The Dark Mile

Set during the 1745 Jacobite era, this is the third and final instalment of D. K. Broster’s trilogy. First published in 1929, The Dark Mile is the sequel to The Flight of the Heron (1925) and The Gleam in the North (1927), completing the picture of a close-knit community embroiled in a civil war.

At the centre of the story are the intersecting fortunes of two men, who at first glance seem almost complete opposites: Ewen Cameron, a young Highland laird in the service of the Prince, is dashing, sincere, and idealistic, while Major Keith Windham, a professional soldier in the opposing English army, is cynical, world-weary, and profoundly lonely. When a second-sighted Highlander tells Ewen that the flight of a heron will lead to five meetings with an Englishman who is fated both to do him a great service and to cause him great grief, Ewen refuses to believe it.

But as Bonnie Prince Charlie’s ill-fated campaign winds to its bitter end, the prophecy is proven true—and through many dangers and trials, Ewen and Keith find that they have one thing indisputably in common: both of them are willing to sacrifice everything for honour’s sake…

Adapted for BBC Radio in 1961, this is an unmissable read to complete your collection!