The Widow's Cloak

The Widow's Cloak
Friday, July 28, 2023 by Lynne Basham Tagawa

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS

PLEASE WELCOME

LYNNE BASHAM TAGAWA

FICTION FRIDAY

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Culloden moor. A lonely, nondescript field in Scotland. Until the early spring of 1746 turned it into a graveyard. Ian MacLeod was there, minding the animals while his father went with the laird and the other men to battle.

His father never returned.

Ian was arrested, imprisoned, and sentenced to seven years’ labor in the colonies. He’s bitter, against God and against man.

Virginia. A fine house staffed by servants, white and black. Mary Pickens is from Northern Ireland, having signed a contract to save herself from starvation. But her Virginia master has taken advantage of her, and she is sent away.

Consumed with guilt and confusion, Mary comes to the Shenandoah Valley. Here she hears a message about sin and guilt and—can it be possible?—forgiveness.

Two flawed, struggling people meet on the American frontier of 1750.

And yes, there is a HEAT!

I wrote this novella as part of my 18th-century Russell family series. The second novel, The Heart of Courage, contains several secondary characters I thought were interesting. They deserved their own story!

The novella contains a strong theological theme. I took my inspiration from a real-life person living in the Shenandoah Valley at that time, Magdalena McDowell Borden. She was the granddaughter of the laird of the Campbells in Scotland and is remembered as a formidable, vivacious woman. A pillar in the church.

Magdalena rode a black stallion and wore a green cloak. One day, it hit me. Why would a “green” cloak be remembered over the centuries? Settlers, especially well-to-do ones like Magdalena, did not just wear homespun. Dyes were common. Green was not unusual.

But Magdalena was a Campbell. I looked up the Campbell tartan—blue and green. Could it be? Could it be that her cloak was a blue-and-green plaid that was remembered as “green”?

So, I made several assumptions for the story. One, that this was indeed the case—the Campbell tartan—and two, that this “pillar of the church” was indeed a Christian.

AN EXCERPT FROM

The Widow’s Cloak

By Lynne Basham Tagawa

“Come, Mary. Pour yourself a cup of tea and sit.”

Mary obeyed, fearing she was in trouble. But no. She had to remind herself again and again that her new mistress was not that sort. The warm mug felt good in her hands, and slowly her tight muscles relaxed.

“I’ve a tale to tell.” Mrs. Borden lifted the babe to her shoulder and patted its back. “About my mother.”

Little Eliza belched. Mrs. Borden smiled, and she placed the infant in the wooden cradle at her feet.

“The cloak. The Campbell tartan,” she began. “Lovely, isn’t it? Green and blue, the beauty of earth and sky, the beauty of Scotland—and the valley.”

Mary waited. Magdalena Borden was a friendly, voluble woman, and would not stay silent long.

“My mother was a Campbell. Daughter of an important man, but not the duke. Lady Campbell, they called her, before she married my father for love.” She picked up her cup. “Any more tea?”

Mary poured the last of the clear brown liquid.

“She gave me this cloak. Told me to remember my heritage.” She took a cautious sip. “And she told me to remember something else.” Her gaze went to the cloak on its peg. “Jesus gave us a cloak. His cloak—His robe of righteousness.”

How could Jesus give someone a cloak?

“Not a physical garment.” Mrs. Borden seemed to read the question on her face. “A spiritual one. Ye’ve heard the preaching. Ye ken God’s wrath on sinners. How are we to escape?”

“The cross?” Mary knew it was the right answer, though her heart still quailed, feeling the weight of her sins.

“Aye. But even before Christ died in our place, He lived a perfect, sinless life. He lived in our place as well. This righteousness is the robe Christ gives to us. Like a cloak it covers us, covers all our sin and shame. God looks down and sees only the righteousness of His Son.”

Mary looked at the cloak. A covering.

This was good news.

If only she could truly believe it.

MORE ABOUT THE WIDOW’S CLOAK

A prisoner alone in a land far from home…

A woman who has learned she must rely on herself…

Ian MacLeod loses his father in the bloody battle on Culloden Moor. Captured, he is transported on a slave ship to serve an indenture of seven years. Now he struggles with bitter memories of a failed war and blames God. When his contract is sold, he meets a man with an elusive hope–and peace. And he meets a woman wearing the Campbell tartan—the colors of the enemy, a woman seemingly beyond reach.

Mary Pickens’s contract is sold when the evidence of her master’s unwanted attention appears. In the Shenandoah Valley, she hears of God’s forgiveness, but in the eyes of the world, Mary’s newborn son will be despised as illegitimate. When handsome Simon McKee proposes, she gladly agrees, never dreaming of what will happen next.

Ian would shelter Mary if he could. Even if she were free to wed him, she has suffered many betrayals. How could he ever convince her to trust him with her hand and heart?

Book 2.5 in the Russell family series, this novella spotlights the story of two characters mentioned in The Heart of Courage: A Novel of the French and Indian War.

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ABOUT LYNNE BASHAM TAGAWA

Lynne Tagawa is originally a science teacher who came to writing—and historical fiction—later in life. She is a wife, mom, and grandma of six. Coffee and chocolate, in that order. She and her husband live in South Texas.

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