Yesterday we met Julian, today we meet Tamlyn. Read on…

Name:  Lady Tamlyn MacShane, Countess of Glenrogha, a smallholding in Scotland in the year of 1296.

Occupation:  I am countess of a Scottish fief in the valley of Glen Shane.  I rule here through an ancient charter of the Picts of Scotland, one of the Auld Races of Alba.

Zodiac sign:  Leo, I was born on Lughnasadh (August 1).

Tell us about yourself.  Where were you raised?  What’s your family like?  Where do you live?

I live in Glenrogha, a very rich Scottish holding.  I have two sisters, Rowenna and Raven, two years older.  They are twins.  Rowenna controls the fortress of Lochshane, which she inherited from my aunt.  Raven controls the fortress of Kinloch, inherited from another aunt.  Glenrogha came to me when I was but ten and five from my lady mother.  My Father is Earl of Kinmarch, a vast holding in the valley beyond.  He is my overlord, but I rule my holding.  The women of Clan Ogilvie―my mother was Deporadh Ogilvie―hold lands and titles in their own right.

What are your short and long-term goals?  What do you want out of life?

To see my people are safe and protected in these times of troubles.  War with the warrior-king, Edward Longshanks, is pending.  My lord father foolishly plays pale games of politics, hoping to see Scotland is free from Edward’s control.  I fear he blinds himself to how badly this can backfire.  If it does, then it shall put my holding at risk, as well as those of my lady sisters, and also my cousin, Aithinne Ogilvie, Baroness of Coinnleir Wood in Glen Eallach.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

When the vile Sir Dirk―a knight under the command of the mighty Black Dragon, Lord Julian Challon―ripped the front of my blouse before other men.  Fortunately, Challon rescued me.

Biggest regret?

That Julian Challon had not come to Glen Shane months before when,  When we could have met without him coming unto my lands as a conqueror.

Ever been convicted of a crime?

No.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I would love to meet my husband’s younger brother.  He died two years before.  Because I am a witch, I have walked in my husband’s mind and seen the horrors he has suffered.  This young man, so like by beautiful husband, was too young to die.

Are you single?  Married?  Looking? 

I am now married to the Earl Challon.  I would have preferred he came to ask for my hand by his own choosing, instead of being commanded to marry me by his English king.  Julian is everything I could want in a husband, but can be quite vexing to deal with.  Arrogant, willful men are troublesome, are they not?

What’s your ideal mate like? 

Challon.  He is handsome, strong.  Men step aside when he passes.  He is respected.  He is feared.  But there is gentleness in him aching to get out.  I can heal his troubled soul…if he permits me.  I love him.

Tell us a secret.  What’s something others might not know about you?

There are not many secrets kept in a fortress.  There is very little privacy.  I am an open person, with little to hide.  Though I worry how my Christian husband will accept the pagan ways of my people.

Do you have a nickname?

Nickname?  A pet name?  Nay, I am called Tamlyn.  It’s the feminine for Tamlin, a form of Thomas.  I am Lady Tamlyn or Lady Glenrogha, but Scots are not big on pretensions so mostly they call me Tamlyn MacShane or Tamlyn of Glenrogha.

Any pet peeves?

I perceive you to mean things that upset me?  Husbands who think they know best.  Husbands who think they can boss you around.  Kings who command you to marry without a by your leave.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?

I would control my temper better.  I am known for acting when my emotions are hot, not thinking before I do things.  I would be more like my sister, Raven, who is very skilled in controlling her feelings.

Any pets?

I have a horse, a grey dapple, named Bansidhe.  My husband gave me a black palfrey, name of Goblin, for a bride’s gift.

How about allergies?

Again, the word is not kenned to me, but my witch’s abilities let me see you mean objects that cause problems to my body.  I do not like poison oak.  It makes me break out.  I also have to be careful cutting juniper berries.  The oil from the berries will give me a rash.

Do you support any charities?

My husband is a very rich man.  I am rich.  Being an heiress of Clan Ogilvie, it’s my duty to see all are cared for within my clan.  The clan takes care of their own.  My lord husband and I will see all within Glen Shane are safe, have food and are protected.

Is the glass half-full or half empty?

Life is good.  There are adversities, true.  With Challon at my side the glass if half-full–and then some.