The legend that inspired a folksong. From the shores of Galveston Bay to the plains of San Jacinto, Emily, The Yellow Rose sweeps readers into a mezmerizing tale of Texas history and Afro-American folklore that has long been cherished by millions.
Set during the mid-1830's, this is the saga of a serving girl who lived and loved amidst the turmoil of the Texas Revolution. Little is known of the beautiful mulatto, Emily D. West and her mysterious lover, but their story lives on in the romantic ballad,
The Yellow Rose of Texas - a poignant folk song that flourishes today.
The unforgettable cast of characters that springs to life to tell the tale include:
Emily D. West ... the woman whose beauty inspires a folk song, whose courage helps found a republic.
Joshua Kinney - the mysterious free spirit who must fight to prove his loyalty to Texas, risking everything for love.
General Santa Anna - the Mexican general who takes Emily captive and turns her life into legend.
General Sam Houston - the leader of the Texas Army, the man who crushes an enemy no one believed he could defeat and forges a nation from the chaos of war.
Excerpt
Chapter One
Two months after leaving New York, the Exert docked at Anahuac after
carefully maneuvering sandbars in Galveston Bay. As the schooner
settled into the primitive harbor, Emily crossed the deck and leaned
against the ship's rail, gazing down in wonder at the tangled growth of
trees and vines that banked the sandy shore. The scorching Texas sun
seared her face and humid swampy air closed in around her as she
struggled to balance her heavy valise against her hip.
"Texas," Emily murmured, feeling her spirits lift as she gazed at
the wild tropical landscape. Her pulse began to race in excited
anticipation of the new life she envisioned for herself, in spite of the
dismal site that greeted her. Narrowing her eyes, she assessed the
scene, realizing just how far from civilization she had traveled. This raw
land, the Mexican province that men who called themselves Texans
were fighting to control, would now be her home--a place where,
hopefully, a woman of color could live in dignity and freedom.
When the other Negroes aboard the Exert began their march
down the rough gangplank, Emily turned away from the schooner's rail
and joined them, walking quickly to the far side of the dock where she
waited in silence, clutching her worn valise, anxious to begin the last leg
of her journey.
Emily immediately lowered her eyes against the stares of the
handful of settlers who had come to gawk at the newly arrived blacks
and watch the ship's unloading. She gave her tangled skirt a hard
shake, then stole a glance at Nathan, the boy with whom she had shared her cramped, dark berth during the voyage.
Though only twelve years old, Nathan's face had the look of a
man. She could see how his spirit had been broken by the long arduous
voyage, and remembered how he'd tossed and turned, often crying out in his sleep for the mother he'd been forced to leave. Emily yearned to
touch Nathan's arm and comfort him in some way, but knew better than to try. Instead, she busied herself by pulling a gray bandana out of her pocket, which she tied around her head to keep the sweat that was rapidly forming on her brow from running into her eyes. Placing the sleeve of her brown cotton dress against her nose, she tried to dull the rush of foul body odor that was drifting from the tattered congregation.
Two months without bathing, combined with the layers of dirt that caked the ragged clothing of the weary blacks, made for a stench that was nearly unbearable.
"Keep it moving! We ain't got all day to empty this ship." A
soldier's voice cut through the din that erupted as soon as the ship's
holds were opened.
Emily looked around and saw a black man, bent nearly double,
coming down the gangplank with a barrel on his back. The soldier
stepped forward and punched the slave with the butt of his rifle, prodding him faster toward the shore, then did the same to the next man in line, urging the burdened stream of strong black men to keep their course - out of the hold, down the gangplank, across the dock to waiting flatbed wagons where the long-awaited contents of the Exert would be delivered to the settlers in the territory.
Emily eyed the soldier closely, both annoyed and frightened by
the way he strutted along the dock. The rakish tilt of his cowhide hat
added to his air of authority, and the blazing sun caught the smooth
blade of his bayonet, reflecting its keenness toward her.
She flinched, squinting against its brilliance, inwardly shuddering at the danger it represented, certain that this man would use it against her if he wanted to.
When the soldier swung his rifle over his shoulder and headed in her direction, Emily stiffened. The sorting was about to begin. Soon she would meet James Morgan, the man who had paid her passage to Texas and bought her services as a maid and housekeeper for the next year.
Autumn 1940. Germany invades Britain. Newport is blitzed. Danny O’Shea’s house is bombed, his wife is killed. While taking his young son Adam to neutral Ireland, they witness an attack on a German convoy. The result is brutal.
Compelling historical fiction that traces the life of a young English immigrant woman who travels to America at the turn of the century to start a new life for herself. Encountering danger, romance, heartache and tragedy, she strives to fit into a
