Winds of the Storm
Page 28
He set her down on the sofa, kissed her soundly then sat beside her. “She’ll know what to do with it.”
“Yes she will.”
Archer was slowly undoing her gown and placing sweet heat-filled kisses on her mouth, throat and the tops of her breasts.
“Who will you be in bed tonight, ma chérie—Domino, Zahra Crane, Zahra Lafayette?”
Feeling arousal taking hold in response to his expert kisses and caresses, Zahra purred, “I think I’ll be Zahra Le Veq, the virgin bride.”
Archer chuckled and bit the lobe of her ear gently. “Virgin?” he asked with amused interest and delight.
“Yes, which means you’ll have to show me what to do.”
“I believe I can handle that task.”
“Are you sure?”
He slid the top of her gown down and brushed a kiss over her soft skin. “Most definitely.”
“I love you, Archer,” she breathed as his mouth pleasured her.
“I love you, too, Zahra.”
And, later in the bedroom, he proved it until she screamed.
Author’s Note
Archer Le Veq was first introduced in my fifth novel, Through the Storm, published in 1998 by Avon Books. That story revolved around Sable Fontaine and Raimond Le Veq, but Archer and the Brats made such an impression that fans have been demanding a sequel ever since. I’ve been waiting for Archer and Zahra, too, so I hope you had as much fun reading about them as I had bringing their story to life.
To my surprise, the institution with the most complete information on Black Dispatches, male and female, turned out to be this nation’s Central Intelligence Agency! An article by P.K. Rose titled The Civil War: Black American Contributions to Union Intelligence can be found at: www.odci.gov/cia/publications/dispatches.dispatch.html.
It’s filled with fascinating little known facts of the race’s contribution to the war, and I’m pleased to have my tax dollars contributing to the preservation of such an important aspect of American History.
Dorothy Sterling, in her book The Trouble They Seen: The Story of Reconstruction in the Words of African Americans, published by Da Capo Press, describes Henry Adams as a “one-man investigating committee.” Those of you who have read my first novel, Night Song, know that he played a significant role in the Great Exodus of 1879, and that my fictional town in which Night Song takes place is named for him. However, I’d no idea he was so politically active before the Exodus, nor was I aware of the covert activities he and his volunteers conducted during the dark days of Redemption until I read Ms. Sterling’s book. Adams mentions his investigators in testimony before a committee of the United States Senate. (For further information please see: Senate report 693, 46th Congress, 2nd Session and/or Sterling’s book.)
The Death Books Zahra and her forces were hunting were real, and they are referenced in Adams’ Congressional testimony, as well. In my humble opinion, a full historical treatment of Henry Adams and his contributions to the race is long overdue, so all of you true historians out there, the ball’s in your court.
The name and accomplishments of Oscar J. Dunn have faded so much over time, he has all but disappeared from the history books. The controversy surrounding his untimely death remains unresolved. No one knows why his family refused the autopsy, or why considering the numbers of other Republicans who claimed to have had the same symptoms, Dunn was the only one to die. The only article I could find on the circumstances of his death was published by the journal Phylon, and written by Marcus B. Christian.
Reconstruction is one of the most compelling eras of American history but trying to include all of the facts and stories is impossible, so please consult my partial list of sources below for more information.
Blassingame, John W. Black New Orleans: 1860–1880. University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London, 1976.
Foner, Eric. Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution. 1863–1877. Harper and Row, New York, 1988.
Gehman, Margaret. Free People of Color of New Orleans. Margaret Media, New Orleans, 1994.
Quarles, Benjamin. The Negro in the American Revolution. University of North Carolina Press, 1961. (See this book for information on the original James Lafayette.)
Writing this book became very personal for me. While I was working on it Hurricane Katrina entered our lives. My heart goes out to the Americans impacted, especially those in New Orleans.
For all those who sent cards and wishes to me after the publication of Something Like Love, please know that I am alive and doing well. Thank you for the outpouring of love, concern, and support.
Stay Blessed,
B
About the Author
BEVERLY JENKINS has received numerous awards, including three Waldenbooks Best Sellers Awards, two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times magazine, and a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer¹s Guild. In 1999, Ms. Jenkins was voted one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the 20th Century by AABLC, the nations largest on-line African-American book club. To read more about Beverly, visit her website at www.beverlyjenkins.net.
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THE VISCOUNT’S WICKED WAYS by Anne Mallory
WHAT TO WEAR TO A SEDUCTION by Sari Robins
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WINDS OF THE STORM. Copyright © 2006 by Beverly Jenkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition January 2007 ISBN 9780061736926
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