Washed Ashore From the Titanic
()
About this ebook
Washed Ashore From the Titanic is a time travel romance novelette by bestselling novelist R. Barri Flowers.
In April 1912, schoolteacher Valerie McElroy and her eight-year-old sister, Ruby, booked passage on the RMS Titanic for a return trip to America after visiting an aunt in London, England. When the supposedly unsinkable passenger liner hits an iceberg, Valerie and Ruby find themselves apparently safe after being put on a lifeboat.
But things go further awry when Valerie finds herself knocked off the crowded lifeboat and into the cold sea. While attempting to swim back to safety and her sister, a mysterious fog suddenly appears out of nowhere and engulfs her, then everything goes black.
In April 2004, Jonathan Sandler, a recluse widower and author, is shocked to find a beautiful and strangely dressed young woman washed ashore and lifeless near his secluded waterfront home in Maine. Bringing her inside, he helps her regain consciousness only to discover that she has amnesia with no idea who she is or how she wound up on his shore. As much intrigued as perplexed by his unexpected guest, Jonathan finds himself falling for her, even as he tries to uncover the mystery. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined her story.
Valerie was equally beyond words once she regained her memory and realized that she had somehow been transported to the future--ninety-two years, to be exact. While trying to make sense of it, including falling in love with her handsome rescuer, she discovers that her sister, Ruby, is still alive.
It is after they reunite that Valerie makes a fateful decision that will impact both their lives and her future with Jonathan, assuming a future was theirs to have in the corridors of time.
Bonus material includes a complete riveting historical short story, “Murder Aboard the Titanic,” and excerpts of the author’s heartwarming contemporary romance novel, The Cabin on Belle Bay.
R. Barri Flowers
R. Barri Flowers is the award winning author of romantic suspense, mystery, thriller and crime fiction with thirteen Harlequin titles published to date. Chemistry and conflict between the hero and heroine, attention to detail, and incorporating the very latest advances in criminal investigations, are the cornerstones of his crime and thriller fiction. He enjoys travelling around the country and abroad to scope out intriguing settings for future storylines, books, and miniseries.
Read more from R. Barri Flowers
Toby the Talking Tree (A Children's Picture Book) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ABC’S of Earth’s Creatures (A Children’s Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Convinced (A Women’s Suspense Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbby Appleton’s Apple Farm (A Children’s Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Chronicles: A Collection of Chilling True Crime Tales Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Amityville Massacre: The DeFeo Family's Nightmare (A True Crime Short) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Greeley the Mean Goat (A Children’s Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phone Call (A Psychological Mystery Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSerial Killer Couples: Bonded by Sexual Depravity, Abduction, and Murder Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Mystery of Christmas Tree Village (A Children's Picture Book) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Street Kids: The Lives of Runaway and Thrownaway Teens, Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder Aboard the Titanic: A Mystery At Sea Short Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPh.D in Murder (A Cozy Mystery Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurders in the United States: Crimes, Killers, and Victims of the Twentieth Century Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Terror in East Lansing: The Tale of MSU Serial Killer Donald Miller (A True Crime Short) Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dark Streets of Whitechapel: A Jack The Ripper Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMissing or Murdered: The Disappearance of Agnes Tufverson (A True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurderess on the Loose: The 1922 Hammer Wrath of Clara Phillips (A Historical True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder in Honolulu: A Skye Delaney Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMurder of the Horse Trainer’s Rival: The Bitter Breakup of Buddy Jacobson and the Model (A Historical True Crime Short) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForever Sweethearts: A Love Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeen Haunted House Mysteries Bundle: Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay & Teen Ghost at Dead Lake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeila Kahana Maui Mysteries Bundle: Murder in Maui\Murder on Kaanapali Beach\Murder of the Hula Dancers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNight Killers: A Crime Thriller Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Jury Has Spoken (A Legal Thriller Short Story) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBilly The Kid’s Wife (A Time Travel Romance Short) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dreadful Acts of Jack the Ripper and Other True Tales of Serial Murder and Prostitutes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKiller Connection (A Hawaii Mystery Novelette) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Washed Ashore From the Titanic
Titles in the series (3)
Stairwell Into Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Loving Memory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWashed Ashore From the Titanic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
Stairwell Into Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShadows of Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnne of Avonlea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killer Connection (A Hawaii Mystery Novelette) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmuggler's Bride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Queen of Romance: Marguerite Jervis: A Biography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrackpots: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mary Shelley The Dover Reader Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMary Elizabeth Braddon: Complete Works: Murder Mystery Novels, Victorian Romances & Dark Fantasy Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPart Two: Prince of the Blood - Evolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mary Elizabeth Braddon Collection: Mystery Novels, Victorian Romances & Supernatural Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMary Webb - Precious Bane: 'It was at a love-spinning that I saw Kester first'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Ãntonia: With an Excerpt by H. L. Mencken Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Citizen of the Country: Reisden & Perdita Mysteries, #3 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hawkesmoor: A Novel of Vampire and Faerie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStarburst: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Head of the House of Coombe (Annotated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Naked Viscount Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Etched in Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Virginian: The Bestseller of 1902 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Tongue is My Own: A Life of Gwen Harwood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Wings A Romance of Youth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritish Murder Mysteries - The Mary Elizabeth Braddon Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle to the Weak Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Moe Howard Died for Our Sins: Made-To-Fit Tales for the Maladjusted Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Liberty Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - book 6 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Last Ride to Graceland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peel Me a Lotus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood and Parcels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Romance For You
Adults Only Volume 3: Seven Erotica Shorts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ugly Love: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5November 9: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hopeless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Him: Him, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bossy: An Erotic Workplace Diary Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Erotic Fantasies Anthology Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5All Your Perfects: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heart Bones: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe Now: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three-Way Split Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seven Sisters: Book One Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Confess: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wish You Were Here: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Without Merit: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swear on This Life: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Temptations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Under the Roses Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Maybe Not: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Kingdom of Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tess of the d'Urbervilles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Perfect: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Favorite Half-Night Stand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stone Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Home: the most moving and heartfelt novel you'll read this year Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chased by Moonlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Washed Ashore From the Titanic
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Washed Ashore From the Titanic - R. Barri Flowers
WASHED ASHORE FROM THE TITANIC
Stairway in Time Romance Novelette
By R. Barri Flowers
WASHED ASHORE FROM THE TITANIC: Stairway in Time Romance Novelette is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WASHED ASHORE FROM THE TITANIC
Stairway in Time Romance Novelette
Copyright 2020 by R. Barri Flowers
All rights reserved.
Cover Image Copyright HLF Photos, 2020
Used with permission from HLF Photos
To the wonderful love of my life, in which time is forever on our side—you have always encouraged me to put my best foot forward, and then some, as an author, dreamer, husband and very best friend.
To fans of time travel romance and historical adventure fiction, I hope you enjoy this novelette exploring the timeless and unfathomable fabric of love.
* * *
OTHER FICTION BOOKS BY R. BARRI FLOWERS
NOVELS
A Reason to Live
Alive in the Rose City
Before He Kills Again
Dark Streets of Whitechapel
Dead in Kihei
Dead in Pukalani
Dead in the Rose City
Deadly Defense
Fractured Trust
Justice Served
Kaanapali Beach Paradise
Kauai Killer
Killer Connection
Killer in The Woods
Murder in Honolulu
Murder in Maui
Murder of the Hula Dancers
Murder on Kaanapali Beach
Murdered in the Gourmet Kitchen
Murdered in the Man Cave
Night Killers
Persuasive Evidence
Seduced to Kill in Kauai
State’s Evidence
The Cabin on Belle Bay
NOVELETTES/SHORT STORIES
Billy the Kid’s Wife
Convinced
Death by Trial and Error
In Loving Memory
The Jury Has Spoken
Killer Connection
Love Aboard the Titanic
Murder Aboard the Titanic
Ph.D in Murder
The Phone Call
Stairwell into Time
Target of a Killer
Vampire Classmates
Vandals
Vandals 2
The Wrong End of a Gun
TEEN NOVELS
Christmas Wishes: Laura’s Story
Count Dracula’s Teenage Daughter
Danger in Time
Daughter of Count Dracula
Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay
Out for Blood
Summer at Paradise Ranch
Teen Ghost at Dead Lake
* * *
PRAISE FOR R. BARRI FLOWERS
MURDER ON KAANAPALI BEACH is among the best of his tales. This one deserves to be at the top of your must read list.
— John Lutz, Edgar winning bestselling mystery author
R. Barri Flowers gives readers a fine procedural along with appealing characters and great local color.
— Bill Crider, Edgar winner and bestselling crime writer on MURDER ON KAANAPALI BEACH
A top flight police procedural and a must read for all fans of suspense. The contrast of seamy crime to the beautiful paradise setting adds to the gripping tension.
— Joe Moore, bestselling co-author on MURDER ON KAANAPALI BEACH
R. Barri Flowers weaves a riveting crime tale set in Hawaii oozing with authenticity, grit, and drama.
— Kim Cresswell, bestselling author on MURDER ON KAANAPALI BEACH
A police procedural with a complex plot, told from multiple viewpoints. The reader gets the added benefit of a virtual vacation on Maui.
— Laurie Hanan, mystery author on MURDER ON KAANAPALI BEACH
Flowers delivers the goods. An exotic setting, winning characters, and realistic procedural details make MURDER IN MAUI a sure hit with crime-fiction readers.
— Bill Crider, Edgar winner and author
MURDER IN MAUI is a steamy, non-stop thrill-ride through the seamy underbelly of Hawaii.
— Allison Leotta, Federal Sex Crimes Prosecutor and author
Vivid details of police procedure one would expect from top criminologist. A gripping novel in what promises to be an outstanding series.
— Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author on MURDER IN MAUI
Gripping, tightly woven tale you won’t want to put down. Author neatly contrasts the natural beauty of tropical paradise with ugliness of murder and its aftermath.
— John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling author on MURDER IN MAUI
MURDER IN HONOLULU is an exquisitely rich and masterfully constructed mystery. Flowers now lays fitting claim to the beautiful island paradise as his territory.... A savvy, smooth, and sumptuous read that’s as hot as Waikiki beach sand.
— Jon Land, mystery author
Infidelity and murder in paradise lead to a one of a kind case for PI Skye McKenzie Delaney, and an enjoyable ride for the reader. Definitely put this one on your list.
— John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling author on MURDER IN HONOLULU
Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page. He has filled the novel with believable characters and situations.
— Midwest Book Review on STATE’S EVIDENCE
A clever mystery with many suspects.... Vividly written, this book holds the reader’s attention and speeds along.
— Romantic Times on JUSTICE SERVED
A model of crime fiction.... Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices.
— Statesman Journal on JUSTICE SERVED
An excellent look at the jurisprudence system...will appeal to fans of John Grisham and Linda Fairstein.
— Harriet Klausner on PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE
STATE’S EVIDENCE will make the top sellers list because it’s fast-paced, intriguing, satisfying, and I highly recommend it to you.
— Romance Reader at Heart
A rocket of a read. Not only a heart-thumping thriller, this is that rare novel that is downright scary.
— John Lutz, Edgar winner and bestselling author on BEFORE HE KILLS AGAIN
It gets no better than this! R. Barri Flowers has written another thriller guaranteed to hold onto its readers!
— Huntress Reviews on DARK STREETS OF WHITECHAPEL
Selected as one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books.
— John Raab, CEO/Publisher on THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Murder Aboard the Titanic – bonus short story
The Cabin on Belle Bay – bonus excerpts
About the Author
* * *
CHAPTER ONE
It was the chilly morning of Wednesday, April 10th, 1912, when American schoolteacher Valerie McElroy and her eight-year-old sister, Ruby, arrived at the Southampton Town & Docks railway station on a boat train by way of London, England. Soon they would be joining throngs of others on board the British passenger liner RMS Titanic, which would be making its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean en route to New York. Valerie and Ruby had spent the past month or so living at the manor house of their Aunt Beatrice and her husband, Roger Vanderham, a merchant banker, whom she had wed a year earlier. Unable to have children of her own, Beatrice had been like a second mother to them after their birth mother and her sister, Estelle McElroy, died of diphtheria five years ago. Twenty-three at the time, Valerie had been utterly devastated. So too had her poor father, Patrick McElroy. Though doing the best he could in raising his daughters, while managing a shoe shop full-time in their town of Hanover, New Hampshire, much of the day-to-day burden in caring for her sister had rested on Valerie’s shoulders. Especially after Beatrice had fallen in love with her British suitor and agreed to marry him and move abroad to his homeland.
While challenging at times, Valerie embraced the task of being there for Ruby, who was too young to remember their mother and all the love she gave to both of them. Duty bound to carry on for her, Valerie also saw it as practice of sorts for her own motherhood someday. She had no idea when such time might arise or if it was ever to be in the cards, having recently broken up with the man she had been dating, Desmond Silver. A successful businessman, he was sweet and attentive. But he was also fifteen years older and didn’t much care for her independent nature and forward thinking. Though he had initially been resistant to ending things, he ultimately agreed that it was in both their best interests.
When Aunt Beatrice invited her and Ruby to visit her, Valerie jumped at the opportunity, feeling the need to get away for a while, as well as see a different part of the world. She wanted this for Ruby too, whom Valerie made sure received all her school lessons while away from home. The experience had been wonderful, as they had gotten to see the sights and sounds of London and the English countryside and spend time with their lovely aunt, who hated to see them leave, but understood their lives were in America. In spite of wishing they could stay a bit longer, Valerie had become homesick, as had Ruby, and missed their hardworking father. Though he had started seeing a kindhearted woman named Elisabeth Lockwood, also widowed and a seamstress, Valerie feared that he would never be the same after her mother’s death. It would be up to his daughters to do their best to make up for her loss and encourage him to find happiness with someone else, as Valerie was sure her mother would have wanted.
Valerie wanted the same thing for herself. In spite of her past failures with love, she had to believe there was a decent man out there somewhere who would come to her rescue where it concerned matters of the heart. But at the moment, her attention was on returning home safe and sound, and back to her life as a teacher, which she loved. Departing the train with Ruby, Valerie held on to her little hand, so as not to lose her amongst the hundreds of passengers heading haphazardly toward the ship.
Will it be more fun than the ship we arrived on?
Ruby asked. Tall for her age and slender, she had long blonde hair like their mother, worn in a single plait with a red ribbon tied around at the nape. She wore a sailor suit and white stockings, along with button up brown boots.
Yes, I think it will be,
Valerie told her with a reassuring smile. Not to say that their experience on the RMS Lusitania ocean liner had been unpleasant en route to England. Quite the opposite, it had done a lot to alleviate her fears of a first transatlantic crossing. But the Titanic was not only larger and, by most accounts, even more luxurious, it was generally thought to be unsinkable, giving Valerie further solace in being part of its maiden voyage.
She pressed down on her large, wide-brimmed hat, embellished with ostrich feathers, to keep it in place over long and thick raven hair worn in a low pompadour and trained her big, bold blue eyes on the enormous ship ahead. Tall like her father and shapely but thin like her Aunt Beatrice, Valerie had dressed the part for the sea adventure, wearing a long-sleeved grayish brown