Elizabeth's Missing (eBook)

Ginger Schlegel (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
328 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
9798350999044 (ISBN)

Infos

While on her honeymoon, Elizabeth Darcy is abducted, trafficked, and transported overseas on an ocean cargo ship. Alone and vulnerable, she is auctioned and sold into slavery to George Wickham, an old family nemesis, to labor in the fields of a large fruit and vegetable farm. Wickham takes a personal interest in Elizabeth planning to use her for his personal revenge against the Darcy family. After two years of searching, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, cousin to her husband, discovers her location. He arranges a military task force to liberate her and the other trafficked victims owned by George Wickham. Unfortunately Wickham escapes the raid. Scarred both physically and mentally, Elizabeth returns to her family a different person trying to navigate the world she left behind. Will George Wickham continue to haunt her and search for her? How will she overcome her past trauma?

Writing under the pen name of Ginger Schlegel, the author rediscovered the characters Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy while watching the original 1940 movie, Pride and Prejudice, starring Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier. She immediately connected with their combination of innocence and complexity. Ginger spent 43 years of devoted service in the fields of nursing and education. She earned a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from St. John Fisher College. She now spends time quilting, reading, and writing. She recently discovered jet skiing and loves the combination of wind and water. Ginger grew up in upstate NY and now lives in central Virginia. She spends summers on the St. Lawrence River with her husband of 53 years. They have three children and six grandchildren.

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While on her honeymoon, Elizabeth Darcy is abducted, trafficked, and transported overseas on an ocean cargo ship. Alone and vulnerable, she is auctioned and sold into slavery to George Wickham, an old family nemesis, to labor in the fields of a large fruit and vegetable farm. Wickham takes a personal interest in Elizabeth and plans to use her for his personal revenge against the Darcy family. After two years of searching, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, cousin to her husband, discovers Elizabeth's location. As he arranges a military task force to liberate her and the other trafficked victims, Elizabeth becomes more physically and mentally scarred. If she returns to her family, she'll surely return as a different person. Will George Wickham continue to haunt her? How will she overcome her past trauma? This book is intended for adults and older teenagers. It describes the inhumanity of human trafficking for farm labor and contains a powerful, urgent message about personal safety and the responsibility readers have to help end human trafficking.

Textauszug

Chapter 2

“Oh Darcy, it is so beautiful here,” Elizabeth said while sitting on the balcony of one of upstate New York’s nicest resort hotel that overlooked the St. Lawrence River. She stared out the hotel room window, pondering the tragic and sad story of a local prominent landmark that stared back at her from across the river. “It’s so peaceful, so calm here, watching all the different boats and ships travel up and down the river. It’s just mesmerizing, almost healing. Even though this little town seems busy, it almost gives off an intimate feeling to those who are visiting, maybe even to those who live here all year,” Elizabeth continued.

“Yes. Unfortunately, this is the height of the tourist season, but the setting here is still quiet and romantic. I have never been here in the offseason, but I have been told it is like a ghost town, at least after the cold weather sets in and the river freezes over. After that, the boats and ships cannot traverse the river. The summer residents leave and many of the local shops close up for the season,” Darcy said.

“How do you know about this place?” Elizabeth asked, still looking out at the water. She could not take her eyes off the massive stone castle that had been built on a small island in the middle of the river. Her thoughts continued to travel back in time to its possible origin and those who intended to live within its thick, protective walls. Who were they? Did they come from another country? They must have been very wealthy to build such a structure. What happened to them and where are they and their families now? she thought.

“My parents brought me, my sister, and my cousin Richard here when we were young teens. We were probably around thirteen or fourteen or so. I just remember the large river, and of course the castle. There were always these huge ocean ships traveling up and down, all day and night. I remember that I wanted to swim out to one of them, join the crew, and travel the world with them. I also remember going on a boat tour around the islands, and then we went to see that castle there,” he said nodding at the huge structure just before them. “It was in really dreadful condition then. The walls were decayed, the plaster was falling from the ceiling, and graffiti was written all over the inside walls, the basement, and the unfinished stone walls. When the original owners left, the castle changed hands several times, until it was bought by a company, I don’t know which one, for next to nothing and over the past fifty years or so there have been extensive renovations and now it is being restored to its original design. Rumor has it that the castle will never be completed and it will never be lived in, just as it was left abandoned so many years ago.”

“Why? Why not finish it?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, the original mistress of the castle died before it was completed. That was around 1900 or so. The master and designer of the castle was so heartbroken with the loss of his wife that construction was stopped and the building fell into nearly complete ruin. Since around the mid sixties or so, money was acquired and renovations started to put the castle back to its original condition and design. The construction continues today. I’m sure there are books in the local shops telling the story about the place. We’ll get you one while we’re here, if you would like,” Darcy said.

“Yes, I would like to read the story. It sounds so sad, but I’m glad the building and grounds are being fixed up and restored.”

“Me too. It looks like a really beautiful building. Let’s take a tour out there and see the castle while we are here. I would like to see how it has changed, and how it looks now, how it was originally supposed to look,” Darcy said.

“I just love old buildings and the stories surrounding their origins and their occupants. Some are so sad, while others can be happy and fun. Maybe the ghost of the mistress still wanders around the house, watching over its renovation,” she said.

“I know you love that stuff, so that is another reason I want to go out there. You, my dear are a true romantic,” he laughed. “Before we go exploring, I am hungry. Are you ready for lunch? I thought we could eat downstairs in the small restaurant here, then take a ride in the boat I rented. I would like to cruise around some of the nearby islands,” Darcy said. “They really are quite beautiful, and so are some of the grand old homes, built around the same time as the castle. Many of them have their own story to tell. The tranquility, particularly when combined with the tragic stories of the many shipwrecks along the river itself, is very interesting and quite a contrast.”

“Now who is being romantic? Are we going out to one of the islands for some private sunbathing?” she asked.

“We cannot go onto the islands, they are mostly all privately owned, but I’m sure we can find some secluded place for the activity you have in mind,” he said with a shy smile.

“Well then, let’s go,” she answered.

In the hotel restaurant, they had a quick, light lunch of chicken salad, accompanied by a glass of wine. Within forty-five minutes they had changed their clothes, put on their life jackets, boarded the boat, and were headed out onto the river. It was a bright, sunny day and the river traffic was unusually light, so there weren’t many waves to toss the boat about. Elizabeth was glad of that, as she had a tendency towards seasickness.

“Are you alright? I know you sometimes don’t like the bouncing of a boat,” Darcy asked, glancing in her direction.

“Yes, I’m fine. This isn’t so bad,” she said, but Darcy wasn’t so sure. He had noticed that she was gripping the passenger seat tightly and her face had gone somewhat pale.

“Look, Elizabeth, over there,” he pointed toward the channel. “There is a large ship. It is called a lake freighter, commonly known as a ‘Laker’. These are ships that travel exclusively across the Great Lakes, transporting materials to the local U.S. and Canadian cities.”

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“Well, they are bulk carrier vessels, and they transport cargo such as limestone, iron ore, grain, coal, or salt. The cargo is packed in continuous holds, not in individual containers. They also have more hatches than an ocean vessel. It can take about seven to eight days to transverse the Great Lakes.”

“How far is that?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, the ships can travel from the farthest city on Lake Superior in Duluth, Michigan, to the Atlantic Ocean.”

“Is that a long way?”

“Yes, it is more than 5,700 miles,” Darcy answered.

“Wow, that’s quite a long way,” she answered.

“Canada also has similar ships to transport their cargo back to their own and sometimes to American cities along the coast. They are able to supply the steel mills of the auto industry in the cities of Detroit and Chicago. Their cargo is also packed in continuous holds, not in containers either, so they can unload faster. These Laker ships have a rounded bow and are usually narrower and longer than the ‘Salties’. They used to be quite popular, but sadly they are becoming dinosaurs,” he continued.

“The Salties?” Elizabeth asked, now starting to forget her seasickness.

“Yes, ‘Salties’. They are larger ships. They navigate the salt water-filled oceans and are too large for the small locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. They usually cannot travel any farther inland than Montreal, Canada, but a few can travel further into the river. They usually pick up their loads from Great Lakes ports nearest the mouth of the St. Lawrence, then travel out to the eastern Atlantic Ocean ports. From there they cross the ocean.”

“Wow, aren’t you the proprietor of river seamanship and cargo-transport knowledge,” Elizabeth said with a smirk.

“That’s funny, I assumed everyone knew that,” he replied. She ignored his comment while continuing to look out over the river. Little did she know that soon she would know the river well and become a product transported on the Salties.

R

Darcy and Elizabeth continued to travel slowly along the river in their rented boat. Within a few minutes, Elizabeth said, “Darcy, I just can’t believe how beautiful it is here. Quiet, peaceful, and serene. It makes you just want to stop, take a deep breath, and take in all this beauty and serenity.”

“Yes, I know. If you allow it, this river gets into your blood. Once it is there, you just can’t get rid of it.” He slowed the boat down to an idle.

“I can see how that happens,” she agreed quietly. “I think this river is in my blood already.”

“This river can also be savage. The winters here are cold and long, though many people live here year round, even on the islands. It can be very snowy at times. Most of the river freezes over in the winter, then the Lakers and the Salties cannot travel up and down the river to transport their cargo until the ice melts in the spring,” he said.

“What do people do here in the winter?” Elizabeth asked.

“Ice fishing is very popular here. Cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, and snow shoeing are just a few of the outdoor activities that the locals and winter tourists do here,” he answered.

After a few minutes of quiet, Darcy interrupted Elizabeth’s thoughts. “I would like to show you a few of the grand old homes that were...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.7.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9798350999044 / 9798350999044