Excerpt: Tailored Truths (Silver Sampler #2) by Nancy Jardine
- Archaeolibrarian
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Book details:
Name: Nancy Jardine
Book Title: Tailored Truths
Series: Silver Sampler Series, Book 2
Publication Date: September 12th, 2025
Publisher: Nancy Jardine with Ocelot Press
Pages: 468
Genre: Historical Fiction; Family Saga; Women’s Fiction
Any Triggers: I don’t think so. (Deaths described but not murder.)
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Is self-supporting success enough for Margaret Law or will her future also include an adoring husband and children? She might secretly yearn for that though how can she avoid a repeat of relationship deceptions that disenchanted her so much during her teenage years?
Employment as a lady’s maid and then as a private tutor in Liverpool in the 1860s bring thrilling opportunities Margaret could never have envisaged. Though when those posts end, her educational aspirations must be shelved again. Reliance on her sewing skills is paramount for survival when she returns to Dundee.
Meeting Sandy Watson means love, marriage and starting a family - though not necessarily in that order – are a striking development though it entails a move north to Peterhead. Yet, how can Margaret shed her fear of commitment and her independence and take the plunge?
Jessie, her sister-at-heart, is settled in Glasgow. Frequent letters are a life-line between them but when it all goes horribly wrong the contents of Margaret’s correspondence don’t necessarily mirror her awful day-to-day realities.
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Making the best of a bad job
“Are ye ivver gaan tae feenish that waistcoat, Alexander Watson!” When William Watson was angry the whole street could hear, even though the shop door was shut. “If ye think Ah’m employin’ a wastrel, ye can think again!”
Margaret watched Sandy glare up at his father from his work stool, his eyes displaying more red than white around the light-grey centre.
“Ye dinna need tae bellow. It’s near done.”
William continued to glare at his youngest son. James, Margaret noticed, tensed up where he sat alongside his father but kept his head down and continued to sew.
William’s exasperation boiled over. “If a man can nae haud his drink then he should nae pit it past his lips!”
Jamie whimpered at the angry tones around him and held his arms aloft, seeking comfort and reassurance from Margaret. She put down her sewing before she bent down to lift him, knowing that the tranquil period of him playing with his small wooden ship was over.
Cradling him closely, she stepped through to the kitchen unable to bear the censure that was like strangling tentacles emanating from William.
She tried hard to think of all of the good things that had happened during the previous six months. Allowing Jamie to toddle around the furniture, she decided she could probably number those positive things on one hand.
For ages, after Willie’s talk to Sandy back at the end of March – after her husband had used most of their savings to pay off his gambling debts under duress – Sandy had been trying to change his behaviour. Cowed and thoroughly ashamed, he’d only occasionally gone out in the evenings. He never got drunk, though sometimes his portion of the wages were all gone by the Wednesday, or Thursday night. She knew he hadn’t managed to stop his gambling cravings but he had been trying to control them.
Since Margaret had put her foot down and told him he should stop bringing her expensive presents he couldn’t afford, he’d not brought her anything at all.
And when his father had dished out the weekly pay, Sandy had given her a little more than before to restore their savings.
She looked out the window. Bitter October gusts were whipping up the drying leaves that clustered in corners into tiny whirlwinds, even though there were neither trees nor bushes in the back yard.
More sighs escaped as she reached for her chattering son. He’d had a long enough break and she needed to get back to work. She pondered on what to give him to keep him occupied in the corner since he wasn’t nearly ready for a nap.
When the weather had been good Sandy had gone for many an evening stroll with her and Jamie who wasn’t yet walking during the early summer but had begun to crawl. A big patch of grass had kept their son busy for hours on end. Now, she was finding it a challenge to keep him busy while she got some sewing done.
Facing way from the open door to the shop, she took a deep breath. Making no sound she mouthed over Jamie’s shoulder, “Why is it all happening again?”
She really knew part of the answer but the rest was elusive. Her love didn’t seem enough for Sandy.
Doddie. Sandy’s friend Doddie, the man that Elspet didn’t approve of, was a large part of the problem. It hadn’t taken much for Margaret to learn at the market that Doddie had been jailed for six months for petty theft and had recently returned to Peterhead.
Before she turned around, she wiped the misery from her face and tried to adopt a bland expression.
“Time to get back to work, Jamie my lad!” She snuggled into Jamie’s neck, making him giggle. “Now what can we find for you to play with? Hmm?”
Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research, grandchildren, gardening fill up her day in the castle country of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, when not writing or promoting her writing. Interacting with readers is a joy at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. She enjoys giving author presentations on her books and on Ancient Roman Scotland.
Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers, Federation of Writers Scotland, Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with Ocelot Press.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.nancyjardine.com/
Twitter / X: https://x.com/nansjar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nansjar2023/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nansjar2023
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/nanjar/
Amazon Author Page: viewauthor.at/findmybookshere
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thanks so much for hosting Nancy Jardine today, with an enticing excerpt from her compelling novel, Tailored Truths.
Take care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you for featuring Tailored truths today. It's much appreciated.