A Distant Shore (33 page)

Allan tried to lift his head, and Seamus stepped forward. “I do, sir. I love your daughter very much and I look forward to taking care of her for the rest of my life, with your permission.” Seamus hesitated, but when he spoke his voice was strong and firm. “Will you allow me to marry your daughter, sir?”

Maggie gazed at her father, his smile fading as his troubled, cloudy gaze moved from her to Seamus. She knew he was, just as she was, thinking how different he wanted this to be, how different it should have been. She could imagine Seamus and Allan striding through the fields, heads bowed underneath a summer sun, two men both in the prime of their lives. Her father, after all, was only forty-six.

Slowly, with agonizing effort, her father nodded. Then he smiled and lifted one hand a few scant inches from the counterpane to beckon Seamus forward.

With one hand still clasped against Maggie’s cheek, Allan placed the other over Seamus’s hand—and tears spilled freely down Maggie’s face.

Isle of Mull, Scotland

Dawn broke over the horizon, the placid surface of the sea shimmering with golden light. From the highest point on his property Ian could see the stretch of smooth sea, and in the distance the dark mound of Lady’s Rock by Duart Castle.

The wind ruffled his hair and the late summer sun was warm on his face. He’d woken early, too restless and eager to wait until a decent hour to explore the land he had once called his own.

And it was still his own… even if he could hardly believe it. Achlic Farm was his again.

So much had happened in the last few months, not only for him, but for his whole family. Last spring Allan MacDougall had died with his family surrounding him. Maggie and Seamus had married and settled there on Prince Edward Island, with Seamus taking over the farm. Harriet stayed on with George, Anna, and Archie, glad, Ian suspected, of the company and support.

Henry had returned to China, and although there had been no word yet Margaret seemed confident of his return. She continued at the First School, with more plans to expand its classes and increase its teachers. Ian had heard from Henry before he’d departed that his sister Isobel had married a missionary in Burma of all places, and was very happy there.

Ian had also heard from his own sister Eleanor, who was in Tennessee with her husband Rupert, Margaret’s brother and a US Marshal. They were expecting their first child en route to the Indian Territories out west.

Ian shook his head at the thought of his family scattered about the globe like chess pieces on an ever-increasing board. Yet, God willing, everyone had found a place, a purpose… a hope. Even him.

“Ian?” Caroline’s voice was soft behind him and Ian turned to see her pulling a shawl over her shoulders, one hand resting protectively on the barely-there swell of her bump. She had told him on the ship to Tobermory that she was expecting their first child.

Ian smiled. “I’m here, love.” He held out his hand, lacing his fingers with his wife’s as they both surveyed their small kingdom.

The land Ian had once lost in his folly was his again, through marriage to Caroline. She’d inherited Achlic Farm upon her uncle’s death, and yet Ian had never truly considered it his… not until now, when he finally felt the burden of guilt and grief fall from him and he knew he was free from the folly and sin of the past. Free to pursue a future with a wife he loved.

He did not intend to stay at Achlic; as much as he loved the place, he was no farmer. He and Caroline had discussed fairly leasing the land to able tenants, and he was already in the process of procuring a position at a hospital in Edinburgh.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Caroline said softly and Ian nodded.

Twenty years since he’d fled from his home in shame, and taken up as cabin boy on Henry Moore’s ship. Twenty years of trying to suppress the anger and regret and grief, and now that it had fallen away, he felt wonderfully free, as light as air.

“Are you glad to be back?” Caroline asked.

“Yes, and thankful to you for bringing me here.” He drew her to him and kissed her softly. As dawn light spread over and warmed the earth, he was thankful that he, and everyone else in his family, had found their place. Their calling.

“Come,” he said, and drew her away, down the hill. “Let’s go home.”

THE END

Did you enjoy A Distant Shore? Please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or another site. Turn the page for an author’s note and information about Kate’s other releases.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I began writing the first book in The Emigrants Trilogy,
Far Horizons
, because I was inspired by the letters between Allan MacDougall and Harriet Campbell that had been passed down through my family. By the time I came to write
A Distant Shore
, I’d left my ancestors’ story behind, and was fascinated by the things I’d discovered in my research of the time period in which the trilogy is set.

Of course, the question readers ask me the most is how much of the story is true, or based on fact. In the case of
A Distant Shore
, much is based on fact, although I’ve had to alter a few details to fit my story.

As I discovered through my research, 1838-1839 was a period of great change and turbulence in America’s history. People were still recovering from the Panic of 1837, and the Opium War between England and China was starting. Advances were being made in the fields of medicine and science. It was a very exciting time.

So what really happened? Horace Wells really did conduct an experiment with ether in the Bulfinch Dome and failed, although it took place in 1846 rather than 1839. The medical community initially doubted the use of ether as an anesthetic, and when the second experiment succeeded, John Collin Warren was quoted as saying ‘That is no humbug!’ Wells later became addicted—although to chloroform, not ether—and was stabbed in the thigh by a prostitute, ending his life in prison.

Boston sea merchants did trade in opium and wrote pamphlets commending it. Commisioner Zexu is considered to be one of China’s great moral leaders, and he did dump twenty thousand chests of opium into the sea, setting off the Opium War with England. Henry’s part, however, is fictional.

Perhaps my favorite part of
A Distant Shore
is Isobel’s experience in Burma. After reading a biography of the missionary Adoniram Judson, I was determined to write about him. He was an amazing man, and his work in Burma is truly inspirational. The words of his speech in Boston are taken from a transcript, and he did indeed have a pulmonary infection which required a ‘translator’. Regarding Isobel’s story, there was a list for pious women who wished to marry missionaries, and at the time of
A Distant Shore
single women were not allowed to be missionaries, although this changed a few years later, thanks to Adoniram Judson. Joshua and Hannah Marshman were real people, and served as missionaries in Serampore at the time of the story. If you would like to read more of Adoniram Judson’s amazing life, there are several informative biographies about him and his first wife Ann, who was also inspirational.

I hope you enjoyed
A Distant Shore
. I hope to write more stories about the MacDougalls, Moores, and Campbells in the future. Please turn the page to read about my other works of fiction.

Best wishes,

Kate

Other Books By Kate Hewitt:

The Amherst Island Trilogy
: In the spirit of Anne of Green Gables, a story of an orphan who comes of age in turn of the century Canada

Down Jasper Lane
: Glasgow, 1904. Ellen Copley has a heart full of dreams when she leaves the sooty rail yards of Glasgow for a new life in Vermont. Yet within weeks of her arrival her father has abandoned her for his own dreams in New Mexico, and Ellen must navigate this strange and hostile world, living with relatives who seem to resent her presence and disdain her Scottish brogue.

When her Aunt Rose invites her to stay with her boisterous family on Lake Ontario's Amherst Island, Ellen finally begins to find the love and acceptance she'd long been craving. Soon she is living a fractured existence in both Vermont and Canada, torn between happiness and duty. When a local boy lays claim to her heart, Ellen must decide just where her destiny lies in a changing and increasing turbulent world.

On Renfrew Street
: Coming Soon

Return to the Island
: Coming Soon

Short Story Collections:

Love, Laughter & Lucky Marbles
: An Anthology About The Funny Side of Falling in Love

Through The Years
: An Anthology of Historical Romance



Bump
: An Anthology About Babies, Motherhood, and Trying for it All

Sister, Sister
: Stories About The Best Friend You Can
’
t Get Rid Of

Before The Dawn
: Stories of Hope in Hard Times

Out in the Country
: Widowed a year ago, Lynne Marshall believes she's ready to start a new chapter in life. She plans to exchange the bright lights of Manhattan for her home country of Scotland and open a country hotel with her childhood friend Jess and her fiancé Rob. Her daughter Molly will manage the home front as she starts her first year of teaching in one of the city's toughest schools. When those plans are suddenly and tragically ruined, both Lynne and Jess are left shaken--and unsure what the future holds for either of them.

A weekend trip to Lynne's husband's home town in rural Vermont brings new opportunities, decisions, and a second chance at love for both Lynne and Jess... if they dare to risk their hearts again. Meanwhile Molly faces difficult choices of her own, and must decide where her heart truly lies.