Christmas Silks: A Silk Trilogy Novella

A novella set in the world of Mary Jo Putney's Silk Series

Will a chivalrous military officer win the heart of a desperate lady on the run?

After years in the Indian Army, David Cameron is finally on his way home to Scotland, eager to see family and friends again over the winter holidays. As he nears the border, his trip is interrupted by a mad young woman who steals his horse and flees into a blizzard.

Desperate to escape her enemies, Caitlin Wallace returns to her home and prepares to defend herself if necessary. When the handsome officer from the inn makes his way to her kitchen door in the midst of the storm, she isn't sure whether he's an enemy or an ally. His calm acceptance and ability to listen appeal to her as attraction flares between them. Then danger returns--and only if she and David stand together might they survive to build a future together…

Christmas Silks is a lovely extension to Putney's Silk Trilogy. I started Christmas Silks this morning. Thanksgiving morning. I took my Kindle with me to the feast. As soon as there was a break in the action, I whipped out the Kindle. Despite my best efforts, I didn't finish the novella until the wee hours of Black Friday. Though Christmas Silks can be read as exceptional Christmas novella, it will also be a treat for anyone who enjoyed Ms. Putney's Silk Trilogy. Christmas Silks gives even those who haven't read the original Trilogy a window on the past and an opportunity to meet the characters that had come before.

~Amazon reader Binniie Syril Braunstein

Satisfying return to the world of the Silk trilogy. I have reread the stories of the Silk trilogy too many times to count and can never make up my mind on which is my favorite. This is a grand addition to the tale. I always felt sorry for David as her returned to India and his men. No longer! Thank you mjp!

~Amazon reader D Rose

Adventures all around. Yes! Adventures and mysteries from a novel written by one of my favourite writers. The protagonists and the whole plot got my former love to adventure novels back again. It's worth reading more than once.

~Amazon reader Monica Beltrami-Carter

A quick read, full of feisty characters and action. I have read the prior stories and enjoyed them but that was years ago. No prior knowledge needed to enjoy this one.

~Amazon reader innerdragon

Books in Silk Trilogy

David came awake instantly at the sounds of shouting. Another instant to realize that he was in a British inn, not a rocky ambush in northern India. Recognizing the voice of Mr. Dawson, he rolled out of the bed, reaching for his clothes. A quieter voice, probably Mr. McKay, attempted to calm the uproar.

David dressed quickly and headed downstairs, hoping the mad girl hadn't killed herself. He'd always had a soft spot for vulnerable creatures, and poor desperate Caitlin Wallace was one of those.

"What's happened?" he asked in his officer's voice when he reached the inn's entryway.

"That damned mad girl has escaped!" Dawson snapped. "Are you sure you locked her up properly?"

"We did." David said firmly. "How did she get out of the pantry?"

"I'm not sure," the landlord said. "There were scratches on the lock and she took the manacles off and left them on the floor. Those locks were scratched also."

David gave a soft whistle as he realized that his right pocket felt lighter than it should. He checked and it was empty. "She grabbed hold of me before we put her in the pantry, and she seems to have stolen my pocket knife. She must have used that to free herself." Clever girl, he thought, but he didn't say it aloud.

"Then this is all your fault!" Mr. Dawson said, outraged.

Ignoring that, David asked, "Can she be hiding somewhere inside?"

Looking worried, Mr. McKay said, "No, she left the inn." He paused before adding uncomfortably, "She went to the stables and stole your horse, Captain."

David sucked in his breath. "Sahib is a fine horse but challenging to ride. Unless the girl is a very good rider, he'd have thrown her almost immediately."

Sally McKay had joined the group in the entry hall and she said quietly, "Miss Caitlin is a good rider, sir. Very, very good."

Hoping that was true, David ask, "Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

Sally and her father exchanged a glance. The landlord said worriedly, "She's likely heading for her uncle's estate, Braewood. 'Tis not a bad ride in decent weather, but trying to reach there in a storm like this would be madness."

"But she is mad! She may already be dead in a snowdrift!" Mrs. Dawson said piously. "Perhaps this is God's will. Catherine would have resisted the asylum and perhaps hurt herself or the attendants, so this may be for the best."

The woman could barely conceal how glad she was to be spared the trouble and cost of dealing with her troubled young cousin. A good thing David had been raised to never strike a female.

He also couldn't stand aside and allow a young woman to die if there was a chance to save her. "Sally, can you draw me a map of the way to her uncle's estate?" He turned to face her father. "Mr. McKay, do you had a good sturdy horse I can buy?"

Everyone around him gasped. "Captain, you mustn't!" the landlord exclaimed. He turned and opened the front door. A vicious blast of wind and snow surged inside, almost tearing the door from his hand. "Going out in this would be suicide!"

David looked into the storm, felt ice particles stinging his face, and remembered blizzards in the high mountain passes of northern India. Closing the door, he said, "I've seen worse."