The Abolitionist's Secret by Becky Lower

Now, may I start you off with your usual appetizer?” That’s a mighty fine compliment, coming from you. We’re here tonight to sample some of your exquisite oysters.” Heather’s mother, Charlotte, glanced up from the menu. “And young Miss Fitzpatrick.” He nodded in Heather’s direction. Fitzpatrick, how nice to see you again.” Thomas Downing, a free man of color and the owner of the restaurant, came to their table. I feel fine.” She placed a hand on her stomach, willing it to stop fluttering about. “Don’t tell me you are coming down with the same stomach upset that Jasmine has.” “Whatever is the matter, dear?” Her mother asked. She finally forced her eyes away from him and placed the menu in front of her face. Heather could not move for a moment, or break the contact. A bolt of electricity ricocheted between them. Her eyes locked with those of a military officer sitting with two other men at a table across the room. She glanced around the opulent restaurant, trying to find the cause of her discomfort. The hair on the back of Heather Fitzpatrick’s neck rose. This story tackles the difficult subject of slavery, freedom, and the people who helped.

When writing about American history, one can't help but get involved in the social issues that shaped the country. Some of the social battles are still being fought today. Yet America in the decade leading up to the Civil War was a battlefield that affected each person in the country in a different way. The Abolitionist's Secret is at its heart a romance. He wants to take her to meet his parents in Savannah, GA, but she knows the South is no place for an abolitionist. In 1856 New York,a bashful abolitionist meets a young Army lieutenant and falls in love.

The Abolitionist's Secret by Becky Lower