Bride to a Brigand

Author’s Note

Author’s NoteThe Pallikares were a legendary tribe of mercenaries, brigands and robbers from the Albanian mountains. They fought magnificently in the Greek War of Independence and when it was over the young handsome King Otho was appointed their Chief and General Xristodolous Hadjy-Petros as his aide-de-camp.

The Albanian Chief became the most talked of man at Court and women fawned on him. He was very tall, handsome, ferocious-looking and seductive, despite the fact that he was over sixty.

Dressed in the Albanian costume of crimson and gold embroideries, he and his followers bristled with pistols and daggers, which they never hesitated to use.

The General’s horses were bridled and saddled in gold and silver and his men swaggered about, wildly moustachioed and reeking of garlic. They wore great shaggy fur cloaks, which made some people think they looked like the mountain bears. But others compared them to wasps, owing to their unusual habit of tight lacing to give themselves incredibly small waists.

Ruthless, theatrical and romantic, the ladies of Athens lost their hearts and even the Queen had a tender regard for the General.

One of the spectacular tricks of the Pallikares was to shoot a pheasant at full gallop. Other tricks were more formidable, like swooping down from the mountains and snatching up a prize horse or a pretty woman and vanishing, leaving the owner with no idea of what had happened.

It was a life of hardship, adventure and exploration.