"To Find You" Excerpt

Hi Friends:

It's been nearly five months since I last posted a blog and I apologize for my slacking. The good news is that I've been busy finishing and publishing my third novel, "To Find You", a historical fiction romance set in 1912.

Below is a very brief synopsis of the story (no spoilers!) and half of the first chapter for your enjoyment. I was inspired to write this novel after watching a documentary on Typhoid Mary, and the question popped into my head...what happened to the immigrant survivors of the Titanic who were coming to America and lost their spouse, the bread winner in the family? How did these people, brand new to America adjust and survive?  While Irish immigrant Brigid O'Brien, the heroine of this novel, was not aboard the Titanic, someone she dearly needed  was...and when he did not return to America, her life changed forever.

So, go grab a cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy this excerpt from "To Find You". I hope it gives you as much pleasure to read as it did for me to write. If interested in the rest of Brigid's journey, links to the novel (print book and e-books) follow. And, as always thanks for following my blog.  And now, without further ado:

Synopsis:

Brigid O’Brien is not in love with David Cavanaugh, but agrees to marry him and move to America to escape an arranged marriage in Ireland.

All hope of a bright future fades, however, when David perishes on the Titanic. With nowhere to turn, Brigid finds work as a kitchen maid in the stately mansion of millionaire Charles Ransom and his wife Eliza. Unfortunately, Charles and Eliza each have their own plans for the new maid.

Thomas Ashton is a medical student, studying in New York. Hearing of the Titanic disaster, and hoping to aid the survivors, he goes to Pier 54, but can’t reach the ship due to the crowds. It is there, however, that he meets the beautiful Irish immigrant, Brigid. Over the next few weeks, Thomas and Brigid become friends, and romance blossoms.

Enter Charles Ransom who decides he’s waited long enough to put his ideas for Brigid into action. When Brigid inexplicably goes missing, Thomas teams up with Eliza Ransom, and together they search for Brigid and a missing child.

Set in the spring and summer of 1912, “To Find You” is a historical fiction novel and a mystery. Most of all, it is the tale of romance between a man and a woman, and a story about the never-ending love between a mother and child.

To Find You

Chapter One

Brigid Mary O’Brien noted the date - April 18th, 1912 - and tried not to cry. Today should have been her wedding to David Cavanaugh. But instead of standing before a New York City justice of the peace, she stood on Pier 54 in the cold and drizzle, while David’s sister, Clara, clenched her arm in a vise-like grip.

Not that Brigid could blame Clara, nor think to ask her to let go, even though she was fairly certain her arm would be bruised within hours. That didn’t matter. None of it did anymore. Not the wedding, not the weather, not even the homesickness in Brigid’s heart for her beloved County Donegal. The only thing that mattered now was seeing David Cavanaugh walk off the Carpathia and home to safety.

Deep in her heart, however, Brigid knew the chances of David surviving the sinking of the Titanic were slim. The latest reports on the ship’s disaster said that only seven hundred people or so had been saved, mostly women and children. Thousands perished in the early morning hours of April 15th when Titanic sank, and Brigid prayed that David was not one of them. But, given the thousands of people on and near the pier, each waiting for a relative or friend as she and Clara did, Brigid knew odds were against them.

“Here they come!” A man a few rows ahead shouted and pointed at the Carpathia now docked against the pier. Brigid lifted her eyes from the rosary she held between her chilled fingers. The gigantic ship stood magnificent, illuminated by the many powder flashes from photographers who perched aboard a trailing tugboat.

Passengers crammed the Carpathia’s deck. Brigid’s heart wrenched as a gangplank lowered and they began to disembark. The crowd strained and stretched in hope of finding a loved one.

Brigid said a silent prayer that David was among the passengers. Beside her, Clara stifled a sob. Brigid patted Clara’s hand, but remained silent, for what words would comfort this woman who most likely lost a brother? She was also afraid that if she tried to help Clara, her own emotion would boil up and erupt, and she might say something to upset Clara further. For, should David be dead, not only would Brigid not marry, but she’d be dependent on Clara’s kindness and generosity to help her adjust to this new country. She did not know a soul here, and she didn’t wish to be a burden, especially if Clara would be grieving. But without David, Brigid would be lost. He was her future. Her past was in County Donegal, to which she certainly could not return. Those bridges had been burned.

Brigid pushed the memories of home far into the recesses of her mind and returned her attention to the Carpathia.

“Those aren’t the Titanic survivors.” A baritone voice startled her from her thoughts. Brigid looked to her left. The voice belonged to a tall man with sun-streaked, light-brown hair, a tailored overcoat and dark bowler hat.

“No, I be supposin’ not,” Brigid answered.

“How do you know?” From somewhere behind Brigid, a woman spoke, her voice choked with accusatory anger and angst.

“They have luggage.” Brigid and the gentleman spoke in unison. They turned sad glances on each other, and their eyes locked. Brigid could not help but be drawn to the compassion the man’s brilliant light blue eyes conveyed. She didn’t even know him, yet his sympathetic expression seemed to say he understood what was in her heart at this moment. She forced her gaze back on the ship.

Brigid watched as more passengers descended. From what she could see, the original Carpathia passengers wore furs or stylish coats like the one David had bought her in England. He had wanted her to look smart when she sailed with Clara on their earlier voyage over on the Olympic. He had given her so much in the brief time she knew him, not only a fancy coat, hat and dresses, but his unwavering love. And she hoped that one day, she’d return that love with her own. In time she’d fall in love with David Cavanaugh and repay him for helping her escape a marriage to a man of her parents’ choice. But perhaps now, it was too late. If David had perished, he did so believing she loved him. She had truly wanted to.

As the last of the original Carpathia passengers left the ship, Brigid felt her toes begin to numb in her new, tight-fitting button shoes. Her stomach growled with hunger.

“Here come the Titanic survivors,” said the man beside her. She nodded in acknowledgement as her throat clenched tight and her eyes welled. Many bedraggled looking women and children, and too few men, left the ship. They carried no luggage and wore makeshift clothing, most likely borrowed from Carpathia’s passengers.

The crowd around Brigid wailed and sobbed as each survivor descended the gangplank. Waiting officers escorted the weary travelers to a nearby building.

“I don’t see David.” Clara spoke softly, her grip on Brigid’s arm loosening.

“I don’t either.” Brigid blinked back tears. She could barely see the faces of the survivors, but it was heartbreakingly easy to discern that none were David. They didn’t fit his height or form. He had been, or was, Brigid corrected herself, unusually tall.

“Where will they go if they have no family here?” asked woman in the crowd.

Brigid wondered the same thing and praised the saints above that she, at least, had Clara.

“Well, if they have no family or friends in America to greet them, The Travelers’ Aid Society of New York, the Women’s Relief Committee and other organizations are on hand to provide clothing and transportation to shelters.” Again, the answer came from the man at her side. She looked at him again.

“How do you know all this?” she asked.

“I’m a medical man.” He offered a kind smile. “Came to the pier to help out, but with this crowd, I can’t get near the building or ship to offer my assistance.” He turned his mesmerizing blue eyes on Brigid, and his voice softened. “Did you have someone on the Titanic?”

She glanced at the Carpathia and found she could not answer. She simply nodded as her tears began to fall, for David’s fate now revealed itself on the ship’s empty deck. The crowd around her thinned; the sounds of their heart wrenching sobs would haunt her forever.

She felt Clara let go of her arm, and Brigid hastily wiped her own tears. She must help Clara now. Whereas she had lost a future, Clara had lost a brother. And, with a most deserved rush of horrendous guilt, Brigid knew Clara’s grief would be the greater.

She turned to offer Clara comfort, but to Brigid’s horror, Clara slumped to a sitting position on the ground, ready to topple over.

“Clara!” Brigid stooped to catch her, but her slight frame could barely manage to keep the taller woman righted. The gentleman at Brigid’s side rushed to help. He knelt beside Clara, held her upright, and gently patted her cheek to keep her from fainting full on.

Brigid knelt beside her as well and rubbed Clara’s arms to keep her warm.

Brigid was relieved to find her friend conscious. “Don’t worry, Clara. I’m here.”

David’s sister, who had treated her with nothing but kindness since they left England, slapped Brigid’s hands away. She glared as if Brigid herself killed David. And when Clara finally spoke, she spewed more malice and hatred than Brigid had ever heard in her twenty-three years.

“Get your filthy hands off me, you money-grubbing Irish whore!”
  ***************************************************************************

To Find You: Available in e-book form at:

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I20AR8A
Smashwords.com: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/399264

Print book available at Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/1494985624

Not available for the Nook yet, but stay tuned!