Clarice & Thomas & the Stranger On the Boat: A Mail Order Bride Romance

By Doreen Milstead

An upper class Victorian woman decides to take the plunge after being widowed and travels to her mail order husband in Texas, with only her dog and her maid at her side; but when she meets a mysterious stranger on board the ship her whole world is suddenly turned upside down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329743816

Book preview

Clarice & Thomas & the Stranger On the Boat: A Mail Order Bride Romance

Clarice & Thomas & The Stranger On The Boat: A Mail Order Bride Romance

By

Doreen Milstead

Copyright 2015 Susan Hart

Synopsis: An upper class Victorian woman decides to take the plunge after being widowed and travels to her mail order husband in Texas, with only her dog and her maid at her side; but when she meets a mysterious stranger on board the ship her whole world is suddenly turned upside down.

In that late autumn afternoon the garden seemed gloomier than ever. The cypress trees had lost their leaves and were hanging mournfully over the magnolia. The November wind she knew so well was humming once again. Somehow, it felt as if even the nature understood the unrest that was haunting her thoughts.

Clarice knew this was the last time she would feel the sweet and sour smell of her Dahlias Cannas. The peaceful sound of the creek will be left behind just like her current life. This garden has been her happiness harbor and her refuge for fifteen years. This is where she first kissed Michael, where they vowed their eternal love, where she used to take him out for walks when his strength was almost over.

This was also where she could find a bit of comfort after he was gone. Consumption was a ruthless disease that doesn`t care for who you are and what a pure soul you have. It took Michael just like it takes anybody. Slowly and insinuating like and old witch mastering her curse day by day. Their happiness faded away in the same manner her dear plants were giving up their lives in autumn.

Clarice was now resting on her favorite bench and was staring at the horizon. In her hand there was the last letter she received from Thomas Compton. Two months before, her aunt Katy from El Campo suggested it would be a good idea to move on with her life and start all over across the ocean. England`s grey weather could only do harm to ones suffering and she surely felt it on herself.

She filled hundreds of pages telling about how warm and delightful autumn was in Texas and how she, Clarice, could have a new opportunity for happiness in the young lands of America. Katy knew how much her niece loved horses, so she kept writing about how beautiful and swift the American Quarter Horse was. All the letters were filled about how amazing and different America was from the sad and sober Old Great Britain.

Clarice could leave all the sorrow and hurt behind and travel to the promise land. But, it wasn`t only about sunny days and magnificent horses. Aunt Katy had also told her about this young sheriff she knew in Palacios. His name was Thomas Compton and he could actually bring the smile back again on Clarice`s face.

Thomas was a widower just like Clarice and he was trying to make