-century Scotland. Filled with Scottish history, lore, language, and geography, Higgs’s first historical-fiction novel will delight her fans and anyone who enjoys tales of Scotland. It also shows a master storyteller’s skill in shedding new light on a timeless story.”
—CBA MARKETPLACE
OTHER BOOKS BY LIZ CURTIS HIGGS
HISTORICAL FICTION
Thorn in My Heart
Fair Is the Rose
Whence Came a Prince
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Mixed Signals
Bookends
NONFICTION
Bad Girls of the Bible
Really Bad Girls of the Bible
Unveiling Mary Magdalene
Rise and Shine
CHILDREN’S
The Parable of the Lily
The Sunflower Parable
The Pumpkin Patch Parable
The Pine Tree Parable
Go Away, Dark Night
GRACE IN THINE EYES
PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2006 by Liz Curtis Higgs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
WATERBROOK and its deer colophon are trademarks of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Higgs, Liz Curtis.
Grace in thine eyes / Liz Curtis Higgs.—1st ed.
cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-55085-9
1. Dinah (Biblical character)—Fiction. 2. Scotland—History—19th century—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.I36235G73 2006
813′.54—dc22
2005033536
v3.1
To Carol Bartley,
gifted editor
and precious friend.
Your patience,
encouragement,
thoughtful direction,
and unwavering faith
are blessings beyond measure.
Thank you, dear sister,
for taking this journey with me
again and again.
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Map
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Chapter Seventy-Six
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-One
Chapter Eighty-Two
Author Notes
Reader’s Guide
Scottish Glossary
One
No doubt they rose up early to observe
The rite of May.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Glen of Loch Trool
Spring 1808
Davina McKie dropped to her knees on the grassy hillock, letting her shawl slip past her shoulders despite the sharp chill in the air. The silent glen stood draped in a pearl gray mist, the rugged peaks of Mulldonach mere shadows edged in copper, hinting at dawn.
A smile stole across her face. Her brothers were nowhere to be seen.
Davina swept her fingers over the cool, wet grass, then lightly patted her cheeks and brow, touching her nose for good measure. If the May dew banished her freckles, as the auld wives promised, she would gladly wash her face out of doors every morning of the month. Never mind that the ruddy spots matched her bright mane of hair; ferntickles were better suited to a child’s complexion. After seventeen years, Davina was quite ready to be done with them.
She sat up and rearranged her drooping crown of daisies, meant to safeguard her from brownies, bogles, and other uncanny creatures that roamed the land on Beltane, then started to her feet when a familiar voice rose from the fog.
“On May Day, in a fairy ring!” Her brother Will. There was no mistaking his baritone. His twin, Sandy—only their mother called him Alexander—would not be far behind.
Ah well. Davina spun round to greet them.
Two shaggy heads, black as midnight, emerged from the mist. A year younger than she, the twins were in every way identical, from their dark brown eyes to their broad chests and muscular backs. “Like stags,” their mother had once said, gently teasing them not to be seen on the moors during hunting season.
As the lads drew near, they finished the May Day rhyme. “We’ve seen them round Saint Anthon’s spring.”
Davina recognized the poet.
“Robert Ferguson,” Will answered for her as if he’d read the name in her eyes. He tugged at her unbound hair, which spilled down her back, the scarlet ends brushing her waist. “Sandy, I told you we’d spot a fairy on the braes this morning. See how her ears come to a point?”
The McKie brothers never tired of comparing her to the wee folk since the crown of her head did not reach their shoulders, and her hands and feet were no bigger than a young girl’s. She snatched her hair from Will’s grasp, only to find his twin plucking at her skirts.
Sandy’s eyes gleamed with mischief as he appraised her. “A light green gown, fair skin, and a wreath of flowers. She only lacks wings.”
Will winked at her. “You’ve not looked hard enough, Brother.”
She fluttered her eyelet shawl behind her, making them both laugh.
“I see by her wet cheek our fairy has been bathing in the dew.” Sandy gently tweaked her nose. “Perhaps she thinks she’s not bonny enough.”
Davina knew he was teasing but turned on her heel nonetheless and flounced down the hill toward home, taking care not to lose her footing on the slippery grass and ruin her stageworthy exit. When her brothers called after her, she pretended not to hear them.
“Och!” Will shouted her name, the sharpness of his voice muted by the moist air. “Sandy meant no offense. You know how daft he is when it comes to the lasses.”
She heard a soft groan as fist connected with flesh, then Sandy’s voice, slightly winded. “He speaks the truth, Davina. You’ve no need of the May dew when you’re already the fairest maid in Galloway.”
An exaggerated claim. South West Scotland boasted dozens of young women far prettier than she. Still, she’d made her brothers grovel long enough. Davina slowed her steps, letting the lads catch up.
“There now.” Will wrapped her right hand round the crook of his elbow, and Sandy the same on her left. “Let us cease any talk of your beauty. As it is, no gentleman in Monnigaff parish is worthy of you.”
She could not clap her hands—her usual means of expressing amusement—so Davina simply shook her head at Will’s foolishness as they continued downhill together. Perhaps that night when she took to the heath by the light of a gibbous moon, she’d evade her brothers altogether. The ritual required absolute silence—something she managed easily and the twins did not manage at all.
“We’ve a secret,” Will confessed as the threesome reached level ground. “That’s why we came looking for you.” He led them away from the rushing waters of Buchan Burn and headed west toward the McKie mansion. “Father intends to make an announcement after breakfast. As usual, he’s told us nothing.”
“Aye.” Sandy grimaced. “ ’Twill be a revelation to us all.”
Davina searched each face in turn. Was it glad tidings or ill? She touched her lips, then her heart, knowing they would grasp her meaning: Can you not tell me more? I will keep your secret.
Will shook his head, stamping the grass a bit harder. “That’s all we know, lass. Father demanded we arrive promptly at table. He wasn’
t smiling when he said it.”
Bad news, then.
Her earlier joy began to dissipate, like the morning mist giving way to the sun. The trio walked on in silence broken only by the throaty cry of a raven gliding above the surface of Loch Trool. When the thick stand of pines along the loch made continuing arm in arm impossible, Davina followed behind Will, with Sandy close on her heels, her mind turning over the possibilities.
Was a wedding in the offing? The twins were only sixteen, far too young for marriage. Davina’s steps slowed. Surely her father did not have a suitor in mind for her? Not likely, or her mother would have mentioned something. Was Ian to marry, then? Quite as braw as their handsome father, her brother would make a fine catch for any lass. Nineteen years of age come October, he was man enough to take a wife.
Ian was in every way her older brother. Responsible. Trustworthy. Intelligent. The twins used other words: Predictable. Unimaginative. Dull. Davina suspected that envy fueled such sentiments: Ian would inherit all of Glentrool. Still, it was Will and Sandy who’d come looking for her on the hills, speculating about an announcement. Might their father not have some favorable word to share with his younger sons? If so, she would mark this day as a rare and welcome occasion.
As they neared Glentrool, Davina lifted her gaze to its square central tower and the round turret nestled in the heart of its L-shaped design. Built of rough granite from the glen, the house was rugged and imposing, like the Fell of Eschoncan that stood behind it; immovable and unshakable, like the faith of the great-grandfather who had built it.
After crossing the threshold, they started down the long entrance hall, the twins’ boot heels loud against the hardwood floor. Davina paused at the mirror to smooth the muslin tucker round her neckline and pluck the flowers from her hair, now a tangled mess after her early morning ramble on the hills.
Drawing a steadying breath, she turned away from her reflection and walked into the dark-beamed dining room, where she was greeted by portraits of McKies from generations past. A single window did little to brighten the dim interior. The rest of the family was already seated, with Father at the head of the long table, Ian to his left and Mother on his right. Though Ian simply said, “Good morning,” she saw the wariness in his gaze, heard his unspoken warning. Something is amiss. A slight furrow carved her father’s brow. More cause for concern.
“I was about to send Rab off to find you.” Their mother’s tone was kind, without censure. “You see, my husband?” She touched his sleeve. “Your sons have joined you at table, just as you requested.”