Apathy & Vigor
Will
the love of a woman save him from his own apathy?
Tristen Brone
lived a carefree life of wealth and passion – until one day it all came
crashing down around him. In only a few
days he lost everyone he loved in the world – his woman, his best friend and
his parents. The once confident,
handsome young man, was now scarred for life and on a quick downward spiral of
sorrow and depression. He no longer
wanted to live.
When Amalie Fergus
arrives on his doorstep, a travel bag in her hand, begging him to take her in,
he becomes suspicious. Despite his
passionate past with this woman, and the feelings he still had for her, all he
could think of was how quickly she abandoned him after the fire that killed her
brother and left Tristen physically scarred.
So why had she come back into his life after all these months?
Amalie Fergus lost
her brother in a fire, her lover had abandoned her upon finding her with child,
and now her father had been poisoned, leaving their properties to be
repossessed. She had nothing and no one
left to turn to. In desperation, she
found herself forced to work for a living, trying to do her best as a maid for
any rich gentleman who would take her in.
What she hadn’t expected was for one of those men to try and force
carnal favours from her, or for her now to be on the run for his murder.
Running from the
scene of the crime, fearful what was to become of her, Amalie finds herself
colliding with a man from her past who offers to hide her from the police on
one condition – she return to Tristen and steal some property papers from him.
Trapped by the man
from her past, and now forced back into Tristen’s life, Amalie searches for who
murdered her brother. She could never
have foreseen the cruelty she would discover, or the man she would willingly
surrender her heart to.
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Excerpt:
“Damn it!” Tristen
cursed. “There has to be a way I can explain how much Amalie means to me
without disgracing her in your father’s eyes.”
“Is this why you
sent for me to join you out here?” Jacob asked. “Did you think I would have the
answers for you?”
Tristen was
confused. “I never sent for you. The only person I asked to meet me out here
was Amalie.”
Jacob pulled a
note out of his pocket and handed it to Tristen. “Are you saying you didn’t
send me this?”
Tristen took the
piece of paper and glanced down at it. Shaking his head, his gaze shifted back
to his friend. “I didn’t write this.”
“Then who did? And
why would they put your name on it?”
The two men stared
at each other, both confused. Tristen didn’t know how to answer Jacob. All he
could tell him was the truth about Amalie.
“I love her,” he
confessed, his words soft and heartfelt as he folded the note he was holding
and placed it in his trouser pocket. “She is everything to me.”
“Amalie’s
pregnant,” Jacob said.
“What?” Tristen
asked, shocked by what he was hearing.
“You’ve been
sleeping together for eight months, a baby is hardly a surprise,” Jacob stated.
Tristen knew what
his friend said was true, but still...a baby? Why had she not told him yet?
“I can try to talk
to my father for you,” Jacob finally relented, interrupting his thoughts.
“Besides, I can think of worse brother-in-laws to have than you.”
Tristen smiled.
“I’m going to be a father.”
Jacob nodded. “It
appears that way.”
Just then a
blood-curdling scream came from inside the workers’ cottage a few yards from
where they were standing.
“What the devil?”
Tristen asked as he and Jacob ran toward the building.
“Jacob, help me!”
the woman’s voice yelled from inside.
“Oh my God, that’s
Amanda!” Jacob exclaimed.
Tristen ran with
his friend to the front door of the building. “Why would she be calling for
you?”
Jacob stopped at
the door. “You’re not the only one who has been keeping secrets,” he confessed,
opening the already slightly open door and stepping inside.
Following his friend
inside, Tristen wanted to ask exactly what he meant by that. But the smoke
drifting toward him on the air made the words die on his lips.
“We need to find
her and get her out of here,” Jacob exclaimed as he rushed into the smoke.
Tristen reached
for his shoulder, pulling him back. “Take it easy, mate. You have no idea what
is in there or where the smoke is coming from.”
Hearing Amanda
scream again, Jacob pulled away from him and ran into the smoke. Tristen
followed, close on his heels. As the smoke got thicker, he quickly lost sight
of his friend.
“Jacob!” he
yelled, knowing they had to get clear of this building before the fire took
over. He heard no reply.
His pace slowing
slightly, he lifted his shirt over his nose and mouth to protect him from the
thick smoke. Just up ahead he could hear the crackling of flames, and he knew
it wouldn’t be long before this building, and anything around it, went up in
flames. He didn’t want to be in there when that happened. Tristen had so much
to live for now. Amalie and he were going to have a baby.
“Tristen!” he
heard Jacob yell to him, and he could only hope he was getting closer to him.
Looking down at
the floor, he saw the unmoving body of a woman. “Amanda?” he asked, kneeling
down beside her to see how badly she’d been hurt. The smoke was too thick for
him to see anything though. Dragging her toward him, he placed his hands under
her arms and tried to move her out of the smoke and toward the exit.
“Help me,
Tristen,” Jacob’s ragged voice yelled to him.
About Faye Hall:
Come on a journey with me through 19th century North
Queensland, Australia and explore the passions and hardships of unique
characters.
There is corruption, deceit and murder, as well as
cattle rustlers, slave traders and hell fire clubs. Explore townships of
Jarvisfield and Inkerman, as well as Ravenswood and Bowen. One book even
incorporates my great grandmothers cattle station 'Inkerman Downs Station'.
As well as an author, I am also the most spoilt
wife in the world, and a very contented mother.
Come and discover all the passion and drama of
North Queensland history with me
social media links
website https://www.faye-hall.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/FayeHall79
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/fayehall79/
Flipagram http://flipagram.com/fayehall79
Interview With Faye Hall:
1.
Can you tell us a little about your books?
I write historical romantic suspense set in North Queensland, Australia
during the late 1800s. My latest release, Apathy & Vigor, is the
fourth book in the Sins of the Virtuous series. Its a tragic and
passionate tale of Tristen and Amalie, whose lives were
ripped apart by fire, death and the ruthless cruelty of one man.
2.
How
many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I've
currently got 12 published to date. My favorite would have to be Heart
of Stone, as it deals with an Australian slave trader who falls in love
with an Irish slave girl.
3.
What
inspires you to write?
I take inspiration from many things including music, my own families history, as well as local stories about my hometown.
4.
What
is a usual writing day like for you, how is it structured?
My house is madness with 5 school kids and a shift working husband, so I
write where and when I can. I do tend to write mostly early morning and
late at night though.
5.
How
do you come up with your characters names?
Usually I take
names from mine or my husbands family tree. For Sins of the Virtuous
though I needed to find names that meant either the sin or the virtue of
each book. That proved to be a challenge.
6.
Do
you have a favorite food or drink you must have nearby when writing?
Coffee is good. Coffee is my friend.
7.
What are some of your favorite pastimes?
I love gardening. I find it very therapeutic. I also enjoy cooking for my family.
8.
What writing projects are you currently working on?
I'm still
finishing off the Sins of the Virtuous series. That's a few more
books. After that I might do a few single titles. There's also a book
I'm considering self publishing that has all my poems
and ditties I wrote in high school.
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