Today I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Vicky Adin’s historical novel, Sarah’s Destiny as part of a a Blog Tour hosted by The Coffee Pot Book Club.

Blurb

Young Sarah Daniels is the heart, soul and future of The White Hart Inn on the Welsh Back. Alongside the quay and wharves on Bristol’s floating harbour, she dreams of finding love, and a destiny where she can escape the drudgery and tragedy that life usually delivers Victorian women. But dreams are free, and few share her ideals. When reality strikes, and Sarah learns the hard way that life is unkind, one man offers her hope.

Through many decades of heart-aching loss, false promises and broken dreams, the young widow clings to that one hope. With six children to care for, she takes risks few others would consider. She breaks conventions and makes sacrifices to keep that hope alive.

Will her wishes come true, or is she destined to be another unfortunate in the sea of many?

Excerpt

Sarah returned to the barroom as quickly as she could. She’d washed and changed into a black skirt, clean apron and fresh cream blouse with a pretty collar, coiling her hair up and holding it in place with a tortoiseshell comb.

Her sister Mary, who was a clever dressmaker, had made the blouse for her. Sarah sometimes wished she was taller, like her sister, and straighter. Mary carried herself with such elegance, while Sarah, darker in looks, thought she looked more like a Welsh incomer.

She smiled inwardly when she saw her father had nodded off while sitting in a captain’s chair behind the bar. Two men sat at one of the new tables by the window, supping their ale and quietly chatting.

As she approached the men, one turned towards her. Her heart skipped a beat as an unexpected and unrecognised feeling tingled her skin. She was mesmerised by his looks: tanned but not burnt to brown butter, a moulded rather than chiselled face, neither clean-shaven nor bearded. His cap sat at the back of his head, allowing his sun-lightened hair to curl around his ears and flop over his eyebrows.

“Name’s John,” he said with a grin that lit his startling eyes, as blue as any sky she’d seen, and sent her heart into a greater flutter. “And who might you be?”

“Give over, Johnno,” said his companion, scoffing. “Everyone’s known Sarah since she were a nipper.”

And he wasn’t wrong. By sight, Sarah knew both men, regulars from the boats, but she’d never had anyone look at her like that before.

John’s voice interrupted her appraisal. “What? Nah. This gorgeous creature afore me can’t be the same scrawny kid that used to roam the cobbles.” He stood then and was suddenly inches away. “I’d never’ve guessed.”

She could feel his breath on her cheek as he leaned forward and inhaled, taking in the scent of the olive oil toilet soap she used, made locally by Fripp & Thomas. She clutched the sides of her skirt to keep her hands steady.

Sarah cleared her throat and took a step back. “Can I … can I um, get ya anything? More scrumpy or summat to eat?” she stammered.

He sat down, drained his cider and held the vessel out to her. “How can I resist ’aving your sweet hands resting on the same pot I been clutching?”

She gingerly took the tankard, carefully avoiding the touch of his fingertips, and returned to the bar where Jacob stood frowning.

“Did ya get prettied up specially for him?” he nodded towards John, who sat with one ankle resting on his knee, watching her every move.

“No!” she whispered aghast, but couldn’t resist turning her head for a sneak look. “I didn’t know they were in town, much less here.”

Jacob’s mouth formed a thin line. “Well. Watch your step, my girl. He’s lookin’ for a diversion, and it better not be you.”

She’d not seen John or his mate for several days. Busily wiping down tables and stacking the empty tankards and dirty plates, she wondered if she would see him again or if he’d already sailed. Humming to herself as she worked, she jumped when he came up quietly behind her and whispered hello in her ear. She spun around to face him, and felt her skin heat up and her heart flutter. He stood so close she leaned backwards trying to put space between them, one hand still clutching the damp cloth pressed against her chest.

“Are ya not pleased to see me?” he asked with that captivating grin.

 She glanced around to see who might be watching but no one was paying them any attention. “Um, well, yes, if you like. Is there summat I can get for ya?”

“I can’t stay, ma sweet pea. Just came to say farewell. My ship sails on the tide, but I couldna leave without seeing ya again.”

“That’s nice.” She turned to pick up the pile of plates she’d gathered as her heart fluttered. “Have a good trip then,” she added, her back to him. What was the matter with her? She wasn’t usually so put out.

“Is that all ya can say to a man about to embark on a dangerous journey?”

“Dangerous?” A sense of panic that he might not return filled her with dismay. She dropped the plates back on the table with a clatter and swivelled around to face him again. “Is it really? More’n usual?”

“No more or less,” he reassured her with a wink, “but every trip has its dangers. Wish me well, sweet Sarah.” He took her hand in his and held it to his lips.

She pulled it away, not knowing what to think. This wasn’t behaviour she was used to. John wasn’t some smooth-talking swell, one she would distrust on sight; he was a mariner, a local, someone she knew. Why was he talking like that?

“Go well, and may you have fair winds and following tides.” She murmured the traditional blessing, knowing how superstitious sailors could be.

After a quick glance around, he dropped a brief kiss on her cheek before walking out the door.

She stood staring after him through the empty doorway, her hand on her face where his lips had touched her skin, wondering if she was experiencing those feelings of love she’d heard so much about. Surely not; he was several years older than her and nothing like the man she imagined in her dreams.

Sarah’s Destiny is available on Kindle Unlimited
and via this Universal Link

Vicky Adin

Like the characters in her books, Vicky has a passion for family history and a love of old photos, antiques, and treasures from the past. After researching the history of the time and place, and realising the hardships many people suffered, Vicky knew she wanted to write their stories. Tales of love and loss, and triumph over adversity. Her latest release, Sarah’s Destiny, Book 1 of The Ancestors series, is inspired by a true love story set in Bristol.

Vicky particularly enjoys writing inter-generational sagas, inspired by true stories of early immigrants to New Zealand, linked by journals, letters, photographs, and heirlooms.

She’s an avid reader of historical novels, family sagas and women’s stories and loves to travel when she can. She has a MA(Hons) in English and Education. Her story of Gwenna won gold in The Coffee Pot Book Club Women’s Historical Fiction Book of Year in 2022 and several of her books carry the gold B.R.A.G medallion.

For more information about Vicki and her books click on the links below
Website • Facebook • Pinterest • BookBub
Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

More information on the Coffee Pot Book Club and other works of quality historical fiction can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

Book Title: Sarah’s Destiny
Series: The Ancestors
Author Name: Vicky Adin
Publication Date: April 2025
Publisher: AM Publishing NZ
Pages: 354
Genre: Historical Fiction, Women’s Historical Fiction