Dear Secret Agent,
Thank you for considering my women's fiction/romance query.
Two hearts, three lives, one future…
Pregnant and fleeing an arranged marriage, Dianna Marshall sets sail on the Titanic in the company of Margaret and William Stewart, a childless couple who offer Dianna sanctuary in exchange for her unborn child. But when the Titanic sinks, and William Stewart dies, Dianna's hope for a discreet return to her entitled life die with him.
William's tragic death is more than disappointing for his American cousin Jake Douglas, it's life changing. William's impoverished widow is harboring a run away; both are facing deportation. Against his better judgment Jake accepts legal and financial responsibility for both women and takes them back to his ranch in Texas, a decision that nearly costs him his life and liberty, small things when he realizes the young woman he only wants to help has taken the one thing he feared losing the most—his heart.
Dianna's desperate bid to reclaim the life she knew shatters everything she knows, and forces her to rethink what really matters: is it the life she's been raised to lead, the man her heart desires, or the unborn child she's come to love? She can't have it all, and the wrong choice may leave her with nothing.
About me: I am a married mother of four, and RWA member, published in Canadian Living Magazine and The Vancouver Province, British Columbia's best-read newspaper.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
***
Southampton
April 10, 1912
"Aye, here they come, Miss."
Dianna Marshall followed the line of Dirk’s callused index finger to the boat-train gliding up to the Southampton dock, each craft in the chain loaded to capacity with men, women and children. She must have a made a small noise, because Dirk looked at her.
"Aye, don' fret Miss," he said kindly. "I'm sure the Stewarts is fine people. Milady wouldna send ye otherwise."
Milady would send her off with the devil himself if it meant sparing the family's reputation, but Dianna withheld her opinion. Dirk's loyalty to his Mistress ran as deep and wide as the ocean that would soon separate Dianna from her sisters.
Tightening her hold on the handles of her portmanteau, Dianna blinked to stem a sudden rush of tears. Dirk tactfully ignored her fluster, as he gestured to an alcove under the boarding tower.
"Ye'll less likely to be trampled waiting there, while I search out the Stewarts and bring 'em to ye."
And once he brought them to her, they would take her with them.
She grasped his coat sleeve. "Tell Alaina and Lizzy I love them and I won't forget them."
Dirk's snowy brows arched high. "Ye say that like ye don't intend to come back?"
"Just tell them."
Avoiding her gaze, he shook his head. "Milady said not one word to anyone, especially Miss Alaina and Miss Elizabeth."
"You must. I had no chance to say goodbye. Please," she added and squeezed his forearm.
