“I was just looking at it,” said Loni, leading him inside. As they entered the Great Room, she walked to the mantel and brought back the little bouquet. “See—it still has its color.”
“Heather is amazing that way,” said David, nodding. “Remember my telling you that you would have to discover the mystery of the heather yourself?”
“Yes, and I think I may be beginning to.”
“Retaining its color is but one of heather’s many mysteries,” David went on. “In hopes that you will continue discovering its secrets, and in recognition of a friendship that I hope will deepen through time as does the mystery of the heather . . . your hand, please.”
Loni smiled and held out her two hands.
David reached into his pocket and withdrew a tiny circular object fashioned with intricate strands of heather interwoven and held tight with delicately thin white wool yarn.
Gently he slipped it on the fourth finger of her right hand.
“A beautiful heather ring—it fits perfectly!” exclaimed Loni. “How did you know the size of my finger?”
“A lucky guess. But I had Odara help me with it. She said she had personal experience in exactly this kind—though she wouldn’t tell me what she meant. But somehow she knew the right size to make it. She and Sandy plucked the wool from your special sheep. They said you would know what that meant.”
Loni smiled and nodded. “I do.”
“Wherever you go, whenever you look at this ring, its heather will be a reminder that you belong to this island, and that you belong—”
He hesitated briefly—then added, “to its people.”
David smiled, and it was a smile that went straight to Loni’s heart.
“And now,” he said, “shall we walk into town and give the ladies something to talk about?”
“With pleasure,” replied Loni. “Let me grab my windbreaker. It’s a beautiful day, but . . . well, it is the Shetlands!”
Books by Michael Phillips
Fiction
THE RUSSIANS*
The Crown and the Crucible
A House Divided
Travail and Triumph
THE STONEWYCKE TRILOGY*
The Heather Hills of Stonewycke
Flight from Stonewycke
Lady of Stonewycke
THE STONEWYCKE LEGACY*
Stranger at Stonewycke
Shadows over Stonewycke
Treasure of Stonewycke
THE SECRETS OF HEATHERSLEIGH HALL
Wild Grows the Heather in Devon
Wayward Winds
Heathersleigh Homecoming
A New Dawn Over Devon
SHENANDOAH SISTERS
Angels Watching Over Me
A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton
The Color of Your Skin Ain’t the Color of Your Heart
Together Is All We Need
CAROLINA COUSINS
A Perilous Proposal
The Soldier’s Lady
Never Too Late
Miss Katie’s Rosewood
CALEDONIA
Legend of the Celtic Stone
An Ancient Strife
THE HIGHLAND COLLECTION*
Jamie MacLeod: Highland Lass
Robbie Taggart: Highland Sailor
THE JOURNALS OF CORRIE BELLE HOLLISTER
Daughter of Grace*
On the Trail of the Truth
A Place in the Sun
Sea to Shining Sea
Into the Long Dark Night
Land of the Brave and the Free
A Home for the Heart
Grayfox
A New Beginning
The Braxtons of Miracle Springs
THE SECRET OF THE ROSE
The Eleventh Hour
A Rose Remembered
Escape to Freedom
Dawn of Liberty
AMERICAN DREAMS
Dream of Freedom
Dream of Life
Dream of Love
The Sword, the Garden, and the King
Heaven and Beyond
Angel Harp
Heather Song
Murder By Quill
From Across the Ancient Waters
Secret of the Celtic Triangle
Angel Dreams**
The Garden at the Edge of Beyond
SECRETS OF THE SHETLANDS
The Inheritance
The Cottage
Nonfiction
The Eyewitness New Testament (3 volumes)
The Commands
The Commands of the Apostles
Practical Essential Christianity
George MacDonald: Scotland’s Beloved Storyteller
*with Judith Pella **with Chris Schneider
About the Author
Michael Phillips is a bestselling author of a number of beloved novels, including such well-known series as SHENANDOAH SISTERS, CAROLINA COUSINS, CALEDONIA, and THE JOURNALS OF CORRIE BELLE HOLLISTER. He has also served as editor of many more titles, adapting the classic works of Victorian author George MacDonald (1824–1905) for today’s reader, and his efforts have since generated a renewed interest in MacDonald. Phillips’s love of MacDonald’s Scotland has continued throughout his writing life.
In addition to his fifty published editions of MacDonald’s work, Phillips has authored and coauthored over ninety books of fiction and nonfiction, ranging from historical novels to contemporary whodunits, from fantasy to biblical commentary.
Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland but make their home in California. To learn more about the author and his books, visit fatheroftheinklings.com. He can be found on Facebook at MichaelPhillipsChristianAuthor@facebook.com. To contact the Phillipses or join their email family, please write to: macdonaldphillips@sbcglobal.net.
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
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Twitter: @Bethany House