Silas Dewitt, newly arrived in an Idaho gold camp, saves two Chinese boys from a mob of drunken miners. But one of them turns out to an independent, stubborn, lovely woman who decides her role is to protect him.
Soomey, shaped by poverty and sexual slavery, sees Silas as her means to freedom and independence—until she falls in love with him. Knowing that she is assisting in her own heartbreak, she guards his back as he searches for a cache of gold nuggets.
A vicious killer stalks them both, hating Soomey for her race, Silas for his wealth, until both Silas and Soomey find themselves in deadly peril. Their salvation will test the limits of their budding love as they weigh sacrifice against survival.
Excerpt
"Good evening. You must be Young Buff."
"Boss!" Soomey hadn't seen him enter. "Are you well? You are very late!"
"I brought some folks across with me. They couldn't travel fast." He looked at Buffalo. "Well?"
Soomey bit her lip. Boss was very angry. She could tell because his voice had that quiet tone to it.
"Uh, yessir. I am. Buffalo Lachlan. That's me."
"I see. And do you make a habit of talking about subjects that are better left unmentioned?"
"Well, nossir, but I thought..."
"A word of advice, Young Buff. Don't." Boss shed his coat and Tao Ni took it to hang it carefully on the center pole.
"Sir?"
"Don't think. Not about things you don't understand. Is that clear?"
Soomey almost laughed aloud. Buffalo was standing very straight. He looked even more frightened than when she had shot at him.
"Yessir. Not a word. I promise." His voice cracked at every word.
"Good. What's for supper Soomey?" Boss tousled Tao Ni's hair. "I could eat a bear."
"Very good rice with dried fish and fresh green vegetable," she said, not knowing the English word for watercress. "It will be ready in two shakes."
"Good. I need to see to the horses. Be back in a while. C'mon, Young Buff. You can help me unload."
Shortly Soomey had a fire burning before the tent, and water coming to a boil over it. Tao Ni was bringing more wood, in case Boss wanted a larger fire later.
"The youngsters don't know anything about the cave," Silas told Young Buff as they led the unloaded horses to the corral outside town. "Let's just keep it that way. The less they know, the less they can talk about."
"I'm right sorry I let my mouth run on like that. Why if Pa was here, he'd tan my hide, sure enough."
"Just don't let it happen again. Now, what are your plans? Are you headin' back to Cherry Vale tomorrow?"
Young Buff grinned, clear across his face. "Nossir. I ain't. Pa allowed as how I'm big enough to see how the world works. He told me that if you was here, I could stay with you for as long as I could be of help."
Silas peered at him through the dusk. "Of help to me?"
"Well, yessir, you know. Help you haul out the--"
"Hardware," Silas interrupted, frowning in warning. "Yes, I reckon you can help me set up the hardware for my store." Great God, what was Emmet thinking of, sending him this eager, talkative lad? As if Silas didn't have enough youngsters to worry about.
"And if you don't have work for me all the time, I'd like to take a look see at the town," Young Buff said. "Never saw a saloon in my whole life, and that store, I reckon it's got about anything a fella could want in the way of groceries. Why I saw some chocolate candy in there, and some licorice." His voice cracked again. "I had licorice once, when Pa took me down to Fort Boise."
Shaking his head, Silas gave in. "You can stay as long as you want, lad. Just watch what you say."
"I surely will, Silas. And I'll be a real help to you, you'll see."
"There's just one thing," Silas said, hating the necessity to say it, but knowing he must before they returned to the tent.
"Yessir."
"You mind what Soomey tells you. She's been in these camps even longer than I have and she knows her way around."
"Yessir, I...she?"
"Yep," Silas said, enjoying the stunned expression on Young Buff's face. "She."
Professional Reviews
The Duchess of Ophir Creek
Boise Basin, 1862
In the 1860's, gold fever brutally hit the Boise Basin as thousands of men left their homes and families in search of fortune. A successful merchant already, Silas DeWitt returns to the Idaho territories to uncover the fortune in gold he found and hid fifteen years earlier. Now, new towns have popped up everywhere, trees and landmarks are destroyed, and Silas knows it will take some time to locate the cave he sealed up as a youngster.
As Silas rides through Bannock City, a make shift town teeming with miners, he notices a cluster of men, and figures a fight has broken out. When he sees the group of men harassing two young Chinese boys, he steps in and claims the boys as his workers. His interference gains him two young Chinese to look after, and several enemies in town who now label him a Chinese lover.
The older of the two Chinese, Soomey, is actually a young woman, although she does not admit as much to Silas until she can trust him. Soomey dresses and acts like a boy to protect herself while she tries to make enough money to go to Portland and be free. Having suffered unspeakable acts as a slave since childhood, Soomey ran away when her last master died. She paid another Chinese to take her to Portland, but caught up in the gold fever, he took her to the Idaho territory instead. Now Soomey hopes she can earn enough with Silas to eventually travel to Portland.
Soomey is a fighter. Strong and proud, she earns Silas' respect and admiration, and falls in love with the kind man, despite her vow never to be bound to another man again, even in marriage. Silas is also drawn to Soomey, although guilt keeps him from acting on his attraction. The journey these two take towards love is the heart of this tale.
Besides a beautiful and touching romance, THE DUCHESS OF OPHIR CREEK is a fascinating account of life in the 19th century in the Boise Basin during the heart of its gold rush. The second of Ms. Glad's BEHIND THE RANGES series, this tale is wondrously unique, extremely well written and filled with emotion. I simply could not put it down. The main characters are well developed and realistic, despite their hero-like qualities. No American Western romance would be complete without some adventure and a villain or two, and this story more than delivers on that front as well. I'm happy to recommend such an original and enjoyable book and look forward to reading Ms. Glad's work in the future.
Astrid Kinn
www.romrevtoday.com
The Duchess of Ophir Creek
Reviewed by Elizabeth K. Burton, Blue Iris Journal
When Silas Dewitt travels to the Idaho gold fields he is looking for a hidden fortune, not a couple of Chinese kids. Still, he can't stand and watch the two young boys being abused, so he takes the feisty Soomey and his "brother" under his wing to keep them safe.
As it turns out, Silas is the one who could use some protection, and Soomey isn't a boy. Sold into slavery as a child to a brutal ship's captain, Sung Su Mei found freedom when her second master died, and she intends to keep it. She also intends to keep her promise to watch her new boss's back. What's she's not prepared for is losing her heart in the process.
Set in the turbulent days and lawless towns of Idaho's brief gold rush, The Duchess of Ophir Creek brings both the time and the place to vivid life. The often-brutal lives of Chinese immigrants, many of them shipped to the US to become slaves in all but name, is a vital part of this story of one young woman's stubborn fight to be free, and Ms. Glad balances it deftly with a thrilling romance between a pair of seemingly unlikely lovers.
In Soomey, Ms. Glad has created a character on a par with Scarlett O'Hara, Jane Eyre and Forever Amber. She is a consummate survivor, rising above the horrors of her childhood to embrace a strength and determination that rings throughout the pages. She is a fascinating combination of knowledge and innocence, fiercely protective of those she cares about whether they like it or not. She strides through the pages like a force of nature.
Silas DeWitt also has that elemental feeling, but where Soomey is all wind and fire, he is solid as the earth and steady as the rain. Honest and honorable, willing to sacrifice himself to help those he loves, he and Soomey, despite their differences, share more than they know.
Ms. Glad seasons the story of these two fated lovers with a healthy dollop of danger and adventure, combining it all into a fast-paced, deeply moving story of friendship and dedication that is totally entertaining. The Duchess of Ophir Creek is a must-read for anyone who enjoys well-researched, expertly told historical fiction full of unique characters and action that keeps the reader on the edge of the seat from first page to last.
Ireland 1947. Seven weeks of relentless snow. Guard Eamon Foley is searching for a missing child.
At Toby Appleyard’s farm, he discovers the kitchen littered with dead cats. And the skeletal remains of a woman. Upstairs, Toby is dead in his bed.
