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A strange thing happened while writing this novel!
Friends, when first beginning The Sugar Baron’s Governess, my precious husband booked a week for us in a condo at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This was to help me concentrate on my plot storming—without the “do me” call of our vacuum, washing machine, or phone calls at home. Of course, he likes to fish from a pier while I’m writing.
The first morning I sat at the dining
table overlooking the Atlantic, with my laptop. Busy researching Jamaica, and
especially the historic Maroon settlement of warriors and escaped slaves in the
mountains that might play a part in my story, I stopped to pray. I asked the Lord to
help me get a good start on this fourth novel in my series. Should I even be
including the fierce Maroons in my plot?
A knock came at the door. I had opted for no
cleaning service, so I was surprised to be interrupted. When I answered it, a pleasant
black male employee asked if we needed any cleaning done or fresh linens. I
almost gave him a short answer, wanting to get back to my laptop, but my ear
discerned a British accent. Here’s our amazing conversation:
“Where are you from?” I asked him.
“Jamaica.”
Surprised, I
opened the door and invited him in. “That’s most interesting. I’m writing
a novel set in Jamaica.”
His dark eyes widened. “You are?”
“Yes,
in fact,” I gestured to my laptop, “I’m right now researching a group of warriors
in historic Jamaica, called the Maroons. Know anything about them?”
His
mouth fell open. “I’m a descendant of the Maroons.”
She needs a new start. He knows a reckoning is coming.
Banished from Charleston for his misdeeds years earlier, Joshua Becket built a new life on both sides of the law in Jamaica. As sugar plantation owner and member of the governing British Assembly, he’s known and respected on the island. But he guards a secret identity. As swashbuckling Captain Jay, he leads daredevil privateering exploits on his ship, the Eagle, when the mood suits him. Currently, he needs a governess for his young daughter whose mother has passed.
Widowed gentlewoman Abigail Welch accepted the governess position, leaving behind her disintegrated life in Charleston. This new start in Jamaica might finally help her find healing for her broken heart after losing her husband in the Revolution and their infant son to yellow fever.
Joshua’s precocious, undisciplined daughter is the drawing card that brings him and Abigail together like clashing cymbals of disagreement...and fiery attraction. Can love and the miracle power of God give them a new beginning and a happily ever after?
Joshua Becket in his dual role as Jamaican sugar planter.
Joshua's Rockford Plantation Great House in Jamaica as I imagined it.
This is actually Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. There is a story, a legend connected to this house, often told by the Jamaican people to their children and to anyone who will listen. It's a story of intrigue, murder, romance and betrayal. It's the tale of former owner, Annie Palmer, who became known as the White Witch of Rose Hall. You can find the story by googling that title.
I hope you're enjoying the continued summer fruits--watermelon, peaches, and tomatoes, like we are here in South Carolina. Are you also finding an opportunity to hike in the cool mountains? Below, my hubby and I are hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg.
Blessings,
Elva
Elva Cobb Martin is a retired school teacher, a mother,
and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband and high school
sweetheart, Dwayne. She grew up on a farm in South Carolina and spends many
vacations on the Carolina Coast. Her southern roots run deep.
A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting love stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement. She always pauses for historic houses, gardens, chocolate, and babies of any kind.
