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

      

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

       HELEN DICKSON was born and lives in South Yorkshire, with her retired farm manager husband. Having moved out of the busy farmhouse where she raised their two sons, she has more time to indulge in her favourite pastimes. She enjoys being outdoors, travelling, reading and music. An incurable romantic, she writes for pleasure. It was a love of history that drove her to writing historical fiction.

       Previous novels by Helen Dickson:

      THE DEFIANT DEBUTANTE

      And in Mills & Boon® Historical Undone! eBooks:

      ONE RECKLESS NIGHT

       Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Epilogue

      Chapter One

      1800

      There were few on the tiny island of Santamaria who did not raise their heads to the dull boom of the signal gun announcing the arrival of a vessel approaching its shores. The ship came out of the clouds, her sun-bleached sails gleaming white in the brightness of the day. The sound of the gun stirred the sailors and islanders out of their lethargy in the smoky whitewashed taverns and brothels of the small town to come to the quayside and watch as the immense merchant brig, studded with thirty-two cannon, was guided into the arms of the verdant cove to her goal.

      The number of curious onlookers increased as the ship sailed closer and waited as the sails were dropped and the vessel coasted to an easy berth at the pier in the deep harbour. Above the noise of the gulls cavorting overhead, the quartermaster could be heard barking orders to the men on deck as they played out ropes as thick as a sailor’s biceps and the gangplank thudded into place between ship and shore. The crowd of onlookers were quiet, and all focused on the captain, who was the first man to step ashore.

      ‘Dear Lord!’ John Singleton, the trusty first mate, remarked, squinting his eyes against the sun as they swept the crowd. ‘The reception committee is impressive, I’ll say that for Santamaria. After weeks of ship’s biscuit and salt meat, my stomach craves roast beef and obliging young beauties.’ He doffed his hat and grinned at a delicious creature at the forefront of the crowd, with caramel skin and a veil of smooth black hair that hung to her waist.

      The captain sent his

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