Starry Conquest

By Cornelia Amiri

Forbidden love...so strong...it spans the universe.

A comely milkmaid and a noble heir are fated for no love since theirs is forbidden. Ana cannot deny her feelings for Ramon, but she will not be his mistress.

 Unknown to each other, they embark on separate quests to Planet X to each start a new life.  Sparks fly when they cross paths there.

As the Spanish governor of Plant X searches for gold, the treasure Ramon seeks is Ana. He will stop at nothing to win her, except marriage. Class differences forbid it. 

Will the fate of these lovers remain star-crossed? Or can they cross out the rules of Spanish Society on Planet X? 

Download a copy of this red-hot, gripping Interplanetary Conquest of love today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cornelia Amiri
• Release date: Apr 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386465614

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Forbidden love so strong it spans the universe.

A comely milkmaid and a noble heir are fated for heartbreak since their love is forbidden. Unknown to each other, they embark on separate quest to start a new life on a newly discovered planet. Sparks fly when they cross paths there.

As the Spanish governor of Planet Filomilita searches for gold, the treasure Raymond seeks is Anna. He will stop at nothing to win her except marriage. Class differences forbid it.

Will the fate of these lovers remain star-crossed or can they cross out the rules of Spanish society on Planet Filomilita.

1

6012 AD

In An Alternative Universe

Aboard the Spanish airship, The Grande Fortuna

The sky-galleon soared higher, its wooden wings flapping harder as it rode the rumbling storm.

A woman crawled out of the hold on to the deck. Blow it! I’m not going down with the airship.

Gritting his teeth against the chill downpour, Don Ramon Suarez glanced at the strange lady. A howling wind swept the rocking deck and snatched the wavering, black-clad woman. She grabbed the rail to save her life before the gush could toss her overboard. The ship heaved, and she lost her grip. Her screech of terror vibrated in the air even over the roaring turbulence.

By all the saints. Ramon pivoted forward, grabbing the woman’s waist. He yanked her against him, saving her from falling overboard to her death. Get down below, he shouted against the fury of the wind.

She ripped the wet veil from her face and gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

Something about her jogged Ramon’s memory, but the pounding rain obscured the details of her features. Flying debris struck the woman’s forehead. Ramon managed to hold on to both the rail and the lady, now limp in his arms. When a sailor latched a hemp rope from one side of the ship rail to the other, Ramon grabbed it, waded across to the hold, and crawled inside, still clutching the slender lady.

Inside the hold, the thrashing and hissing of pistons, gears, and steam rattled his ears. He had not thought it possible, but the din sounded noisier than the back streets of Seville.

He lifted his hand from the woman’s head, glancing at the scarlet splash of fresh blood on his palm. "The dama bleeds. Is there a physician on board?"

A man who declared he was a surgeon took over her care. The wound is slight. In a ponderous tone the surgeon added, I always thought of Widow Reyes as elderly. Who would have known she was so young?

The woman released a long, low moan.

"I am at a loss to comment on her age, for I do not know the dama. I was but blessed with the good fortune to be there in her time of need." Ramon had hoped for a proper doctor. Surgeons were always cutting off an arm or a leg, so he stayed nearby in case the woman needed rescuing from the surgeon.

He sat on the floor of the hold. As a passenger, he had nothing to occupy him, other than to await some word of the lady’s health. Time passed, and he nodded off to sleep.

Ramon blinked his eyes open at the sound of a rumbling cough as the surgeon cleared his throat.

The widow has awoken. The surgeon smiled as he stood above Ramon. No doubt she will want to thank the man who saved her life.

"Si, I would like to wish her a swift recovery." He’d rescued a woman. A warm, fluttery sensation filled his chest as walked over to the lady and knelt at her side. Now he had his first clear look at her face.

Ramon stiffened. He could not breathe, and his heart raced. Ana?

Every time he had coupled with any woman, his mind spun with fantasies of the peasant girl he’d grown up with, the milkmaid on his family’s estate. As a Spanish don of noble blood, he could never marry beneath his class, though he could take her as his mistress. But she’d left him. Ramon never thought he’d see her again.

She rubbed her forehead with a sad half-smile. Don Ramon, you have my undying gratitude. Indeed, you saved my life. Forgive me, but I need to rest. I will join you later to speak of old times.

Indeed, I look forward to speaking with you, Senora Reyes.

Ana rolled her eyes downward and whispered, "Ave Maria." She turned her face to the wall.

Ramon tucked a blanket about her. Later, he whispered in a husky rasp. Now that I have found you again, I shan’t lose you. Louder, he said, "Rest well, dama Ana."

If she’d married a noble named Reyes, he’d have known of it. No, her widow garb had to be a disguise. She’d fooled the entire crew. A mere milkmaid... though she’d always been more than a milkmaid to him.

When he first saw her, pink and wrinkly, a babe lying on a small pile of hay covered with a blanket near her mother, who was milking the cows, he considered her a plaything. As a boy, only four years old, he’d sneaked away from his governess to shake a rattle in front of her until she smiled. As she grew, they played chase, had hay fights, and swung back and forth on a rope in the barn’s loft for fun. He’d assumed she’d always be there for him, with him. But she’d run off.

And now he’d found her, in the last place he’d ever think to see Ana, aboard the Grande Fortuna, in the first part of his voyage to the new world in the sky. He couldn’t wait to hear her explanation. Though it should prove amusing, he didn’t really think he’d find it funny.

Now dressed in a dry gown, Ana pulled the damp, black veil over her face. Staring out through the transparent net fabric, her thoughts drifted back to the day Ramon left for Seville. Then, his mother, Dama Beatriz, dismissed her as the milkmaid. And the Dama lied to the other estate owners. So, unable to get a position anywhere, Ana was left homeless and alone. Weeping as she went, Ana had walked on and on to distance herself from the estate and clear her mind of thoughts of Ramon.

Born in a one-room cottage on the estate, she’d grown up with the heir. They had played together like sister and brother until she turned thirteen. Four years her senior, he looked different from the boy she’d run through haystacks with. Tall as any man, with stubble on his chin. He didn’t act the same either, often gazing at her breasts with a glint of desire in his eyes. Things changed between them then.

Five years later, she found herself orphaned, homeless, and friendless...with Ramon nowhere in sight. Tired and hungry, she’d trekked all the way to Seville.

There, in the town square, she’d heard an announcement that gave her hope. In the name of God and King, Juan De Nunez sought colonists for an expedition to a new planet. She plodded through Seville to the port of San Lucar, where De Nunez’s airships docked. They would fly explorers and settlers to Italy to board three giant projectiles, which massive cannons would fire into deep space to land on the newly discovered planet. Each one also had a steam engine. Plus a sterring mechanism and wheel to steer, ensuring they reached their destination, the planet Filomilita.

Luck was with her when she ducked into an inn.

A total stranger, the crafty innkeeper’s wife, a Christianized Moor, asked, "How can I help you?’

I have no money, but I am hoping to work for a night’s keep.

You look to be a peasant from the country, are you not?

Ana told the lady why she was in Seville and her plan to go to Planet Filomilita.

Then, the woman had leaned toward Ana. I like the idea of a milkmaid going to outer space. You are bold like me. I cannot go to the new planet because I am a Moroccan. Over a hundred years ago, my grandparents and all Spanish Muslims were forced to convert to the church and live under laws that keep us in our place. Like off their new planet. But I don’t want their X world.

I am sorry you are treated badly. I am an unwanted peasant, but the things I’ve experienced do not compare to the mistreatment you and your family have endured.

 "It is the same, in