Samantha’s Secret by Betty Bolté
Series: A More Perfect Union
Book #: 3
Bio for Betty
Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories
that feature strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter
whether the stories are set in the past or the present, she loves to include a
touch of the paranormal. Get to know her at www.bettybolte.com.
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Blurb
In 1782, the fight for independence becomes personal in the
port city Charles Town, South Carolina.
Midwife and healer, Samantha McAlester returns from the
front lines to find Charles Towne under British siege and the town's new doctor
at war with its citizens.
Dr. Trent Cunningham intends to build a hospital staffed
solely with educated doctors. What he doesn't need is a raven-haired charlatan
spooning out herbs and false promises to his patients, while tempting him at
every turn.
Then a mutual friend develops a mysterious infection. Trenton is stumped. Samantha suspects the cure but knows
treatment will expose her long-guarded secret, risking all she holds dear...
including Trenton.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Charles Town, South Carolina, 1782
“I must
say, I am glad this day is behind us and we can relax and enjoy the
festivities.” Samantha McAlester sighed, trying but failing to release the tension
building between her shoulders. As night descended upon the garden, she cringed
as barks of laughter interspersed the hum of the party guests’ conversation,
increasing in volume along with the flow of wine and ales. Before long, Trent
would arrive, and then what would she do? How could she tolerate his presence
after his disdain the last time?
“I find
it hard to fathom the danger you and Amy faced.” Emily Sullivan tugged her
shawl around her shoulders to ward off the late November chill and slowly shook
her head. She swiveled to look at Samantha, her long skirts rustling with the
movement. “If Benjamin hadn’t caught up with you, and then Walter hadn’t
stepped in to sacrifice his own life to save all of us, I don’t know what we’d
have done.”
“That’s
all in the past, Em. Do not dwell on the matter.” The horrifying sound of gun
shots around the manor house surely would echo in her mind in a similar manner
as to other shots and shouts she’d experienced over the past several years.
Walter had vowed to die defending his home, and he kept his word. Emily’s
cousin, Evelyn, had lost her husband but gained her freedom from his
overbearing nature. “No good can come from reliving this morning’s adventure.
Let us close the book on those events.”
Emily
shrugged and let her gaze drift over the garden before focusing on the
dark-haired couple strolling away. “You’re probably right, but it’s hard to
ignore the sobs from poor Evelyn up in your spare room. Besides, planning a
double wedding with such sadness hanging in the air might be considered
disrespectful. What do you think?”
“I
think you and Amy have the right to marry your betrotheds. And moreover, this
town needs the happy event after the terror and uncertainty we’ve endured under
the British occupation.” Standing beneath the peaked roof of the white-washed
gazebo, which was draped in dormant climbing rose vines, Samantha hesitated to
follow two of her closest friends as they made their way toward the cluster of
guests.
Emily’s
white teeth flashed as she chuckled. “I never thought I could be as happy as I
am in preparing to marry Frank.”
“The
idea of holding the wedding at the end of the holidays is brilliant.” Samantha
glanced at Emily, and couldn’t prevent a smile from easing onto her lips.
“Everyone will already be in a festive mood and gathered in town to be with
family and friends.”
Emily
bobbed her head and then indicated the pair moving away from them. “They appear
to be as besotted with each other as Frank and I.”
Amy
Abernathy and Benjamin Hanson ambled away from her, arm in arm down the crushed
seashell and pea gravel path toward tables laden with a variety of meats and
sweets. So much had happened over the past year, month, even day, she couldn’t
imagine what more awaited in the near future as the fight for America’s
independence from British rule ended in victory. One thing remained certain:
all the dueling and fighting, the anxiety and terror, her friends had endured
since the beginning of October had been relegated to the past. As the Britons
prepared to evacuate, she and her compatriots could all look to the future and
plan for a better world. Mostly, in the event. Her heart sunk at the thought of
Trent’s imminent arrival.
From
where Samantha stood at the very back corner of the property, she could see
over the heads of her guests as they wandered through the unusually large and
diverse garden. Winding paths crisscrossed the area, providing easy access to
the variety of flowers, vegetable and herbal plants, and bushes. Several tall
oaks and cypress lent shade in the summer heat as well as ingredients for her
simples and poultices. She drew in a deep breath of crisp fall air along with
the sense of peace only this space evoked. As long as her parents owned the
sizeable property, she’d be content with life.
They’d
spent years designing and creating the perfect medicinal garden, containing
every kind of beneficial plant that would grow in the hot and humid southern
climate. Surely they’d never move. Not after all their hard work and expense.
But with the tensions in town targeted at those who sympathized with the
British, the future for her family remained unclear, like the harbor on a foggy
morning. What if they were forced out by the British? Or someone else? The
South Carolina government had initiated a list of known loyalists whose
property was subject to confiscation as the British withdrew. Had her father’s
loyalties become too flagrant in recent months? Unease fluttered in her
stomach, and she pressed a hand to her waist, trying to quell the turmoil
within. What would she do without her lovely garden and charming home? Indeed,
without her loving yet stubborn parents?
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Thanks Betty for sharing,
Tina
Thanks Betty for sharing,
Tina
1 comment:
Thanks for letting me visit, Tina!
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