Mishap Marriage. Helen Dickson

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       It was an intense moment for Shona. Her breath caught sharply in her throat.

      Suddenly he seemed enormous and very near.

      ‘Had I agreed to wed you, Shona, you would have had to accept my attentions.’

      When she did not move away he lowered his head, his face close and threatening.

      ‘Shall I show you what you could expect?’

      ‘I'd rather you didn't,’ she said breathlessly.

      His suggestive tone made her uncomfortably aware of the raw sensuality emanating from his long muscular frame, outlined in the closely fitted breeches and white shirt. A muscle throbbed in his neck where his shirt was open. A shudder ran through her as his gaze moved over her face, lingering on her soft full lips before dropping to make a leisurely study of the thrusting curves of her breasts beneath the clinging fabric of her petticoat.

      She was unable to move away as his fingers gently brushed the droplets of water away from her cheek.

      Running his hands up her arms, quietly he said, ‘Come, now. A kiss is all I want.’

      Shona turned liquid inside at the meaning she read into his words.

      AUTHOR NOTE

      Today the Caribbean, dotted with myriad islands, offers many blissfully unique experiences for the most discerning traveller. But things were very different in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when pirates infested the seas. This made me wonder what it would have been like for a European girl born into a powerful family who had chosen to make a Caribbean island their home. The island of Santamaria, which appears in MISHAP MARRIAGE, is my own creation.

      Shona McKenzie, who had lived all her life on Santamaria until she was sent to England to be educated, is adventurous, full of life and not afraid of making daring decisions. Her upbringing has given her a resilience that is equal to that of Carmelita, her Spanish sister-in-law, who, yearning to reign supreme over house and island, and jealous of Shona's long-standing influence, wants rid of her. Resentful of her sister-in-law, Shona cannot call upon her brother, Carmelita's doting husband, for support, so she must make her own way or be forced into a marriage not of her choosing—which is why she selects the powerful and devastatingly handsome shipping magnate Zachariah Fitzgerald for a husband when he weighs anchor in Santamaria's harbour.

      Zachariah is instantly attracted to Shona, but he isn't looking for a wife. Compromised and coldly sacrificed, Shona is an innocent victim in the hands of her sister-in-law, who employs cunning and duplicity to get her off the island. Shona's brother insists Zachariah marries his ruined sister. Zachariah refuses. Each resorts to dishonest practices in order to find a resourceful solution to a difficult situation.

      This provides the basis for the emotional conflicts that my protagonists must resolve when Shona, bent on revenge after Zachariah cruelly deserts her on their wedding night, follows him to London.

      Read on and enjoy.

      Mishap

      Marriage

      Helen Dickson