Voyage of the Heart
Book Three of The Starbuck Saga
Jacinta CareyJerusha Swain almost loses everything when her father is killed in a shipboard accident. She and her family have been raised at sea. To be forced to leave the whaler Naiad by its new captain Roland Chase is to be sent from the only home she has ever known, and forced to try to make a living on land.
Jerusha loves the sea, and knows she has all the skills the D and S Starbuck Whaling Fleet needs aboard a ship. But she possesses something even better: an uncharted whaling ground as rich as a goldmine. She promises to show Roland her secret place, if only he will let her and her siblings remain aboard ship.
The secret whaling ground is vastly tempting for the handsome and ambitious new captain, but even more alluring is the feisty Jerusha. Roland has a business proposal of his own: marry him, and become his mate in every sense of the word!
Roland was just heading back up on deck with his foul weather gear when he saw his wife come out of her cabin.
"Where are you going?"
"They're calling all hands."
"Don't be silly. Stay with your brother and sister. Everything is fine. There's no sense in you getting soaked."
"I don't mind. You have to do it," she pointed out.
"I'm the captain. It's my job."
The bow of the ship pitched forward, and he caught Jerusha around the waist. In the near darkness he could see her eyes shining up at him, and as the ship rolled to port, he felt himself press up against her intimately as her back slammed against the wall.
"Are you all right?" he asked breathlessly, her sudden nearness practically choking him.
"Fine."
With only a moment's hesitation, he lowered his mouth to hers, and began to kiss her with all the pent-up longings he had tried so hard to subdue.
He wedged his hands on either side of her under her arms to keep her from falling, hardly daring to touch her exquisitely rounded body.
Jerusha was too stunned to do anything other than let him kiss her. The pressure made her go weak at the knees and she trembled and clung to the wall, her palms flat against the wood panelling.
This was like nothing she had ever imagined, and the unspoken question in his kiss was not one she was sure she had an answer for. It was all just too great for her to comprehend, or even contemplate when she knew so little of the world of men and married life.
Yet the kiss promised a bounty of delights, if only she dared to let go of her mind, and let her body follow her heart's desire...
Voyage of the Heart
Book Three of The Starbuck Saga
Jacinta Carey
Rating: Sensual love scenes throughout the novel
Word Count=81,435, 329 pages
Price: $4.99
Or get all THREE Starbuck Saga Romances for ONE low price:
Journey of the Heart, The Stolen Heart, Voyage of the Heart=Save $5 off the list price
The Starbuck Saga Bundle, Jacinta Carey=$14.97ONLY $9.97
Chapter One
"But where are we to go, Mr. Stephens? The Naiad has been our only home for over ten years!" Jerusha Swain said as she paced up and down in front of the shipping company agent's large oak desk.
Mr. Stephens shook his head. "You have my full sympathy on the loss of your father. The company is extremely grateful that you and the first mate Mr. Bradshaw stepped into the breach and have brought back such a rich cargo.
"I also understand your plight. Having two young siblings to look after is not an easy situation by any means. But you know that a girl of twenty cannot possibly be a whaler captain in her own right. You certainly can't remain aboard in an unmarried state. As it is, everyone is gossiping-"
"But I've done nothing wrong!" Jerusha insisted, her sea green eyes blazing.
The portly man's lips tightened to a thin line. "I believe you, but many more prurient minds will not. I'm sorry. What you've asked is impossible."
"I want to speak with Captain Dare Starbuck," she demanded, looking around the office to see if there were any sign of the owner. "This is his fleet, not yours. He'll listen to me, I know it. Or Jared Starbuck. Both of them have whaling wives. They'll let me keep the ship."
"Out of the question! You're an unmarried woman. To send you out upon the high seas for years on end with twenty-four men? No one will ever want to do business with a, a-"
She pounded one fist on the desk. "Don't you dare say it! I'm not a fallen woman, I'm a desperate one. You will make me a fallen one if I have no other way to support my family!"
"We won't abandon you," he promised. "Get ready to turn the ship over to the new captain, who will be arriving shortly, and then we shall see what we can do for you. We can try to help you find lodgings. There's your father's share of the profits coming to you, of course, and-"
Jerusha rubbed her temple with her right hand, feeling a dreadful tension headache coming on. "I hardly know what it is to live on land, to set up a regular home. And will I not be in just as much danger of scandal on land, a lone unprotected female?"
"That can't be helped, I'm afraid," Mr. Stephens said coldly.
She glared at him in exasperation. How dare he lecture her on morals when he was throwing her to the wolves? "And how am I supposed to support myself when the money begins to run out? It's a fine share, but won't last forever for three orphaned children. I need employment."
"Surely a good husband will-"
"I don't believe what I'm hearing." She ground her teeth audibly, trying not to blurt out anything she might regret. "I know more about the whaling industry than all the dozens of greenhands you've shipped out of here in the past ten years put together. I've circumnavigated the globe twice, and come back with a full hold this voyage. And there is more besides. My other cargo should have arrived on the Peru and the Poseidon by now."
The silver-haired shipping factor nodded. "It did. It's an impressive haul. Where ever did you find so much whalebone?"
Jerusha's eyes lit up. At last, she had a bargaining chip.
"That information is worth paying for," she said calmly, quirking one ebony eyebrow as she crossed her arms in front of her, gripping the black cotton of her summer-weight sea jacket to stop her hands from trembling at the boldness of what she was about to do. "It's worth giving me a job for, at any rate. Preferably as the Naiad's captain."
He shook his head. "I've told you, Miss Swain, it's out of the question. You may well have all the skills needed, but the men will never accept a female captain. My answer is final. I have a duty to the company-"
She blew a dark curl out of her eye and faced him squarely. "You have a duty to ensure profitable voyages. I can guarantee you that. As for the men not accepting me, ask my Mate and Second. We've never had a single discipline problem since my father died eight months ago."
"Yes, yes, all very commendable," Stephens said, clearly unwilling to hear more. "But I've already told you, I will not let you ship back out on the Naiad. That is my final word upon the subject."
They were staring at each other, neither willing to compromise, when a noise at the doorway caused them both to turn.
"Forgive me for interrupting," a tall sandy-haired man said, stepping into the room, "but I've listened to Miss Swain's arguments, and find she makes an excellent case for being permitted to remain aboard the Naiad in a command capacity.
"She has the knowledge, and tells us she has special whaling grounds which will be ripe for harvesting. I can't see Dare or Jared objecting. Let her have the Naiad."
"But Captain Chase, it is to be your ship! You would actually give it up to a mere woman?"
Roland Chase looked at her appraisingly, his grey-blue eyes alight with admiration for the curvaceous, long-legged woman clad in a masculine suit, a jacket, cravat and split skirt, who barely came up to his shoulder. Far from being shocked at her garb, he recalled fondly his cousin Samantha in her sailor's slops.
"There seems nothing mere about her. She has more whaling experience than I do. It's not her fault she's lost her father, or that she's a woman. You would now inflict further hardship and cruelty upon her by depriving her of her livelihood and the only home she and her brother and sister have ever known?"
"I'm sorry, but in the Starbucks' absence, I'm in charge. So if you have nothing more constructive to add to this discussion, Captain Chase, Miss Swain will have to vacate the ship immediately, so that it can sail at the end of the week."
He lifted his nose in the air, as if to signal that he had had the last word, and was looking rather pleased with himself despite the obvious agony he was putting the young woman through.
Roland smiled slightly. "It might be very difficult to sail at the end of the week if there's no crew."
"What do you mean, no crew?" Mr. Stephens asked with a perplexed frown.
"The crew of the Naiad have no wish to ship without Miss Swain and her family."
"That's mutiny!" Mr. Stephens gasped.
He shook his head and gave Jerusha an encouraging smile. "Not mutiny at all. They haven't signed the articles for the new voyage yet, and will not be doing so unless there is some form of compromise with Miss Swain."
Mr. Stephens lifted his bulbous nose in the air once more and gave a haughty sniff. "I don't compromise with anyone. It will be easy enough to get another crew-"
"Who will be inexperienced, inefficient, and not prepared to work as a team. You can find another one, of course." Roland shrugged. "But it will waste time, and compromise our profits."
At the word 'profits', Stephens's ears pricked up. "So what are you proposing, Captain Chase?"
"That Miss Swain be taken on as steward, and her brother and sister also hired on as greenhand and cabin boy, with a decent lay for each of them."
"I accept!" Jerusha said eagerly, not able to tear her eyes from the stunningly handsome man who was suddenly taking her part in the argument against Mr. Stephens.
"But she can't stay on board a whaler as a single woman. It is unthinkable that I should allow it."
Roland gave her a long lingering look which took her in from top to toe, then smiled. "She will not be a single woman. Miss Swain will be shipping out on the Naiad with me as my wife."
Voyage of the Heart
Book Three of The Starbuck Saga
Jacinta Carey
Rating: Sensual
Word Count=81,435, 329 pages
Price: $4.99
Or get all THREE Starbuck Saga Romances for ONE low price:
Journey of the Heart, The Stolen Heart, Voyage of the Heart=Save $5 off the list price
The Starbuck Saga Bundle, Jacinta Carey=$14.97ONLY $9.97
Reviews:
A wonderful historical romance of love on the high seas
"Voyage of the Heart is a wonderful novel. Roland Chase comes into his own as the newest brash captain in the Starbuck Fleet. His love at first sight almost becomes a love at last look, for they are both so confused at the passionately intense feelings they have for the other, that they want to do the noble thing and end what they consider to be their marriage of convenience. Only when Jerusha learns there is more to life than the ship and crew can they be truly happy.
"Once again, the author offers us a tale of toe-curling passion on the high seas. Roland is a magnificent hero, and we eagerly watch their love grow almost without them even realizing it. Jerusha is a brave woman who takes on every challenge, and deservedly wins her heart's desire."
Evelyn Trimborn, Italian Interlude"Magnificent. Roland Chase has certainly grown and matured after several years at sea, and has easily got to be the sexiest man in the Indian Ocean. The love between the characters is explosive, and burns brighter than the scorching tropical sun in this splendid continuation of The Starbuck Saga."
Annabelle Stevens, Love's Sweet Song"This is what excellent historical romance is all about: a wonderfully sexy hero and heroine, a fascinating period of time, and the path to true love followed, with every elegant love scene and nuance combining for a powerful conclusion. I adored the Starbuck men, Dare and Jared, but the newest captain in the fleet, Roland, most definitely gives them a run for their money as a larger than life lover."
Carolyn Stone, In From the ColdVoyage of the Heart
Book Three of The Starbuck Saga
Jacinta Carey
Rating: Sensual
Word Count=81,435, 329 pages
Price: $4.99
Or get all THREE Starbuck Saga Romances for ONE low price:
Journey of the Heart, The Stolen Heart, Voyage of the Heart=Save $5 off the list price
The Starbuck Saga Bundle, Jacinta Carey=$14.97ONLY $9.97
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