Excerpts from 'Leviathan Shore' Alexandra
(Excerpt #1)
Alexandra
McKee stood in the center of the old mercantile, hands planted on her hips,
nose wrinkled in disgust. The store had been shuttered for years, too long a
victim of neglect. White bird droppings peppered the wooden floor, while
cobwebs and a thick layer of dust covered the empty shelves. This building ought to be condemned,
Alexandra thought. Impossible to open a
ship’s chandlery here. As
Alexandra turned a slow circle, sunshine streaming through the open door caught
the coppery highlights in her upswept hair and brought a glow to her bustled
dress. She was not considered a lustrous beauty, as were some of the other
young women back in Boston; but with skin of cream and roses, and a
coveted hourglass figure to match, Alexandra felt confident of holding her own
ground.
* * *
(Excerpt #2)
She’d
loved James, had desperately hoped that he would return and marry her. That dream
had been shattered by his long term absence and lack of response to her letters.
A girl’s dream, Alexandra realized. A
dream that bore no semblance to the current task of opening the new chandlery.
James was soon to marry. A smart match, her grandmother
had said. Had James indeed changed and grown into a responsible, caring man?
None of it mattered, Alexandra reminded herself. She felt
determined to continue her father’s legacy, and prove to one and all her
competence in running a store.
If only her spirit wasn't so burdened by the news of James, or her thoughts so filled with all that once he had meant to her.
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