SECRETS OF THE LAKE--MORE THAN A LOVE STORY

“Secrets of the Lake” is far more than a historical romance between an Irish schoolteacher and the daughter of a Pittsburgh steel baron. It is an indictment of American industry—the greed and callous irresponsibility of the leaders of the railroad, steel and banking industry in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century. And as the author I fully intend it to be a wake up call regarding what is happening in America today. I simply had to get this message off my chest. It’s my fifth novel and it’s coming sooner than you think on Amazon.

SECRETS OF THE LAKE. Sneak Preview III. Caleb and Annabelle find themselves alone at the lake.

She began removing the combs from her hair and glancing at him sideways. When she gave her head a shake, the tresses tumbled down in a cascade of shimmering gold, reaching all the way to the comforters.

He had only seen her once before without a bonnet or headpiece of some kind. Something stirred inside him—as if seeing her for the first time.

He had yet to realize what she had in mind—her lips were unsmiling and her expression resolute with the stubborn determination he had come to know so well. Slowly she removed her tunic, folding it and placing it beside her. Next she began unbuttoning the blouse.

“Help me, Caleb,” she said.

My God, what was she doing? She was supposed to be out of sorts, he thought. Timidly, he reached over and held the blouse, watching her soft, willowy arms slip from the sleeves.

She was wearing several petticoats with wide straps brocaded with flowers. She raised her arms, and in one motion he removed them also.

Now only a corset remained on her upper body—like a band of white steel beneath the softness of her arms and shoulders. Slowly she turned her back to him until he was looking at a long row of laces, white and cottony, tied in a neat little bow knot ending in a tassel.

“Untie me, please.”