Aboard Providence (Uncharted Beginnings Book 1) by Keely Brooke Keith

Author:Keely Brooke Keith [Keith, Keely Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Romance, Women's Fiction, Victorian Era, 18th Century, Forever Love, Bachelor, Single Woman, Love Possibility, Frontier-Pioneer Era, Cowboy & Western Romance, Hearts Desire, American West, Clean & Wholesome, Christian Stories, Faith Based, Inspirational Reads, Love Inspired, Life-Changes, Second Chance Reunion, Honesty & Trust, Home & Family, Lifetime Love, Romantic Schemes, Love-Family & Forever, Action & Adventure, Small Town & Rural Area, Beautiful & Feisty, Uncharted Beginnings Series, Alternate-History Romance, Hidden Society, Transcends Time & Place, Intriguing Twists & Turns, Dual Timeline Story, Time Travel Romance, Futuristic Twist
Publisher: Edenbrooke Press
Published: 2017-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Jonah glanced up at the night sky as he paced the worn planks of the ship’s deck. Even the beauty and brilliance of the stars could not capture his anxious attention tonight. He had spent the afternoon trying to find an opportunity to speak to Marian, to explain himself, to regain her favor after Mr. Weathermon’s rude behavior toward her family, but he did not get the chance and, by nightfall, had worked himself into nauseating nervousness.

He swallowed the acid that arose from his stomach and drew his watch out of his trouser pocket. While he checked the timepiece, the gap between the hour and minute hands closed, both pointing to XII. Though midnight, he would still wait for her.

When he slipped the watch back into his pocket, he felt the edge of the letter he had received from his father calling him home from Philadelphia. He daily questioned his decision to leave the city. Maybe he should have responded to that letter by writing to his family, wishing them well, and staying at Penn. No, he could never have done that to his father.

Homesickness infected every fiber of his being, save for the ever-growing portion of his heart that beat for Marian. He wanted to go home and regretted ever leaving; he wanted to stay with Marian and regretted drawing attention to her family over her brother’s foolishness. If she held it against him, he would never forgive himself. He cracked his knuckles and looked back at the stairwell as the scuff of footsteps ascended from the bunk deck.

The starlight lit Marian’s hair as she walked toward him. He drew his hand from his pocket, striding forward. “You received my letter.”

Marian tucked her hair behind her ear as she met him on the deck. “I did. Sarah gave it to me after dinner, but I waited until my family was asleep to meet you.”

His fingertips burned to touch her, but he motioned to the ship’s stove instead. “Would you like a cup of tea? I could light the fire in the stove and put the kettle on for you.”

“No, thank you.”

“I suppose you enjoy preparing it yourself.”

She smiled, faintly. “I do but our rations are low, so I’m not making tea at night anymore.”

“I know how tea comforts you. I could prescribe an additional ration for you medicinally, if you like.” He hoped his attempt at humor was understood. When her smile grew, it relieved some of the ache in his heart. “Marian, I am sorry I drew attention to your brother’s behavior.”

She raised a hand. “Jonah, you’ve already apologized. The matter had to come out in the open.”

“But Mr. Weathermon spoke harshly to you and Benjamin both. I feel responsible for all of this. I’ve been so intent on getting back to medical school and getting you to say that you would go with me that I wasn’t prepared for what happened. I should be able to put my future plans aside and focus on helping the group get to land safely.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.