Chapter 1

"At some point fate takes over a story and even the author himself loses control." Alena Smith, The Affair

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I would just like to disclose that the following events are fictitious, and in no way are meant to represent a real historical battle. It is a dramatization of final moments of the Napoleonic Wars. Whereas we know the final moments led to the Battle of Waterloo, I wanted to direct attention to the Royal Naval effort in this battle.

Chapter One

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, June, 1815

It was a game that the naval officers aboard the HMS Bradbury often liked to play.

What are you going to do when the war is finally over?

Captain Cassidy's men had gotten to the point of memorising their answers, as they were virtually unchanged in the three years they had been serving together at sea, but that still did not stop them wanting to play the game.

It was a much needed escape. Leave opportunities were rare as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close. Each man was simply too important to spare, which was why Luke had not returned home to England in a very long time.

It was an unusually foggy morning for the month of June as Luke and his more senior officers congregated on the bridge. Luke was at the helm, overseeing his crew working on maintaining the ship.

Luke hoped that his men in the crow's nest were doing better in seeing through the fog. It was making him nervous. A dozen British navy ships were forming a blockade in an attempt to stop and destroy any enemy ships that might flee. He knew that he had British ships either side of him somewhere, only it would make him feel easier if he could see them.

"Rest easy, Captain," Commander Lockwood assured him. "The militia have all but ended this. We are only a precaution. We have done our duty. The end is nigh."

"I will rest easy when we receive word that it is over and that we can return home," murmured Luke in reply.

Home seemed like such a foreign idea. It had been three years since he had set foot on English soil. It had been three years since he had known any sort of normality.

"When we receive the word, Commander, what are you going to do?" asked Lieutenant Hartwell.

Luke did try to relax himself as he began to participate in their ship's little game. The fact of the matter was that the end was nigh. All of these men would be returning to their families.

"Well, I joined the navy to make my fortune so that I could marry Miss Lizzie Simpkins," replied Commander Lockwood bitterly. "But she went and married someone richer while I was in the middle of a war. So I am going to take my fortune, by the biggest house in her county, and marry someone twice as beautiful as she."

The crew always laughed in support of Commander Lockwood's plan. It had been dreadfully painful for the man when he had received word that his childhood love had married another. He had indeed joined the navy to make his fortune, and he had worked terribly hard to rise up in the ranks so that he could receive the spoils of capturing enemy ships. But he had not done so quickly enough, and so Miss Simpkins had married another.

Luke had full confidence that Commander Lockwood would find another woman to love. He was brave, clever, handsome, and very wealthy. He would have no trouble.

"What are your plans after the war, Lieutenant?" Commander Lockwood asked in return.

"Oh, I am going to wear my naval uniform through every assembly hall and public room I can find in England and charm every young lady I can find," boasted Lieutenant Hartwell.

"You are appalling," remarked Luke comically.

Lieutenant Hartwell smirked. "Says the married man. We bachelors are allowed to do what we please when the war is over. Of course, you are, too, if you wished it."

Luke shook his head adamantly. Married was married to him, no matter how many miles there were between him and his wife.

"Of course, we all know what the Captain will be doing when the war is over," said Commander Lockwood knowingly.

Luke's answer had remained the same ever since he had received word that his son had been born. That day, in and amongst the conflict and bloodshed, had been the greatest day in his life. He was a father. There was a child in Somerset that belonged to him.

"One glance of my son, and I could die a happy man," replied Luke simply. That was all he craved. Jamie would be two years old. He would be near three years old by the time that Luke was able to return home. Luke had an idea of what he looked like by the descriptions in the letters he had received, but that was nothing compared to what it would be like to see his son, to hold his son, for the first time.

Jamie was not the only one that Luke longed to see. His mother held a significant part of Luke's heart, not matter how little time they had spent together before they had married.

Isabella had captured his attention almost immediately when she had travelled to Cassidy House to be by her sister's bedside.

Luke could recall the exact moment when he knew that Isabella was different than any other young lady that he had ever met.

During their first encounters, Luke charmed and entertained her with false tales of life at sea. He had been sporting a black eye at the time so he made her laugh with tall stories about being attacked by sharks and Napoleon all at the same time. He often charmed women at port with various tales, and Isabella had simply been one of them at first.

But then she had taken him by surprise.

"How is Annaliese?" Luke asked Isabella quietly. Isabella had joined him the library before they were to eat dinner. Eleanor was chaperoning, though sitting out of earshot with a novel in her hands.

"She is well," replied Isabella. She smiled at him, and then cocked her head. "Are you ever going to tell me how you really hurt your face?" she wondered.

Luke was not going to lie to her. It would be easy to. Isabella was pretty, silly, and naïve. She would believe what he told her. She seemed like a simple girl, but he did like her nonetheless. She would be a charming exploit for his remaining seven weeks in England.

"My brother thought that I kissed her," he replied truthfully, "and so he punched me for it."

Isabella's brown eyes widened. Luke did like her eyes. They were very large and expressive, and surrounded by thick sets of eyelashes. "You kissed my sister?" she gasped.

"No," Luke retorted. "I never kissed her, but my brother thought that I did. Annaliese sorted it out, she helped us to make up as though we were little children." He chuckled.

Isabella visibly settled when she heard that he had not kissed Annaliese. Luke relaxed. Isabella liked him. This would be easy.

Luke placed his hand over Isabella's. He expected her to blush, and she did. Lord, she was pretty. "How about you sit by me at dinner tonight?" he proposed smoothly.

Luke expected Isabella to giggle and accept, but she did not. Isabella removed her hand from his and cocked an eyebrow. "Your charm will only get you so far, you know," she countered suddenly, her voice willed with knowing maturity. "I am not the type of girl to be tricked into ruin."

Luke was utterly taken aback. Gone was the silly, naïve Isabella, and she was replaced by someone who had completely called him on his act. If he was being honest, he was impressed.

"I would never try to trick you into anything," Luke stammered. Those were the only words that his bewildered mind could find.

Isabella pursed her lips and smiled. "Please, Captain. Your brother believed you capable of kissing his wife. Your character has not impressed me thus far, no matter how entertaining I find you. I like attention, just like al girls my age, but I do not want to be treated as though I am disposable. If you would like to talk to me, then that would be alright with me."

From that moment on, Isabella had not been a conquest to him. She quickly became someone that he cared deeply for. Luke had taken her up on her offer. He did like talking to her. He could talk about anything with Isabella, and that connection with her resulted in him falling in love with her.

"When the war is over, I am going home to my family," Luke concluded.

A deafening blast filled their air, and every sailor on the HMS Bradbury suddenly came alert. That blast came from a cannon and it could only mean one thing. There was an enemy ship approaching.

A dozen more blasts sounded, and Luke could not be sure which ship it had come from. All he knew was that he needed to ready his ship for an immediate attack.

"Enemy ships, Captain!" shouted the crewmen in the crow's nest. "Starboard side!"

Luke immediately turned to the right, and saw the outline of a ship through the fog. He started to bellow orders to his men below, instructing them to load the cannons and prepare themselves for battle.

The enemy ship was not alone. As the ships began to descend, the fog began to clear. The blasted fog could have well been a death sentence. Luke could only pray that these ships were fleeing ships, and not equipped for war.

As Luke positioned the ship, he bellowed down to his mean to fire all cannons. He thanks God when he saw that the other British ships getting into position. They would annihilate this small, fleeing fleet in no time.

The first blast from his ship tore a hole in the port side of the French ship. From the bridge, Luke could see the French crew scurrying about in a panic. He grinned. This was not a war party that could compete with the British forces.

"And again! Fire!" Luke commanded.

The second blast hurtled into the hull, which destroyed the ship's ability to remain afloat. Their crew knew this and began to abandon ship by diving into the sea.

Perhaps this battle would be over by lunchtime.

Luke set his sights on another enemy ship that was currently putting up a good fight against one of the British Naval ships. Just as Luke was about to steer his ship in the appropriate direction to help, another blast sounded that was startlingly close. Luke did not have the time to see which ship the blast had come from, as the cannon ball ripped through his mast. Luckily, the cannon ball was not large enough to completely destroy it.

In a momentary lapse in judgement, Luke turned his attention away from the mast and back towards his crew. As he was barking orders, the mainsail detached from the mast, which sent the boom flying.

The boom crashed into the bridge and catapulted into large splinters. Luke was powerless as one of those large splinters collided with his head. His world went black before he could even close his eyes.

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Okay, so if you've followed me since the Regency Series, this sounds sort of similar to Changing Kitty, but trust me, this story is COMPLETELY different. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it :D

But I hope you like the first chapter and are wanting more! I promise we will return to Somerset soon so we will see all the old characters again, plus the addition of some new ones.

Okay, you want to hear something ironic? I have had this monster headache for a few days. I was really bored at work on Saturday night so I swept the entire floor and pushed all the dirt into a pile against the wall. When I was done, I got the dustpan and brush and swept it all up and then stood up, not realising there was a cabinet above me. I absolutely smacked my head into this bloody metal cabinet and omg the pain. I have this massive lump on my head and I can't wear my hair down at the moment because my head is lopsided :P But the irony? I whacked my head on a First Aid cabinet :P hahaha my clumsiness knows no end lol.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the new book! I'm eager to hear your thoughts :) Vote and comment!!