Lady Magdalen - Robin Jenkins

The daughter of Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird, Lady Magdalen shares with her childhood friend, Francis Gowrie of Mintlaw, a love of art and beauty, and a horror of barbaric practices. But, with civil war brewing and family alliances paramount, Carnegie arranges her marriage to an ambitious young soldier, James Graham, the future Marquis of Montrose.

This is a captivating novel, which juxtaposes the feminine and domestic with the political and military ramifications of the era. Lady Magdalen is effortlessly readable and a powerful evocation of seventeenth century Scotland.