Cate's Crossing (ePub)

At the age of six, Cate Malone finds out that her mother has jumped from the Putney Bridge into the swirling waters of The River Thames. At that point, her father, a hard-drinking, brawling poet is forced into sobriety in order to properly and lovingly raise young Cate to be well-educated and eager to seek out and explore the well-considered possibilities available for a life well-lived in America and wherever else the winds and currents might take her. On May 24th, in the year 1756, Mary Catherine Malone and two classmates, Carie Bishop and Daisy Cartwright, all recent graduates of St. Hilda's School in Port London, embark on a four to six-week crossing to America. They are contracted to be indentured servants for a period of five years. After which time, they will be emancipated with no further obligation. They will sail on a ship called, The Fancy. On CATE'S CROSSING, they will survive raging storms, near-starvation, ravenous rats, murderous pirates, kidnapping, madness, a flirtation with enormous wealth, falling in love, erotic love, and finally, finally, making land in America at Port Philadelphia, by surviving one hundred and sixty-three wretched days at sea - over four months after their anticipated arrival. Cate is the central character in the story. Daisy and Carie are equally as strong in their own independent ways. In this new world, Cate finds a lifelong friend and gathers her own new American family where they live secluded in the mountains as pacifists as much as is possible during a revolution. Oh, and there is a seagull, implying the transmigration of souls. And later, an owl as noted on the cover of this book. The owl depicted, belongs to Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom as she holds the lamp for guidance.