Blurb:
Etienne Blouin left Danielle de Cherbourg in tears,
promising to return; he didn’t. Ten years later, Etienne learns she’s been
widowed and left almost penniless. Now a wealthy ship’s captain, he offers to
help her, but the only reply he gets is from her aunt telling him to leave
Danielle alone. Convinced she’s in trouble, he determines to rescue her whether
she likes it or not, even if it means losing her love.
Danielle is shocked to learn that her companion is going to
the colonies, while she is to marry a cruel and powerful man as repayment of
her husband’s gambling debts.
Despondent, she sees no way out of the horrendous situation. When her
carriage is waylaid and she’s kidnapped, she fears the worse.
Etienne has enemies
who don’t want La Belle Rose to make port. Can he outfox them to save his ship
and the woman he loves?
The
Captain’s Promise is available in Kindle format through Amazon.
About the author:
Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She’s always been an
avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever
after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and
present, and soared into the future. Today, gets to spend her time writing, so
she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of
romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the
last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their
own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and
love.
Amazon
author page and Goodreads
author page
Excerpt:
Etienne
stood beside the Count de Cherbourg and watched Danielle as she finished the
movements of the dance. She was stunning! Gone was his child-shadow, the
redheaded hoyden who’d followed him around, climbed trees, and had gone fishing
with him. An angel stood in her place. Her deep blue gown shimmered in the
candlelight and gave her an ethereal look—the goddess Venus come to life
couldn’t have matched her beauty. She took his breath away. He was dismayed by
what he was about to do. The excitement he’d felt when he’d donned his new
uniform had vanished, replaced by a longing he hadn’t anticipated.
“My
daughter’s become a beautiful woman, hasn’t she?” The count smiled proudly.
“She
most certainly has.” Etienne stared at the girl approaching him. “I wasn’t
prepared to see my young friend changed this much.”
“You
know, Etienne, I think she’s expecting different news from you tonight. She’ll
be most distressed by your decision, but I understand your need to prove
yourself. I’d ask a favor of you.” His voice was solemn, far more severe than
the situation implied.
Etienne
tore his eyes away from Elle and wondered briefly what news she’d been
expecting, probably that he was back to stay. He looked up at the man who’d
been like a second father to him. “Whatever you want sir, if it’s in my power
to give it, consider it yours.”
The
count looked at him, smiled sadly, and sighed. “Life doesn’t always turn out
the way we hope it will. Promise me you’ll look out for her, that you’ll be
there when she needs you.”
Sobered
by the request, Etienne nodded and answered as honestly as he could. “It’d be
an honor to watch out for your daughter, sir, but you know my commission will
take me far from here. I’d never allow harm to come to Danielle, not if I could
help it. In as much as I’m able to do as you ask, you’ve got my word. ”
The
count nodded. “I can’t ask for more than that.”
Etienne
turned away to look at Danielle once more. As she approached, she smiled weakly
and held out her hands. He saw uncertainty on her face, an emotion he’d never
have attributed to her. She was the feisty, intrepid explorer who’d followed
him around like a faithful pup. Never had she shown fear.
“Etienne!”
she exclaimed. “I was afraid you might not make it. Look at you. Not a military
uniform—don’t tell me you’ve joined the King’s army!” She sounded horrified at
the prospect. Etienne smiled and took her hand, placing a small gift box in
it.
“Me?
Miss your sixteenth birthday? Never! Happy birthday, Elle.” He moved closer to
give her the traditional peck on each cheek. The brief contact of his lips on
her tender skin filled him with unexpected desire. He stepped back and
addressed her father, his voice low.
“Your
grace, with your permission, I’d like to take Elle out into the garden. It’s
quite warm in here, and I’d like to speak to her privately.”
“Of
course, I wish I could escape for a few moments myself… Here comes your mother,
Elle. Go, before she decides it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to be with Etienne
without a chaperone.”
The
air was cooler outside, but Etienne continued to perspire. His months of
training to become one of the King’s soldiers had sculpted his body and removed
every inch of unnecessary fat. He’d been so eager to boast to Danielle about
his new commission, and how he’d travel the world, and make something of
himself. Suddenly, he felt as if his dreams were coming to an end. How proud
he’d been of his new uniform, his gold lieutenant’s epaulettes decorating his
deep blue coat.
He’d
taken great pains with his appearance tonight, wanting to impress Elle with his
new responsibilities; he wanted her to be proud of him. Like the other young
officers in his regiment, he’d left his hair unpowdered, pulled into a queue,
secured with a white, silk ribbon, and had grown a beard that followed the edge
of his face, but exposed his mouth. The regiment required he keep his neck
shaved, and the moustache on his upper lip neatly trimmed. He raised his finger
to the tiny crescent scar below his left eye, the result of a swordsmanship
training accident, which he felt gave him a dash of mystery. Now, instead of
feeling proud of his appearance, he felt as if the white lace jabot at his neck
were a noose, threatening to choke him.
Where
had his sweet Danielle gone? When he’d last seen her, she’d been awkward, her
arms and legs too long for her young body. They’d been constant companions for
eight years; how could his tomboy friend have changed this much in so short a
time?
