Whispers of Heaven

Tasmania, 1840: Jesmond Corbett returns home from school in London determined to conform to the expectations of her aristocratic family and marry the childhood companion to whom she is betrothed. But Jessie is a woman filled with restless longings and unacknowledged needs. And nothing in her sheltered life has prepared her for Lucas Gallagher, an Irish rebel doomed to a lifetime of suffering and humiliating servitude.

For Jessie's island home is a place of brutal contradictions, its genteel lifestyle and gracious estates based on the soul-crushing labor of the convicts who toil under the British penal system. Haunted by a tragic past but fiercely proud, Gallagher has vowed to escape this living hell or die trying. But he can't resist the dangerous desires stirred by the vital, troubled young woman to whose family he has been assigned. And although they know their love can have no future, the star-crossed lovers inevitably succumb to a forbidden passion that threatens to destroy both their lives and Gallagher's last chance to reach for freedom.

Filled with the masterful blend of vividly drawn, memorable characters and high adventure for which Candice Proctor is renowned, here is a unforgettable tale of love and triumph set against an wild, stirring background.

When Jessie Corbett returns to Tasmania after two years spent studying geology in Victorian England, she finds that little has changed: her mother is as stiff and proper as ever, her brother, Warwick, is moody and rebellious; and her childhood companion and betrothed, Harrison Tate, is prim but polite. It isn't until Jessie meets Lucas Gallagher, an Irish convict who has been transported to Tasmania to work as a slave for her family, that she realizes how ill suited she is for the subdued life that has been arranged for her. Although there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles between Jessie and Lucas, their relationship blossoms when Lucas is assigned to be Jessie's groom. As Jessie roams the island, exploring caves and making clandestine visits to a wise old fallen woman, she and Lucas find ample opportunity to pursue their dangerous passion and become embroiled in risky adventures—Jessie is nearly killed by runaway slaves, and Lucas dives into turbulent waters to rescue members of a stricken ship. Proctor deftly evokes the island's rugged beauty while spinning a romance that faithfully portrays the mind-set of the period. Vividly drawn characters and a surprising but satisfying denouement will ensure that this tale is well received.