When he had gone, Michael put one arm about his young wife's shoulders, and drew her near. With the other hand he touched the growing swell of her womb, as if to caress the unborn life inside it. He looked at her with glowing eyes and said simply, truthfully. "Now the work really begins." For he knew that his mother had been right. The story never ends, it only changes characters. They stood at the end of one road, and the beginning of another, holding firmly to the roots of their past, sending hopeful and determined branches into the future. Anne Scott remained in her native Highlands and eventually remarried, living with her husband in a modest home near the place of her birth, until her death in 1776. She was buried in the gravesite of her clan, and on her tombstone, these words: "Those who have left something beautiful behind them never die. They live on in the hearts, the minds, the very souls of those who loved them." And on her grave a single, glorious rose. The End Acknowledgements The author would like to gratefully acknowledge the help of Dr. Daniel Szechi, Professor of History at Auburn University, who so unselfishly read, and made historical notations upon the entire work, without thought of acknowledgement or reward. While for artistic reasons I was not always able to correct the inaccuracies he pointed out, I am aware of them, and remain deeply grateful for his assistance in making the book as authentic as the needs of the storyteller would allow. About the Author Christopher Leadem was born in Arlington, Virginia in 1956, the second son of an Air Force Intelligence officer and a schoolteacher. Shortly after his birth, his father transferred to the Central Intelligence Agency, and the young family moved frequently, adding two daughters along the way. Leadem's primary education was in Catholic schools, where he earned the reputation of a gifted student. Attending public high school in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of James Michener, he displayed a talent for writing, and a love of history and science. At the age of fourteen, he saw a short film by Ray Bradbury about the life of a writer, which galvanized his desire to be an author himself. Burned out by a stifling high school environment, he did not immediately attend college, but launched headlong into his writing. This began with a spiritual novel, "In Search of the Evermore," until poor health and relative poverty left him injured and dispirited. After a difficult recovery he attended Penn State and the University of Colorado, excelling at English Literature. He resumed his writing career and completed his first novel, "Within a Crimson Circle," at the age of 22. He has since completed five other novels, five volumes of poetry and nine screenplays. Three other novels are in progress. He currently lives in Colorado with his three children. www.aragornbooks.com