A Kingdom of Dreams is a 1989 historical romance novel written by American author Judith McNaught

Judith McNaught

Judith McNaught is a bestselling author of over a dozen historical and contemporary romance novels, with 30 million copies of her works in print. She was also the first female executive producer at a CBS radio station...

. It is set during the time of the English invasion of Scotland

Wars of Scottish Independence

The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....

.

Plot summary

Jennifer Merrick is the feisty daughter of a Scottish laird. Royce Westmoreland, the "Black Wolf", is sent by the King of England to wage war against Scotland. When Royce's brother, Stefan Westmoreland, kidnaps Jennifer and her stepsister, Brenna, and brings them to Royce's camp, the lives of the two become intertwined. Royce and Jennifer must marry by order of the King of England and the King of Scotland after they consummate their keeper-prisoner relationship.

Forced to accept the marriage, Jennifer's family try to make the marriage fail by intending to sent her to become a nun in a convent

Convent

A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...

 after the wedding reception. Royce beats the family plan by kidnapping her first and takes her to his home. The King of England orders the two families to settle their score in a tournament

Tournament

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

 where Jennifer must choose which family her loyalty lies with.

Characters

• Jennifer Merrick – daughter of a Scottish laird, the Earl of Merrick. She is the Countess of Rockbourn through her mother who had died when she was born. Her features are described as a little peculiar as she has sapphire-blue eyes and flaming red-gold hair which Royce Westmoreland admires so much. She was banished to the Belkirk Abbey after she publicly challenged her stepbrother to a joust and beat him in a most peculiar way. She is described as being very compassionate yet hot-headed, strong, willful and stubborn person. In fact, she offered herself to the duke (Royce Westmoreland) in exchange for her stepsister Brenna's release.
• Royce Westmoreland – a powerful Earl, who then receives a dukedom, sent to Scotland. Well known as the Black Wolf, he possesses a pair of piercing gray eyes and dark hair. His very name strikes terror in the hearts of many. As the story develops, it is revealed that the Duke has been in a way rejected by his people. He notes that he was dubbed the Black Wolf by King Henry VII at Fort Bosworth because he had not eaten in days (for the rations were very poor) and his dark hair making him look like a hungry wolf. He also noted, after Jennifer Merrick slashed his face leaving a terrible scar, that 'tis fear of my legend that defeats my enemies before they raise their swords.' In truth, he is a good sort of person. He is far from being brutal for Jennifer Merrick once said that if she and Brenna had become someone else's captive they would not have been treated so well.
• Brenna Merrick – Jennifer's stepsister. also known As Jewel of Scotland. She is described as having blonde hair and hazel eyes. She is described as being very meek and submissive but not very witty or intelligent. She cares for Jennifer Merrick very much.
• Stefan Westmoreland – Royce's younger brother. The one who captured Jennifer along with Sir Eustace. He is depicted as looking a lot like his older brother, Royce Westmoreland, but he has blue eyes instead of gray. He falls for Brenna.
• Arik – He is one of Royce Westmoreland's personal guard. He is depicted as being as tall as a tree, having light blond hair and pale blue eyes and always carrying a battle-axe. He rarely speaks and when he does, he only speaks in monosyllables. Royce Westmoreland says on more than one occasion that Arik is his most loyal friend and guard.