The Fire's Center (2 page)

Lucien is willing to see her as more than just a poor woman, recognizing her intelligence and courage.
 
Asking her to become his nurse and assess the needs of the poor may not be the right thing to do in the eyes of stuffy Victorian society, but as the Famine rages, Lucien decides propriety be damned.
 

Riona is thrilled at the opportunity to help others and study with such a fine doctor, but her interest in her employer goes from professional to personal as they spend more and more time together. Soon the passion simmering between them bursts into a full conflagration.
 

Lucien, shocked at the depth of his love for Riona and need for her, tries to pretend that none of it ever happened. Riona, hurt but also determined to make something of her life with or without Lucien’s help, forges a career for herself despite the limited opportunities for women, and especially women of her class and religion, in 1840s Ireland.

Lucien soon realizes that he has underestimated Riona and the genuine love they shared. Can he win her back before it's too late?

This is a mesmerizing novel of love, loss, suffering and redemption, with a spirited hero and heroine center-stage, drawing the reader into a remarkably well-drawn world.
 
Passionately intense, this a book you will savor every word of, and remember long after you have finished it.

Riona Connolly, desperate for work so she can support her family, is thrilled at the chance to work at Dr. Lucien Woulfe’s clinic, even if it is in the poorest slum in Dublin.
 

Some of his friends and family look down on her as being a peasant, but Lucien can see things that others can’t: her courage, intelligence, selfless devotion to others, and her beauty and passion. Draw to her like a moth to a flame, he is scorched by desire, and terrified that he is falling in love.
 

His last relationship to the faithless Antoinette ended when she married his brother. This is a minor inconvenience to the scheming woman as she plots to win Lucien back as her lover.

Riona, far from being overawed by Dublin’s upper-class, finds them vain, selfish, and debauched.
 
As Antoinette moves against her, and the evil Dr. O’Carroll blackens her name, Riona knows that she and Lucien can never be happy together with so many people trying to pull them apart.

Determined to carve out a good life for herself through hard work and study, she leaves Lucien to return to her family in Donegal.

Only when Riona is gone does Lucien come to recognize her true worth. But circumstances have raged out of control, and he nearly loses almost everything he has cared about before he sees at last what a wonderful gift of love they share.

This is a beautiful novel, with two compelling characters and a set of events which propel them toward growth, understanding and love.
 
We are not just following a moving romance and passionately sensual love affair, but the march of history, in this exceptional work by this remarkably talented author."

Brilliant!

Couldn’t put it down! Moving and tragic, the heroine copes with everything life throws at her. The hero is stunning as well, to fearful to let love into his life until he almost loses everything. The love scenes are sensual but tasteful, and the novel is sure to be a winner with anyone like myself looking for something that little bit different from traditional romances.

Fascinating

This was a fascinating novel of the Famine. The heroine Riona Connolly has to move heaven and earth to save her family and win the man she loves. The dark forces at work against her in the form of Lucien’s ex-fiancee, and a horrible doctor who works with him, nearly cost her everything.

Lucien is an admirable hero, married to his work, hide-bound by society’s expectations of him. He is an honorable and decent man, if a bit traditional, and terrified of falling in love. The last thing he ever imagines is that he will fall for a young woman from the wilds of Donegal.

The magic between them is felt by both, resisted by both. In the end it brings them together, for the force of their destiny and the heat of their passion cannot be denied. Both bring out the best in each other, in the worst of times.

Both show true courage and decency, and the passion which shimmers between them nearly scorches the pages! But don’t worry, there is nothing crude here. The love scenes are really beautifully done.

A wonderful cast of supporting characters as real to me as my own family and friends, and gorgeous descriptions of their travels in Ireland, make this book well worth reading.

Awesome

Another fantastic novel from this talented author. I was moved to tears reading it. The love scenes are fabulous, the hero and heroine made for each other, and the action is superb. I enjoyed every word of it.

 
Simply divine

Another great book from this fantastic author. Gutsy and determined heroine, real life issues, and sultry romance. Don’t miss it.

The Fire's Center

Shannon Farrell

HerStory Books

Dedication: To my family, with love and gratitude.

Originally published in the UK and US as
The Fire's Centre

Second Edition
The Fire's Center
, with all new additional material, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-58345-147-2

9511 Shore Road, Suite 514

Brooklyn, NY 11209

I think continually of those who were truly great,

The names of those who in their lives fought for life,

Who wore at their hearts the fire’s centre,

Born of the sun they travelled to the sun,

And left the vivid air signed with their names—

Stephen Spender

March 1847

Riona Connolly trudged along the muddy road, shifting the bundle on her back slightly to ease its drag on her thin shoulders. She managed to pull her shawl up over her thick auburn waves just before the torrential downpour began.

Looking left and right through the pelting rain with her large sapphire blue eyes, Riona sought in vain for any sign of shelter. There were no cottages, no trees on this barren stretch of road of southern Donegal. So far as she knew, the next town wasn’t for miles yet.

She debated as to whether or not she should turn back to Letterkenny. At least there she would be certain to find a stable to bed down in for the night. She had no idea what awaited her up ahead.

But the pressing need to help her family and find her father caused her to put one foot in front of the other with dogged determination. At least she had wrapped her bundle up well in an old waterproof cloth, she thought optimistically. It would keep the worst of the rain off her back until she could find a place to take refuge.

As darkness descended rapidly over the bleak northern landscape, the deluge continued unabated, drenching the sedge and gorse. She prayed the land would blossom and grow again once more soon. That the pestilence which had caused the dire Famine would at last ease its stranglehold upon the countryside.

She crossed herself and offered up a quick prayer for the thousands of victims who had been claimed since the Potato Blight had struck, and another prayer for her lost loved ones.

Suddenly, Riona paused and turned her head back in the direction of Letterkenny. In the distance, she thought she could hear the clatter of horses’ hooves on the rough road. Soon she espied a dim light heading towards her.

The rain was still coming down in torrents. Did she dare try to get their attention, and ask for a lift? Surely if they were decent people, they wouldn’t mind her riding on the back or top of the coach?

She wouldn’t even leave a dog out on a night like this, she thought with a shiver as the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, and the chill spring evening tightened its icy grip.

Mustering her courage and optimism, she stood by the side of the road and waved. To her relief, the huge black carriage drew to a halt next to her, and the door swung open.

"Get in quickly, before you drown," a deep voice commanded.

"No, really sir, I can always ride on the back," Riona protested, stepping back from the circle of light the coach lanterns gave off.

"Nonsense, child, come inside at once before you catch your death. I’m a doctor. I have no desire to end up with a corpse in the luggage boot. Now get in," he ordered.