A Scandalous Scot - Karen Ranney

This is the latest historical romance that I completed  and I'd have to say that author really lived upto her name again.
I guess don't need to brag about her stellar success in portraying other historical romances before. In the field of Historical romance Karen Ranney is a name which guarantees a  very good book,regardless of the theme.

It starts with the misfortune of two sisters and a shameful conduct(according to the British aristocracy) of an Earl.
Jean MacDonald had nothing but the clothes on her back and her sister when her aunt gave them a the job of maid in . Granted the position of maid was anything but luck , still it was better than starving to death.
She loved Ballindair . It's mysterious aura and numerous number of ghosts. Though she had never seen one, other maids had reported of their presence plenty.

When Jean learnt about the homecoming of the Earl, she knew that it was her only chance to see the ghost of nun. She thus sneaked out of her chambers in the late night to go to the Earl's bed chamber to wait for the shy ghost. But as Fate would have it , the ghost never came and she overslept.
When she rushed out of the room she collided with (guess who) of course none other than the 9th Earl in all his dark ,moody , glowering, splendor.

And the adventure of our dear Jean began. Her journey from a maid to a countess.(Far be it for me to say that it was easy)

Morgan MacCraig, 9th Earl of Denbleigh hated women. They were cunning vipers actually. Nothing glorious or loyal or good about them. If he never had to deal with one again it would be too soon.
But he never thought that he would fall in love with a maid from Ballindair , his own home.

But when these two meets it seems they are bound to be with each other.

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The thing that I most liked in this book is how the author tried to portray the faults and fine lines of English high society during 1800s.
She does a good job actually.

The morals of those times are so different from ours that I've no idea how much she had to research to write this splendid novel.

Another point is her characters. I feel that they are quite well developed. Jean and Morgan is shown from multiple dimensions and angles. Also the side characters such as Jean's aunt and sister along with Morgan's friend Andrew is very well portrayed. The psychological analysis done by Jean of more or less every character important in the story provides another dimension to the novel.

The incident where Jean tells Morgan about maturity and growing up is one of my favorite part of the novel.

"She argued with herself for a moment before

telling him the rest. “Your father evicted them, so

he could put sheep in their place.”

He halted beside her on the path and stared at

her as if she’d suddenly sprouted two heads. He

didn’t move, even when she continued walking.

“Where did you hear that?” he asked when he

caught up with her.

“From Mr. Seath,” she said.

“You can’t be right,” he said. “You must have

misunderstood.”

She stopped, held onto her skirts with both

hands and stared down at the gravel path.

“You don’t have to believe me,” she said. “I

can understand if you don’t. But Mr. Seath was

given orders to evict twenty families. He was able

to move eleven of them. Four of them decided to

immigrate. Two went to live in Inverness, and he

lost track of the other three.”

She glanced up at him to find his jaw squared,

his blue eyes flat and cold.

“My father wouldn’t have done that. He

wouldn’t have evicted his own crofters.”

“Your father was a human being. Only a man,

capable of making mistakes. Don’t imagine him as

something he wasn’t.”

“I haven’t imagined him,” he said stiffly.

“Then you’re not looking at him with an adult’s

eyes,” she said, as kindly as she was able. “When

you’re a child, a parent can never do anything

wrong. But when we grow up, Morgan, we begin

to see our parents as people. We begin to

understand they make mistakes just like we do. We

begin to see them as fallible. It’s important to do

so, I think. So we can begin to forgive them.”

“I have nothing for which to forgive my father.”

His lips were thinned and there was color on

his cheeks, as if he blazed with unspoken words.

“Define honor, Morgan.”

“Sorry?”

“Define honor,” she said. “What is honor to

you?”

“I hardly think it’s necessary for me to explain

how I feel.”

“I think you define honor as perfection. An

honorable man is someone who does all things

perfectly. I don’t know anyone like that.”

“A man of honor is someone who obeys his

own code.”

She smiled. “What’s a man’s code? Does every

man have his own secret code? Isn’t that anarchy?

Shouldn’t you subscribe to a community code?

Something other people could agree upon?

Something less selfish?”

He folded his arms.

“You’re saying my father was selfish?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps he was.”

Morgan’s eyes swept over the glen, taking in

the desolation. For a few moments they both

pretended an intense regard for the moor, the

shimmering river winding through the hazy glen,

the shadow of the mountains in the distance, and

the approaching storm.

“Perhaps your code is just as flawed,” she said

softly.

He glanced at her.

“You divorced Lillian, a thoroughly shocking

thing to do.”

“No less shocking than her bedding every man

in London.”

“Exactly,” she said.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re a very cunning

conversationalist, Jean.”

“Am I?” she asked, pleased. She headed back

up the path, Morgan following."

Another part which touched me was when Morgan took his duties as the laird of the land seriously. It showed the gradual maturation of his character.

"When she closed the ledger, he was only more

curious. “What are you doing?”

Her face flamed but she didn’t answer.

“Chronicling your encounters with Ballindair’s

ghosts?” He sat on the edge of the desk, amused.

“Is that it?”

“It would be a worthwhile endeavor.”

Left unsaid were the words he nevertheless

heard: an endeavor more worthy than any of yours.

Perhaps he was being unfair. Jean didn’t criticize.

He wished, sometimes, that she would be more

vocal about certain things. Her sister’s behavior,

for example. Catriona needed female guidance

before she ruined her life. As it was, she was

acting in a manner guaranteed to bring about

censure.

Jean didn’t correct her sister. Nor did she

complain about her. Where another woman might

castigate, she observed. He had the strangest

feeling she was doing the same with him.

“Do you think me without purpose?” he asked.

She surprised him by putting the ledger down,

sitting back in his father’s chair and regarding him

seriously.

“You spend a great many hours simply

inspecting Ballindair, Morgan. Saying hello to the

staff. Enjoying the day. But there’s so much more

you could be doing.”

Suddenly, he felt much as he had as a boy, in

this very room, the sting of criticism as painful

now as it was then.

Standing, he looked down at her. “What would

that be?”

Her eyes softened, and for a moment he thought

that expression was directed at him. “You could

seek out Mr. Seath,” she said. “He needs

assistance. You could hire someone to help him.”

She’d suggested that before, and he hadn’t

acted on it.

“I doubt he’d be pleased at my interference,” he

said.

She let out a sigh, and this time he had no

difficulty interpreting he was the recipient of it.

“The man is ill, or haven’t you noticed?”

He nodded. At least a nod was civil, unlike the

words that sprang to his lips. He took a deep

breath, then managed to maintain his composure.

“I’ve been involved in Ballindair since my

father’s death, madam. I’m aware of all that needs

to be done.”

“Are you?”

Was she questioning him?

It seems she was, because she continued. “Or

has Mr. Seath merely kept you informed of what

he’s already done?”

“Isn’t that the nature of a steward’s job?”

She took another breath, put down her pen and

stood.

He thrust a hand through his hair, eyeing her

with some caution. With her pink cheeks and

flashing eyes, Jean looked to be in a temper.

She stepped closer, poking him in the chest

with an ink-stained finger.

“That’s just it, Morgan, can he perform his

job?”

“Then it’s time he was replaced.” Even as he

said the words, Morgan knew he’d never strip the

man of his post. William Seath had served

Ballindair and his father admirably.

When he said as much to her, she only nodded.

“He’s been loyal to Ballindair, Morgan. It’s

time you were as loyal to him.”

A dozen remarks flew to his lips, silenced by

only one thing—surprise. What other woman

would have championed the steward with such

fervency? None of his acquaintance.

“What would you have me do?”

“Do what he’s done all these years. Tally the

daily figures, inspect the crops, horses, and cattle.

Meet with the stable master and the overseer of the

home farms. Give the weekly allocation to the

housekeeper, approve the quarterly bonus, inspect

the buildings, approve the uniform allowance,

order cloth and supplies.”

“How the hell do you know so much about what

he does?” he asked, amazed at her knowledge.

At first she looked as if she wasn’t going to tell

him, then she sat down at the desk once again,

staring at the leather-tooled blotter.

“I’ve been bringing him his ledgers and reading

the reports for the last week,” she said. “He’s been

too ill to leave his bed.”

He hadn’t known. Worse, he hadn’t made it his

business to know.

He sat on the corner of the desk once again.

“That isn’t a compilation of your encounters

with Ballindair’s ghosts, is it?”

She shook her head. “I was always good at

sums,” she said. “I thought I would tally the

month’s figures for Mr. Seath.”

Her words embarrassed him, an emotion with

which he thought himself familiar, especially over

the last year. This, however, was different, as if

he’d failed in some elemental duty, or failed her.

His wife had as much as accused him of being a

dilettante, and perhaps he had been. He hadn’t

understood the situation. Nor had he visited his

steward, a man who’d faithfully carried out the

duties of his office with more diligence than the

Earl of Denbleigh.

This library had seen some of his earliest

failures, revealed to his father. Now, it seemed, to

his wife. He didn’t like to fail. He didn’t like the

heat at the back of his neck or the uneasiness in the

pit of his stomach. Nor was he enamored of the

thought that he was being shamed in a way no one

had managed in either London or Edinburgh.

His wife had done what he hadn’t. Without a

word, without a complaint, silently and cheerfully,

she’d taken on the responsibility he’d blithely

ignored.

He extended his hand, and she looked at him,

confused.

“The ledger, Jean,” he said. “I’ll take it to

Seath. While I’m there, I’ll see if he could tolerate

an assistant.”

“You’ll hire someone, then?”

He shook his head. “I’ll help him for as long as

it’s needed.”

They exchanged a long look. She handed him

the ledger, and he stood, tucking it under one arm.

At the door, he turned back to look at her.

He’d entered into this marriage for a variety of

reasons, and had been prepared to be a proper

husband. He hadn’t known then that Jean was no

ordinary woman.

“You were a very good maid, weren’t you?” he

asked.

Her blush deepened. Did the question

embarrass her?

“I tried to be,” she said. “Why do anything

without it being your best?”

“Thank you,” he said, and wasn’t certain why

he was thanking her. Perhaps it was because she’d

called him to task. Or perhaps because she’d

expected more from him, and in doing so,

demonstrated her trust in him. She believed in him,

although she’d never uttered the words. By her

actions, by her look right at this moment, she

conveyed her certainty that he would act in a

decent and honorable way.

No one else had ever given him that

unconditional acceptance."

Overall I'd recommend the romance lovers specially the historical romance fans to definitely buy this book. Personally, I enjoyed it  lot. I hope you all will too!

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