Unbroken Promises of the Heart: (Promises of the Heart Book 2) Read online

  © 2020 Valerie Loveless

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic, film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of Cedar Fort, Inc. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.

  Published by Sweetwater Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

  2373 W. 700 S., Springville, UT 84663

  Distributed by Cedar Fort, Inc., www.cedarfort.com

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2020937899

  Cover design by Shawnda T. Craig

  Cover design © 2020 Cedar Fort, Inc.

  Printed in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Printed on acid-free paper

  What Others Are Saying about This book

  “Unbroken Promises of the Heart, with its witty, fast-paced dialogue and intriguing plot, will keep you turning the pages way past your bedtime. With two storylines to follow, a little love, and a lot of mystery, there’s something for everyone who’s looking for a way to spend some delightful hours. Mermaids, pirates, and strong women are everything I needed.”

  —Aspen Hadley, author of Simply Starstruck

  “Time will slip away when you fall into Unbroken Promises of the Heart by Valerie Loveless. In this masterpiece, the author takes you back in history to the Victorian Era, complicated by the hilarious antics of women who just won’t behave. Let Valerie immerse you in her clean and wholesome romantic comedy while stealing your heart with swashbuckling pirates, adventure, and yes—happy endings.”

  —Shannon Symonds, author of Finding Hope and Safe House

  Other Books by Valerie Loveless

  Enduring Promises of the Heart

  Singing Not So Sweetly

  Annabelle Loves Babies

  To Liz, Christa, and my publisher

  Prologue

  previously in

  Enduring Promises of the Heart

  Elizabeth Latter—formerly known as Elizabeth Black of which her nicknames are Bessie, Bertha, Lizbeth, and primarily Liz—is the author of a scandalous short story that is featured weekly in the local Gazette. It is wildly popular and has made Liz quite well-to-do. However, for a period of time she was writing anonymously using the pen name Penelope Pottifer. But it was discovered it belonged to her when she got greedy and the abominable Mr. Dixon, editor of the Gazette, let the cat out of the bag. The news of who the real Miss Pottifer was spread quickly through the town, except to the ears of Liz’s best friend, Mary Clarence. Ironically Mary was searching for the true identity of the author for quite some time, even though she found the story quite silly but equally engrossing. Once Mary discovered that her best friend had lied to her about her authorship, she spiraled into self-pity and a general distrust of all the Blacks, including Michael. Michael is Liz’s older brother, deaf since childhood and an ardent admirer of Mary’s. He helps run the family business with his father Brigham Black down by the docks and lives with his father and mother, Gretchen Black.

  Mary has a sister named Sarah, who is utterly ridiculous and feigns fainting frequently. Mary became engaged to Michael on Liz and Peter’s wedding day. Peter Latter is the handsome banker that Liz has based her main heartthrob character after. He is tall, dark, and handsome as is his character counterpart, John Henry Buxton IX (ninth). John is a fictional character in Enduring Promises of the Heart, and he is also a mountaineering prince of England. He once was betrothed to the current queen, Katherine, whom is now married to his brother, the king. He traveled the world with his sweetheart, Lavender Johnson. They were to be married after her father, Jedidiah Johnson, died, but the charming—although supposedly dead—pirate, Captain Morose, ruined their wedding day with cannons and being alive.

  Lavender’s nemesis, Nan Fey Gallagher, is the daughter of Pauly Gallagher, the man who took over as a father figure. Pauly got his daughter Nan mostly under control after she joined a band of robbers that kidnapped Lavender. John assisted Pauly in rescuing Lavender, after which Pauly gave his spoiled Nan a much-needed spanking. She still wasn’t invited to John and Lavender’s wedding, and she still holds a candle for John.

  Volume One

  Marry Mary

  Reverend Lyons was nearly sweating through his black tweed wool suit. He tugged on the collar of his fresh white shirt and hoped that no one would notice. The chapel was full, which made the room very warm. The bride was coming down the aisle, glowing and full of cheer, but Reverend Lyons hardly noticed because the most beautiful woman he had ever seen was sitting in the fourth row next to Elizabeth Latter. She resembled Elizabeth in many ways, like the way her nose turned up slightly but not too much, and the way her eyes moved when she smiled. She must have been about twenty-five years old, just a few years shy of him. Reverend Lyons reasoned it must be Elizabeth’s sister, returned home from teaching in Florida for the last few years. He caught her gaze a few times. Embarrassed, she immediately looked down or away each time. Michael, the groom, took his bride, Mary, by the hand and turned toward her. The bride moved her hands awkwardly in professions of love via sign language.

  Reverend Lyons did not notice that the organ stopped playing the wedding march. All he noticed was how lovely that woman’s cheeks looked when flush. They were indeed flush, because the whole chapel had their eyes fixed on her, with wonder at what Reverend Lyons was gazing at.

  “Ergh-hum,” the bride coughed. Still, Reverend Lyons was lost in a sea of thoughts extending to his own wedding day with this beautiful creature.

  Mary looked at Michael, who was looking at the woman. Then she followed his gaze. Reverend Lyons appeared to have been dazed by Harriet Black, Michael’s sister and Mary’s future sister-in-law.

  “Reverend,” she whispered. “Shall we start?”

  Reverend Lyons came out of his stupor. “Sorry, er . . . um . . . Do you, Mary—”

  “We haven’t even said our vows!” Mary nearly shrieked.

  “Forgive me. We are gathered here today, to wed this lovely young lady and gentleman together.” Reverend Lyons’s eyes darted back and forth from the young woman who had stolen his attention and dare say, his heart, and to Mary and Michael. “Mary and . . . and . . . ”

  Michael stepped up to the reverend and whispered in his ear, “Pull yourself together! We’ll never hear the end of it if you don’t.” Michael nodded toward a wide-eyed and seething Mary.

  Reverend Lyons took a quick, deep breath and proceeded. “Michael and Mary.”

  Mary smiled through gritted teeth and nodded at the reverend.

  “It is through the grace of the Almighty that we are blessed with love on earth.” He glanced at the young woman again, more longingly. “I hope we all can find the kind of love that you two share. Mary, after me please. ‘I, Mary, take thee, Michael, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and pledge myself to you.’
”

  Mary said her vows flawlessly, and Michael did as well.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Reverend Lyons smiled and glanced at the young woman one more time as she stood with the rest of the congregation and clapped for the new husband and wife.

  After they kissed, Mary handed her bouquet of roses to her sister Sarah standing by her side, and she and Michael walked back down the aisle and out of the church. Liz had hurried out of the chapel. Waiting for Mary and Michael at the bottom of the church steps was a black carriage, decorated with vines and white roses. Before they climbed into the carriage, Mary turned to her best friend, Elizabeth, and grabbed her, pulling her close.

  “Liz,” Mary cried. “We are sisters now!”

  “Yes, I couldn’t ask for a better sister!” Liz threw her arms around the bride and cried.

  “I heard that,” Harriet scoffed.

  “Oh, Harriet, you are my favorite sister. Mary is our favorite sister-in-law!”

  “I will concede to that,” said Harriet as she hugged the newest family member.

  “I have to say, I think Reverend Lyons didn’t like the look of you,” Mary remarked.

  Michael chimed in, “Reverend Lyons is ready for a family of his own, Harriet, and I do believe he has you in mind.”

  “Oh, Michael, stop!” Harriet chided.

  “Shh.” Peter, Liz’s husband, stepped in. “Here he comes.”

  “Mary, Michael.” The reverend smiled. “I wanted to say congratulations. Would you introduce me to this new face?”

  “Hello, Reverend, I’m Harriet Black.” She blushed but kept her composure.

  “Harriet has returned to us for good, Reverend,” Mary said. “She was teaching in Florida but has come home.” Mary looked at Harriet questioningly. “To settle down, Harriet?”

  Harriet melted with embarrassment. “Perhaps, mostly due to the inexcusable heat in Florida.”

  “Well,” Reverend sang, “if there is anything I can do to ease your transition home, please let me know.”

  “I will. Thank you, Reverend.” Harriet smiled and nodded politely, then quickly turned to give her brother and new sister a kiss before she slinked off to where she couldn’t be found.

  “Mary, have a most wonderful time traveling. I will have your cottage ready for you when you get back!” Liz hugged Mary one more time.

  “Liz, that is the sweetest gift. I really must insist that you rest and be well while I am gone. I will be able to do it myself when I return.”

  “Rest? Whatever do you mean? I don’t need rest. I—”

  Mary leaned in close to Liz’s ear. “Surely that baby is making you tired.”

  “What? I—”

  “Your dress. It’s so tight, you are turning blue.” Mary kissed Liz on the cheek before Michael helped her climb aboard the carriage. Liz stood still, dumbfounded and red faced.

  “What’s the matter? What did she say to you?” Peter asked, taking her by the arm.

  “Uh, nothing. She does say incredible things sometimes.”

  “Yes,” Peter agreed as he escorted Liz home to their new little cottage attached to Mary and Michael’s soon-to-be little cottage on Fifth Avenue. Each Cape Cod cottage was a mirror image of each other, with each having a picket fence in front, a few front steps, and a blue door. The cottages were modest with two upstairs bedrooms, a washroom, and a small family and kitchen area. Out the back-kitchen door were a few lovely rolling hills that ended at the beach. The wind whipped the little houses day and night, and the roaring of the waves could always be heard.

  Still contemplating what Mary had remarked, Liz sat down on her bed and sighed.

  “What’s the matter?” Peter asked as he took off his tie and loosened his collar.

  “Mary insinuated—no, implied—no, insisted that I am—”

  “What?” he pressed.

  “That I am fat!”

  “What? That doesn’t sound like Mary.” He threw his jacket on the bed.

  “She said my dress was so tight that I was turning blue!” Liz squealed as she stood and turned to the side, eyeing herself in the mirror. “Do I look too fat for my dress?”

  “Of course not!” Peter started, but he stopped and studied her for a minute. “No . . . No! You look the same.”

  “Peter!” Liz cried out. “You agree with her, don’t you!”

  “No! No . . maybe your corset is loose. I don’t think it’s you.”

  “Peter, she thinks I’m expecting!” The words she didn’t want to say burst from her lips. Peter went silent. He stared at her for a long while and she at him. Finally, she looked down at her waist and put her hand on her belly as she began to laugh. “Peter! I’m expecting!”

  “You are?” he asked, shock etched on his face. “You are!” He bounded over the bed to Liz and embraced her.

  “How did Mary know before you?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been feeling well. I just thought it was traces from the influenza I had last month. I didn’t even consider it could be a baby!”

  “I’m going to be a father! I’m going to be a father! I need to go tell my father! And my mother! My mother needs to know I’m going to be a father!”

  “Yes, yes, we will tell them soon, Peter!” Liz said as she pulled her husband close and rubbed her little belly with her hand.

  Liz awoke in the middle of the night. She felt hungry and couldn’t shake the strange dream she had had about her story, Enduring Promises of the Heart, that she published weekly in the local Gazette. In her dream, John came to her and told her that she was his one true love, not Lavender. It felt so real, and in her dream, she cried tears of joy. She also slightly recalled pushing Lavender off a bridge to her death when she objected to John’s newfound love.

  Unable to fall back to sleep due to her excitement about the baby and that gnawing hunger, she rose and went to the kitchen for a snack as quietly as she could, so as not to wake Peter. She opened the bread box and cut herself a piece of bread, then put a generous helping of butter and honey on it. She stood and looked out the kitchen window toward the sea while she munched her bread. Nothing tasted right. The bread didn’t satisfy her hunger and made her feel nauseous. But when she stopped eating it, her hunger pangs returned.

  She could hear the waves crashing on the beach out yonder, and it made her think of one of her favorite characters, Captain Morose. His ship was floating carelessly off the coast, lights from his cabin twinkling in her mind’s eye. What about Morose? Who would ever love him? She loved him. He was dashing and charismatic in her mind, even though in the early days of the story she made him out to be a filthy, gold-toothed privateer. She had built him up in her mind as a gentler soul than originally taken. She felt her spirit urging her to make a mate for Morose. She would have to be very careful with it. She wouldn’t want to upset the fans, and she felt desperate for ways to drag on a storyline of keeping Lavender and John apart. That is what kept people reading, after all.

  While she was up and had the lantern lit, she decided to sit and write. She had taken a break from Enduring Promises of the Heart after the wedding four months ago. After the botched wedding of John and Lavender, most people were not too happy with her and were eagerly awaiting her to start the story back up. But Liz just wanted to make her husband happy and create a home. She hadn’t even thought much about writing until something about the wedding sparked some creativity inside of her.

  She had been stopped so many times in the street by fellow townspeople and had been told what should happen next that she feared going out very often. But she was due to turn in a new volume in a few days, and she had not even started because Mary and Michael’s wedding had kept her occupied. Mary had chosen Sarah as her maid of honor because she wanted Liz to enjoy her honeymoon and because she knew that Liz would easily forgive her if she did no
t choose her. Sarah, however, would never let Mary or her mother and father forget how her eldest sister had begrudged her the title of maid of honor. Liz didn’t mind, having just finished her own wedding and being a very busy newlywed, starting her own home and moving. She was happy to not have the added stress and to sit in the pews with the rest of them.

  She had thought about where she wanted the story to go since the wedding was interrupted by Captain Morose, but she was mostly hoping that when she sat down the words would flow to her like some other worldly flow, trickling into her mind. And so, she began where she left off.

  Lavender threw herself between John and Morose, landing hard on her knees in the sand.

  “John, Morose,” she pleaded, hands in the air as if she could hold them back from killing each other with just her arms. “Please, it doesn’t have to be this way, we could talk—”

  “It’s been so long since the last volume came out . . . I better remind my readers about what happened last time,” Liz thought. So, she crossed it out and started again.

  Lavender stood between John and Morose. John held his blade up toward Morose, and Morose stood with his blade in hand but hung loosely at his side. Anxiety coursed through Lavender’s body and she shook.

  She was in shock. Morose was alive. He had stopped her wedding!

  “Morose. John.” Lavender held her hands up in peace. “It doesn’t have to be this way!”

  “No, me girl, it does have to be this way.” Morose’s shipmen began to hoot and holler. “John’ll ne’er let yer go, and I can’t walk away from yer again!” Morose yelled over the encouraging shouts of his men.

  “Morose, you know I can kill you as easily as cutting down a sapling!” John squared off with him again.