When the earl her father has promised her to turns out to be an unspeakable cad, Ava Brunswick is not willing to become an abused and overlooked wife. Defending herself against the earl's despicable advances, she is forced to take drastic action and flee. Remaining in England is out of the question, and there's a ship headed for the Americas right there. The captain seems more inclined to ask questions than take her money and look the other way, but Ava is determined and soon the Stella Marie is casting off... and Ava is headed for a new life. The wealthy young woman who has just talked her way onto his ship is hiding something, and Edmund Hale doesn't like secrets. He's determined to ferret out Ava's... but he might just be falling for her in the process! READERS PLEASE This story was previously titled 'Eight Ships A'Sailing' and published as part of the 2020 anthology 'Twelve Rogues Of Christmas".
Author
I've been writing since I was 5 years old. I've always had to set it aside and try to concentrate on so-called 'real life' though. I've had a number of interesting careers - engineer, real estate sales agent, owner of an electrical goods store, silversmith - but finally the time has come for me to return to my first love. Writing. I've always loved the works of Jane Austen, so perhaps it's fitting that my first published work should be a variation on the much beloved Pride And Prejudice. Visit my website, www.catherinebilson.com, to read several free short fics in the Pride and Prejudice fandom, and to leave me comments on my work! I also write not-for-profit fanfiction set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if you'd like to read those free works please go to the Archive Of Our Own and search for the user handle ozhawk.
