Not married; sold.
The reality of the situation bore down on her. The constable had said this was
a legally binding marriage certificate. But the receipt didn’t say that anywhere.
It said she was simply purchased goods. Just like the sacks of flour and beans
in the back of the wagon.
Elaine Dodge joins us today from South Africa to share a bit about her historical romance novel, Harcourt's Mountain, which is set in 1867 British Columbia. Please join me in welcoming her to Books & Benches! Scroll down to the end for a giveaway and flash fiction by the author.
Harcourt's Mountain
Spring, 1867
The western frontier of British Columbia hardly seems a likely place
for romance. Filthy, terrified and confused, Hope Booker is waiting to
be sold off the ‘bride’ ship. Luke Harcourt happens upon the sale. It’s
not love at first sight, but he feels compelled to save her from a life
of slavery and prostitution. To allay her fears of being raped by him,
Luke promises never to touch her. Being a man of his word, this is a
pledge he quickly finds almost impossible to keep.
Battling their growing attraction to each other, they must learn to
live together in the forests of the wild and almost unexplored
mountains. They face white water, Indians, wolves, as well as a
dangerous man from Hope’s past.
No longer able to deny their feelings, their ‘happy-ever-after’ is
shattered when a corrupt land baron forces Luke’s hand. Enraged at the
man’s actions, Luke rides into town—and disappears.
Alone and pregnant, Hope faces the prospect of the worst winter in
ten years. The trauma of fighting off a hungry grizzly brings on labor,
but the baby is stuck. Luke meanwhile wakes up on a ship bound for South
America, captained by a revengeful sadist who plans to murder him.
Luke’s chances of survival are slim. Can he stay alive and make it back
to Hope in time?
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Heat Rating: Level 2 - Sensual
(kissing and at least one sexual encounter – there but not described in detail)
Excerpt from Harcourt's Mountain
At the top was
the date, 1st March, 1867, and the three signatures. There was his name—Luke
Harcourt. It was an educated hand. That was a small measure of comfort. At
least she hadn’t been married to a complete barbarian.
Not married; sold.
The reality of the situation bore down on her. The constable had said this was
a legally binding marriage certificate. But the receipt didn’t say that anywhere.
It said she was simply purchased goods. Just like the sacks of flour and beans
in the back of the wagon.
What did the man who’d bought her think? This
Luke Harcourt? Did he see her as a wife or purchased goods? Was he expecting
her to be a wife in the fullest sense of the word? She blushed even thinking
about it. What would she do if he did? They weren’t married, not really. Being
his “wife” would make her his mistress. His whore.
She took a deep breath and decided she would
worry about that only if, or when, she had to. Maybe he just wanted a
housekeeper. It was a small measure of comfort and she didn’t put much faith in
it, but she clung to it all the same.
He’d been gone about ten minutes when a white
haired, plump, Chinese lady flew out the door and rushed over to Hope. She
grabbed Hope’s hands and tugged at her, all the time chattering away. Hope
didn’t understand a word.
An elderly Chinese man, clearly the lady’s
husband, hurried out of the shop behind her. He tried to get the old lady to
let Hope’s hands go but she refused. His eyes twinkled with affection when he
turned to Hope. “Please, you will have to come inside. My wife will not be
denied.”
Hope climbed from the wagon and allowed
herself to be whisked into a new and unexpected world. The immense structure
was filled with large wooden vats of boiling water. Clothes were either lying
in large, dirty piles beside them, being stirred around inside, or being pulled
out and hung up over lines that criss-crossed the shop in a bewildering fashion.
Felt-shod Chinese in plain dark blue suits bustled around. In one section of
the store some young women ironed the clean clothes.
Were all these people related? At the back of
the warehouse, large fireplaces held large kettles of boiling water. The heat inside
the building was enormous, steam rising from all the vats in great clouds.
Perspiration ran down her face and back,
making her feel more uncomfortable than ever. She wiped it off her forehead
with the back of one hand. The old lady still had hold of her other one,
patting it and chattering away.
A young woman came up and spoke to the old
lady who looked sharply at Hope. She nodded to the young woman. They both
fingered Hope’s dress, shaking their heads. Could this be more humiliating?
They took hold of her arms and hustled her up
a set of stairs. Hope was alarmed. What did they want?
Giveaway
An e-book edition of Harcourt’s Mountain to the
first person who can tell me the name of one of the men who ran the bride ships
in real-life. Post the answer on my Facebook page with the heading MK McClintock Guest
Blog competition.
Meet Elaine Dodge
I was born in Zambia, grew up in Zimbabwe and am currently
living in South Africa. I say currently because I did my first round-the-world
trip when I was four years old. So who knows where I'll end up! I trained as a
designer and worked in that field for a number of years, even running my own
company. A long stint in advertising followed. In the last few years I've
been toiling away in the TV industry, winning an odd international award.
Writing was an aspect of each part of my career. But I realised this
wasn't enough. I love "telling stories". I'm passionate about it, so
in November 2011 I decided to "wrestle the Rottweiler" and put those
stories on paper. I feel most alive when I'm writing and delight in letting my
imagination run riot.
My first book, Harcourt's Mountain signed by Tirgearr Publishing, was launched 15 August 2013. The
reviews have been marvellous! Mostly five stars. It's so exciting! I have been
featured as a guest blogger on other authors' sites, have done a radio interview about the book. AND Harcourt's Mountain was
nominated for the 2014 RONE Awards!
Right now, I'm in the throes of editing my second novel, The Device Hunter, which is an
altogether different animal to Harcourt's Mountain, both in genre and temperament! I am also plotting
out and have begun my third novel The
Raging of Christopher Sly, which is completely different to
either of the other two.
Because so many readers have asked for it I've also begun the plotting for a
sequel to Harcourt's Mountain.
Flash Fiction by Elaine Dodge
"I Lie for A Reason"
