Grace in Thine Eyes (60 page)

6. The epigraphs that open each chapter are meant to prepare the reader for what’s to come. How might the words of Samuel Coleridge at the start of
chapter 22
describe what follows with the twins? Select an epigraph that you particularly like. Why did it capture your fancy, and how does the quote suit the chapter it introduces?

7. Somerled MacDonald shows his rakish side from the moment we meet him in
chapter 28
. Describe your initial impression of Somerled. In what ways did your assessment of his character change as the story progressed? Did he ever win your heart, as he does Davina’s? Why or why not?

8. Is the tragedy on Midsummer Eve inevitable? Davina blames herself as well as Somerled. Is she right in doing so? Do you see her as naive, flirtatious, foolish, or the sad victim of a crime? Sir Harry claims, “In a plight such as this, society punishes the woman far more than the man.” That was so in 1808. Is it still true today? What emotions did those harrowing scenes evoke for you?

9. The aftermath is painful to witness. What circumstances make those first hours especially difficult for our dear Davina? If you’d been there as her mother or her friend, how might you have counseled or consoled her? If you’d been Davina, given all the limitations of her situation, what might you have done the next morning?

10. Grace—often defined as “unmerited favor”—is not only part of the title but also the theme of
Grace in Thine Eyes
. What do you make of Davina’s eventual willingness to extend grace to Somerled? Is her mercy commendable or appalling? Contrast Jamie’s stubborn attitude toward forgiveness with Davina’s generous one. Must a person be worthy of forgiveness before receiving it? How does accepting the gift of undeserved mercy change people?

11.
Chapter 65
shows us Will’s nature at its basest. Do his efforts at the last redeem him in your sight? Why or why not? What do you make of Sandy’s actions in the final, harrowing moments? Despite the clear foreshadowing, were you hoping for a better outcome on Goatfell? How did you feel when Somerled slipped from Will’s grasp?

12. Jamie is furious with himself and with his sons, clenching his fists and shouting, “What am I to do with you?” Who is truly at fault for the Goatfell incident? When the family meets with Mr. Hunter, Jamie lies to protect them. As a parent, would you do the same in such a situation? When Will and Sandy return to Glentrool at Yuletide, what do you think should happen to them?

13. Though Davina leaves Arran behind, she cannot escape the judgment of others. If you’ve ever been wrongly accused, as she was, how did you feel? What did you do? In what ways does gossip still have the power to wound and isolate us? Other than seeking the support of friends, how might one rise above such false accusations?

14. Graham Webster has many heroic attributes, yet Davina is not initially attracted to him. Why might that be so? How does his personality compare to Somerled’s? What qualities does Graham have to recommend him? Can you imagine his making Davina happy? How long might it take for her heart to be truly whole?

15. This reader’s guide begins with a quote from Amos Bronson Alcott, a nineteenth-century American teacher and philosopher. Only readers can determine if a book is good or not. What expectation did you have when you began reading
Grace in Thine Eyes
? What surprised you? dismayed you? pleased you? What were your hopes for Davina at story’s end? Finally, how did you profit from reading this novel?

Scottish Glossary

Except where noted as Gaelic, all italicized words listed here are Scots.

a’
—all

aboot
—about

aflocht—
in a flutter, agitated

aften—
often

aheid
—ahead

ahint
—behind

airt
—art, skills

amang
—among

ance
—once

ane
—one

anither
—another

ashet
—oval serving plate

auld
—old

awa
—away, distant

ayeways
—always

bairn
—child

baith
—both

baloo
—used to hush a child to sleep

ben
—mountain

bethankit!
—God be thanked!

birsie
—hot-tempered

bleeze
—blaze

blether
—jabber, gossip

bliss
—bless

blissin
—blessing

blithesome
—cheerful

bluid
—blood

bogle
—ghost, specter

bothy
—small cottage

bowie
—bucket

brae
—hill, slope

braisant
—shameless

braw
—fine, handsome

bree
—soup, broth

brither
—brother

buik
—book

Buik
—the Bible

burn
—brook, stream

byre
—cowshed

bystart
—bastard

cabbieclaw
—dish of salt cod

caisteal
—castle (Gaelic)

clack
—gossip, idle chatter

cladach
—shore, beach (Gaelic)

clootie
—piece of cloth, rag

cloots
—clothes

close
—passageway, courtyard

cnocan
—hillock (Gaelic)

coble
—ferry boat

compear
—appear before congregation for rebuke

couthie
—agreeable, sociable

cryin siller
—coins required for the marriage banns to be read

cutty stool
—stool of repentance

deasil
—sunwise or clockwise

denner
—dinner

dochter
—daughter

doocot
—dovecote

doon
—down

douce
—amiable, sweet

dreich
—bleak, dismal

droondit
—drowned

dry stane dyke
—stone fence without mortar

dummie
—mute

e’e
—eye

elf-shot
—having a sickness thought to be caused by fairies

ell
—linear measure, just over a yard

Embrough
—Edinburgh

Erse
—Scottish Gaelic

etin
—giant

evermair
—evermore

fa’
—fall

faither
—father

fallow
—follow

fash
—troubled, vexed

fee
—engage, hire

ferlie
—superb, wonderful

ferntickles
—freckles

firsten
—first

flindrikin
—flirtatious

flooer
—flower

fowk
—folk

fremmit
—strange, foreign

fu’ssss
—full

gaed
—went

gairden
—garden

gallus
—rascally, bold, mischievous

gane
—gone

gaoth
—wind (Gaelic)

gardyloo
—warning call that waste water was about to be poured into the street from an upper story

garitour
—watchman on a tower

gart
—made

gentrice
—gentry

gie
—give

glent
—shine, gleam, sparkle

glessie
—toffee

glib-gabbit
—gossipy

goun
—gown

gowan
—daisy

gracie
—devout, virtuous

green
—young, youthful

greet
—cry, weep

guid
—good

guidwife
—farmer’s wife

gustie
—savory, tasty

hae
—have

halie
—holy

hame
—home

hatesome
—hateful

haud
—hold, keep

hearken
—eavesdrop, listen

heartsome
—merry

hech!
—expression of contempt

heid
—head

heidie
—headstrong, impetuous

heirship
—inheritance

herd
—shepherd

het
—hot

Hieland
—Highland

hind
—farmworker

hizzie
—hussy

hochmagandy
—fornication

hoose
—house

hoot!
—pshaw!

howp
—hope

ilka
—each, every

ill-deedie
—wicked

ill-fashioned
—ill-mannered

ill-faured
—ugly, unattractive

ill-kindit
—cruel, inhuman

ill-scrapit
—rude, bitter

inneal ciùil
—instrument, musical (Gaelic)

in trowth!
—indeed! upon my word!

ither
—other

jaicket—
jacket

jalouse
—imagine, presume, deduce

jillet
—flighty girl, flirt

jist
—just

ken
—to know, recognize

kenspeckle
—conspicuous

kintra
—of the country, rustic

kirktoun
—village in which parish church is situated

kist
—chest, coffin

lang
—long

Lawland
—Lowland

leddy
—lady

leebeertie
—liberty

leuk
—look

limmer
—prostitute

loosome
—lovely

losh!
—lord!

lowpin-on stane
—leaping-on stone, used to mount a horse or carriage

luckenbooths
—locked stalls

ludgin
—lodging

mair
—more

mak
—make

maun
—must

meikle
—great, much

mem
—madam

mercat
—market

meschant
—wicked, bad

midnicht
—midnight

mirksome
—dark, gloomy

mither
—mother

mony
—many

morn’s morn
—tomorrow morning