THE FOUR QUARTERS of the WORLD
published by Medallion Press
Historical Fiction
That was the first time she’d seen the brute seem even the slightest unsure of himself. A soft edge blurred his corneas as he looked down at her, his massive shoulders rising and falling with his excited breath. Delphine brushed off the moment with petulance. “Seeing as how you’re the farthest person from a priest in this country, I’ve certainly not come to ask for your approval on my marriage.” She sauntered back to the window to appreciate the luxuriant sunset primed to take place over the escarpment to the right of the lake. “Anatole has come here to discover himself and to shake out the bourgeois dust from his soul, and now that he’s finished doing that, we may return.” She breathed deeply, reveling in the green meadows below the castle window. The shrieking of the supplicants even seemed remotely charming, now they were kept at bay beyond the church.
She felt the heat of Ravinger Howland standing behind her. “Miss, I apologize if I seem importune at times. I’ll send a ‘fire-foot’ to find Monsieur Verlaine. If that’ll speed your egress from this country, then I shall be glad to assist. Though I must say, we could certainly use a proficient nurse such as you, now that the only ferenje doctor has been imprisoned.”
“Yes,” said Delphine. “I’ve heard about the recent misfortune of Mr. Rassam and Lieutenant Prideaux. The men who come to save the prisoners, imprisoned themselves.” When she twirled around, she was shocked to find her face mere inches from the heat of his silken chest. Awash in the ochre light, his form was rich and shimmering with life. “You’re a good friend of the Emperor. Why is he so fickle and unstable? Why does he imprison so many people who only mean to help?”
Delphine knew this would be a complex question, but even she was surprised at the thoughtful manner in which the Captain laid his pipe on the windowsill, then bore down on both palms to lean out the window and regard Lake Tzana. The silver cumulus clouds that raced over Gondar’s valley cast mutating shadows on his excruciatingly handsome face, forming craggier depths to the half-moon scar on his left cheekbone. “Tewodros’s spirit does not lie easy with him, Miss. He wishes to keep everyone close to him, for it’s his deepest fear to be abandoned. He wants Europe, and most of all England to love him, and so he keeps making overtures that he interprets as being rebuffed. If he imprisons everyone, they can never leave, and so he’ll never have to be alone.”
“He’s insane,” Delphine said quietly.
Standing erect, Ravinger looked down at her. “Perhaps. But isn’t it in everyone’s nature to want to be loved? And do we not go to great lengths to achieve that?”
“But . . . we don’t imprison those from whom we expect love, Captain.”
They stared at each other, both riled for different reasons. The man had gypsy eyes that looked her through, and seemed to see something behind her. “Yes. But don’t you sometimes wish that you could?”
Delphine tilted her head. “I suppose it would be comforting to know that the person one loved..... would never leave.”
"An exciting, unimaginably fast-moving tale of adventure."
~ Dr. Richard Pankhurst OBE
The world’s #1 expert on Ethiopian history
"The Four Quarters Of The World is an amazing journey into a piece of history few Westerners are aware of. Considered by scholars to be one of Africa's greatest rulers, Emperor Theodore of Ethiopia is brought to life in this adventurous, heart stopping tale. For a unique and entertaining read, I highly recommend The Four Quarters Of The World ."
~ Romance Reviews Today
"This is a very well written historical novel in which a great deal of care has been given to make it historically accurate. The characters are well developed and believable... Karen Mercury did a fantastic job of making the reader really feel that she were there with the flavor of the country and involved in this truly good story."
~ Affaire de Coeur
ACTION-PACKED!
"Ms. Mercury, with two novels on her resume, has moved to the forefront of late nineteenth century African historical novels that entertain while they educate."
~ H. Klausner, Independent Reviewer
"... pace is excellent ... (white-hot love scenes, anyone?) ... descriptions of Abyssinia, of nomadic life at the court, and of the characters and their actions are fascinating and evocative ... a life-like picture of a pivotal time in Ethiopia’s history."
~ Claire Morris, Historical Novels Review, Issue 36, May, 2006
"Mrs. Mercury has once again succeeded in drawing the reader into the hot and steamy world of Africa where all is not what it appears to be, and where - at least in the past - the misdeeds of decades could be redeemed with the heroism of the hour…this book will make wonderful reading for the many adults who enjoy historic fiction with a strong dose of romance."
~ Sylvia Cochran, Round Table Reviews
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