An Irregular Marriage – by Margaret A. Westlie
Its 1803, Isle of Skye, Scotland: A young woman is marginalized in her community after being taken in as an apprentice for a healer, herbalist and midwife. But is this really a “wise woman” or a demonized witch? Author, Margaret Westlie leaves nothing to chance and whisks the reader away with her poetically detailed scenes. Westlie evokes the damp windswept moorland setting so effectively you can practically smell the rain from far away and trace the moss-covered granite rising upward out of the heather. Westlie’s main character, Annie, is a strong-willed 18-year-old who refuses to leave the wild beauty of the Isle of Skye and move with her family to Prince Edward Island because she is waiting for her betrothed, Alistair. And despite the warnings and rumours about him being somewhat of a “ladies man” she is blinded by her love, and dreams of his return. “The moor seemed dark and empty and the wind began to blow. Annie shivered in her sleep. “Alistair! Alistair! Where are you? She searched the rough moor over and over in her dream. If I could only go to our secret place, there I would find him, she thought.” Having nowhere to turn after her family leave for the New World, Annie moves in with Alistair’s mother, Belle, as an apprentice. Belle practices healing and midwifery, but the town folk fear Belle as a witch, and they warn Annie to stay away from this mysterious woman. But Annie, a teenager, is stubborn and also naive.
Are the town folk right or, is this just a miscarriage of justice? Annie has no choice. If she is to wait for her salvation – Alistair – then she must trust Belle. Under the watchful eye of Belle, Annie learns more than just the power of healing and the revelations of being a midwife.
She discovers the art of seeing into the future – a future daubed with blood. And there are some page-turning secrets to be revealed for these two star-crossed lovers, Annie and Alistair.
Westlie magically transports the reader with her detailed descriptions into the pages of the mystical mistiness of the Isle of Skye, and brings the eccentric charm of the characters to life. The characters are also a telling reflection of the era, when childbirth was the most dangerous time in a woman’s life, and no men were allowed in the chamber.
“It seems a lifetime ago.” Mary sighed again. “We’ve only been married eight years and I feel as if I’ve spent every one of them expecting. I’m old before my time.” Tears gathered in her eyes and she mopped at them with the hem of her apron. “I love my children, but I don’t need any more to love.” How much we have evolved since then with gender roles and health care. The author, Margaret Westlie is a graduate of the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing and of Dalhousie University in Halifax.
She draws on her family heritage, as well as her personal experiences to create compelling stories that engage her readers with real issues in women’s lives – marriage and childbirth.
Westlie’s novels are called Selkirk Stories to honour her ancestors that left Scotland in 1803, for the New World – Prince Edward Island. To learn more about the Charlottetown author, and her other Selkirk Stories visit: www.margaretwestlie.com