Guest Post: Fraying Skeins (Silver Sampler #3) by Nancy Jardine
Book details:
Book Title: Fraying Skeins
Series: Silver Sampler Series - Book 3
Author Name: Nancy Jardine
Publication Date: 29 August 2026
Publisher: Nancy Jardine with Ocelot Press
Pages: 153
Genre: Historical Saga / Women’s Fiction / Historical Fiction / Scottish Saga
@nansjar23.bsky.social @cathiedunn.bsky.social
@NancyJardinewrites @thecoffeepotbookclub
@nansjar2023 @yardereviews @thecoffeepotbookclub
#TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour #ScottishSaga #Victorian #Scotland #ReaderReach #YardeBookPromotions
Escape In Paradise Evasion
1870 Scotland
Fleeing from Peterhead, Margaret Law makes Aberdeen her refuge. Menial jobs keep her and her toddler son fed– till an unusual tutoring task boosts her finances, and self-worth. Letters to best friend Jessie contain the absolute truth, especially when Johnny Fraser re-enters her life. Is he the man for Margaret to grow old with? When better employment emerges in St. Andrews, Margaret is torn. Will the move mean losing Johnny?
When Johnny follows Margaret to St. Andrews, their life together is idyllic. But when menacing secrets unfold, will Johnny’s past indiscretions be their undoing? Will he lose the cherished family he is establishing with Margaret?
Bookshop.org | StoryGraph | Goodreads | Smashbomb | BookBub
available in #KindleUnlimited
"Jardine has once again brought nineteenth-century Scotland vividly to life while keeping Margaret and the people around her firmly at the heart of the story. Watching the determined little girl I first met in Novice Threads grow into this resourceful and courageous woman has been immensely rewarding, and there are more than enough intriguing threads left to make me eager to continue Margaret’s journey in the next instalment."
Letter from Margaret
Fleming Place,
St. Andrews
Scotland
Early June 1872
Dear Archaeolibrarian,
I’m so very pleased to be corresponding with someone who, I believe, loves books as much as I do. I don’t always have the time to read, everyday living often snatching away precious reading moments. Yet, I always feel that I’ve not really lived a day properly if I’ve not set my eyes on some form of reading.
Sometimes the best I can do is re-read a days-old newspaper, if I have my young audience beside me at the table, but newspaper advertisements are better than nothing and can be highly entertaining! I’m delighted that my young sons love me reading to them, even though they are too young to understand the content. I only own a few books myself: my precious collection of the work of Charles Dickens bought primarily from Pawn shops – a trick I learned when I lived in Dundee years ago. Pawn shops are often left with unclaimed items and happily, for me, special editions rarely get reclaimed when money is tight. The books which adorn the lowest shelf of the kitchen dresser belong to my sons, most bought second-hand since, that way, I can afford more for Jamie to learn to read with. His current favourite is his Rhymes and Poems which has superb illustrations that he adores.
Jamie, my eldest son, is five years old and thirsts for words exactly like I did at his age. He doggedly tries again and again till he deciphers something that’s challenging him. My husband Johnny is so taken with the fact that Jamie has been enrolled at Madras College, in St. Andrews, Scotland. Johnny is so chuffed that his step-son attends school there, even though I’ve told Johnny numerous times that Jamie isn’t an upper-class boarder at the College, but is taught in a different building which houses the local parish children. Johnny just laughs off reality because he has as much pride in Jamie’s progress as I do.
When it’s the bedtime reading session, I often make a story up to suit the happenings of the day and I’m so blessed that Jamie is now making up oral stories for little David when they are playing with their toys.
I’m not sure if you already know that when I went to live in Aberdeen, a couple of years ago, I gave my pride a good talking to and accepted a temporary job as a housemaid. At that point, I couldn’t get any sewing work, at which I’m unashamedly skilled. And neither was I able to get a tutoring job, since I have no certificate to prove I was a private tutor for years in Edinburgh when I was a young woman. It’s galling to know that private tutor hire is mainly gained by men who acquire accreditation easily, and similarly it is the same for tailoring work. I became skilled at various tailoring tasks when working for my father-in-law in Peterhead (my first husband Sandy’s father) but…that ghastly William Watson would never dream of giving a woman any sort of certification!
Serendipity is a fine thing though, because I was a housemaid at a boarding house for students at Marischal College, a constituent part of Aberdeen University. It comes naturally to me to be civil to people, even when sweeping a hall floor that needed to be walked across to exit the building, and I found myself helping some students with their weekly submissions to their professors. My initial help, given freely, turned into paid tutoring when the professors learned I was successfully assisting their students to organise and present their material in a more structural and effective manner. The money earned for my official tutoring supplemented the sewing work that I gradually managed to acquire.
However, you can see from the address above that I moved from Aberdeen to the university town of St. Andrews where I acquired proper tutoring work. I love teaching Clara Berrige every weekday. She’s a young woman of amazing energy and educational accomplishment, at only fourteen.
What I’ve not yet mentioned is how fate also played a part in me now living with the most wonderful man. When I first met Johnny Fraser in Dundee years ago, I was drawn as much to Johnny as I was to Sandy, who became my first husband. By the time Johnny re-entered my life, after I became widowed, Johnny had lost none of his initial charm. My life with Johnny, here in St. Andrews, is the most idyllic I’ve ever known. Though Johnny is nine years younger than I am, the age difference doesn’t matter one whit. He is the most caring father to both of my sons; the best lover I could ever have; and he’s not shy about taking on household tasks that many a man would balk at. I am so lucky!
Johnny has constantly told me that we can live on his respectable tailoring wage alone but he knows how much pleasure I get from teaching Clara, and I keep my paid sewing work to manageable levels. My best friend Jessie, who lives in Glasgow, says I’m far too independent, but it’s a matter of pride that I can make sufficient contributions to our expenses. I never neglect my two sons, and I believe that I am the best-fulfilledwife that Johnny could ever have.
Since I am trying to give you a realistic image of my life, the only negative thing to add is that, for some time now, I have suspected that Johnny is keeping something back from me. I am convinced that he hasn’t fallen out of love with me. And he adores our children. It’s something to do with Kirriemuir, the town he was born and brought up in. He won’t go to visit the Farquharson family who sheltered him from the age of twelve, and whom he regards as the close-to-blood relatives he never had. His reluctance to introduce me to them is a huge worry, since he’s a naturally open and forthcoming person.
I look forward to telling you a happy resolution to Johnny’s worries in my next letter to you.
Till then, take care.
Yours very sincerely,
Margaret
These images (1843 -1847) are of the very earliest type of photographs, photographed by David Octavious Hill and Robert Adamson, artists who lived and worked in Edinburgh who were early photographers in Scotland.
This one above is a more recent photo of Madras College.
The above is Marischal College Aberdeen in Margart’s time of approx. 1870
This is how it looks today with the frontage and changes added in the early 1900s.
Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research gobbles up lots of time but it’s a delight, and never a chore. Her garden wouldn’t win any prizes but tending it is a great way to unwind and gives her some lovely plants to post on Instagram!
When not creating her novels, or promoting her writing, she loves to interact with readers at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. Recently she’s taken part in author panels at Book Festivals.
Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Society of Authors; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland; Romantic Novelists’ Association; and 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/
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/nanjar/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nansjar2023
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nancy-Jardine/author/B005IDBIYG/
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you so much for hosting Nancy Jardine on your lovely blog, and with such a unique guest article from the heroine of her enthralling new novel, Fraying Skeins. We greatly appreciate it. Take care, Cathie xx The Coffee Pot Book Club