Jennie is a young woman of reduced circumstances living in the era of the Napoleonic Wars. After her father dies the family is split up with young Jennie moving in with a wealthy Aunt in London, England. Aunt Higham is set on making a marrige match for her niece, feeling that is the only option for a woman. Jennie is scholastically minded and decides to run away. Before her plans are set she meets and marries a young soldier of good family, Nigel. Her new husband takes her to Scotland to be a factor on his half- brothers estate.
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Jennie is rather aghast at the living condition of the average Scottish peasant and wants to improve the lot of the tenants on her brother-in-laws estate. Her husbands family appears to go along with her, permiting her her ideas. In reality, the family plans to burn out the tenants and bring in Cheviot sheep. Jennie's husband keeps her in the dark about their plans by lying to Jennie. he plans to send her on a visit during the days he plans to remove the tenants.
Jennie returns to the estate unexpectedly. She finds her husband in the thick of the burning, hitting women and killing elderly people. Understandably devasted she loses all feelings for her husband. Jennie is friends with her Nigel's bastard born cousin and turns to him to try to help the displaced tenants.
Nigel finds Jennie and his cousin, Alick, talking together. He becomes enraged and strikes Alick with his whip. Alick hits Nigel and accidentally kills him. Terror-struck Archie heads for the hills. Jennie insists on going with him. They spend many days walking through the mountains, meeting outlaws and wild animals. An unspoken bond begins to develop between the pair of fugitives. They head for Fort William, where Alick plans on immigrating and Jennie plans on returning to her family. They discover it would be easier for Alick to go to America with a wife, so they pretend to be married to gain passage on a ship.
The story ends with Alick and Jennie sailing for America on the "Paul Revere"
The review of this Book prepared by Rachel Moffatt
