Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno, Band 4) - Softcover

Buch 4 von 4: Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy

Reynard, Sylvain

 
9780593097984: Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno, Band 4)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 059309798X ISBN 13: 9780593097984
Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2020

Inhaltsangabe

New York Times bestselling author Sylvain Reynard returns with the fourth installment of the beloved Gabriel's Inferno series.
 
When Gabriel and Julia Emerson first lay eyes on their newborn daughter, Clare, they realize life as they know it will never be the same. Gabriel has vowed to be a good father when he suddenly receives an invitation to give a series of lectures in Edinburgh, Scotland--an opportunity of high prestige—but that would mean leaving his wife and child in Boston. Hesitant to bring it up, he keeps the opportunity from Julia as long as he can, not knowing she has a secret of her own.
 
When a frightening situation arises that threatens their new family, both parents must make sacrifices. With the family in danger, the looming question remains: Will Gabriel pursue his lectureship in Edinburgh, leaving Julia and Clare vulnerable in Boston, or will he abandon the chance of a lifetime in order to ensure his family's safety?

Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence. Sylvain Reynard is also the author of Gabriel's Inferno, Gabriel's Rapture, Gabriel's Redemption, The Raven, and The Shadow.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter One

September 2012



Mount Auburn Hospital

Cambridge, Massachusetts



Professor Gabriel O. Emerson cradled his newborn daughter to his chest. He was reclined in a chair next to his wife's hospital bed, where she lay sleeping. Despite the protestations of the nursing staff, he'd refused to place the baby in the nearby bassinet. She was safer in his arms, resting over his heart.



Clare Grace Hope Emerson was a miracle. He'd prayed for her in the crypt of St. Francis in Assisi, after he'd married his beloved Julianne. At the time, he'd been unable to father a child, the result of his own self-loathing. But with Julianne at his side, as his Beatrice and his wife, he had prayed. And God had answered his prayer.



The baby stirred and moved her head.



Gabriel held her securely, his large hand covering her back so he could feel the rhythm of her breath.



"We loved you since before you were born," he whispered. "We were so excited you were coming."



In this moment-this quiet, tender moment-Gabriel had everything he had ever wanted. If he had been Dante, he was Dante no longer, for Dante never knew the pleasure of marrying Beatrice or of welcoming a child born of their love.



The poet in him reflected on the strange course of events that had taken him from the depths of despair to the heights of blessedness.



"Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra," he quoted with sincerity, thanking God that he hadn't lost his wife and daughter, despite the complications during delivery.



The specter of his father intruded on his happiness, prompting a spontaneous promise. "I will never leave. I will be here with you both, my darling girls, for as long as I live."



In the darkness of the hospital room, Gabriel resolved to protect, love, and care for his wife and his daughter, no matter the cost.



Chapter Two



One week later



Mount Auburn Hospital

Cambridge, Massachusetts



It began with an email.



It was a small thing-the checking of email. Perhaps it was one of the smallest, most inconsequential of actions. One tapped the screen of one's phone and email messages appeared.



A wise Canadian once wrote, The medium is the message. And in this case, the email and its contents were incredibly important.



There had been whispers.



The community of Dante specialists was not particularly large, and Professor Gabriel O. Emerson was well known. He'd been the top student to graduate from his program at Harvard, and in a very short time he made a name for himself at the University of Toronto.



Then he'd been besieged by scandal-a scandal involving his beloved Julianne, who also happened to be his graduate student. There had been an investigation. A tribunal. A ruling. A resignation.



The university kept the matter quiet. Julianne graduated and began doctoral studies at Harvard. Gabriel accepted a position as full professor at Boston University. They'd married on January 21, 2011.



But still, there were whispers. Whispers from a former graduate student named Christa Peterson, who claimed Emerson was a predator and Julianne was a whore.



Although Gabriel had done his best to silence Christa and to combat the rumors, the whispers continued. Now, a few months away from their second wedding anniversary, Gabriel kept his own counsel, not wishing to give voice to his worries. But in truth, he feared he'd tainted Julianne's career. At this time, the academic community was far more forgiving of its male senior faculty than its young female graduate students.



Gabriel knew this. Which was why he stared for some time at the email message he'd received.



The message was from a group Gabriel had heard of but never met. He read the message and then once more, just to be sure he hadn't misunderstood.



A strange feeling washed over him. His skin prickled. Something momentous was about to happen. . . .



"Gabriel?" Julianne's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Do we have everything? Rachel took home the flowers and balloons."



Gabriel opened his mouth to tell his wife about the email he'd just received, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Dr. Rubio, their obstetrician. She had a habit of popping up, like gray-eyed Athena in Homer's Odyssey. Dr. Rubio appeared, made pronouncements, and vanished, sometimes leaving havoc in her wake.



"Good morning." She greeted the Emersons with a smile. "I need to go over a few things before Julia and Clare are discharged."



Gabriel returned his cell phone to his jacket pocket. He'd received the scare of his life a few days previous, when he mistakenly thought Julianne hadn't survived the delivery. Anxiety still clung to him, like a hangover he could not shake.



Which was why, upon hearing Dr. Rubio's lengthy list of admonitions and instructions, he promptly forgot about the very important email and the absolute necessity of revealing its contents to his wife.



Chapter Three



What is she doing?" The Professor peered into the rearview mirror at his wife, who was seated behind him, next to Clare.



His handsome face was boyish and his blue eyes danced. He was finally bringing his family home from the hospital. He had difficulty containing his excitement.



"She's still sleeping." Julia bent over the baby carrier and lightly stroked the infant's cheek.



The baby's rosebud mouth pouted while she slept. Wisps of dark hair peeked out from beneath the purple knitted hat she'd received as a gift from the hospital auxiliary. She was a beautiful baby, with a button nose and pudgy cheeks. Her eyes were large and indigo blue, when she deigned to open them.



Julia's heart was full. Her baby was healthy and her husband was even more supportive than she'd imagined. It was almost too much happiness for one person.



"If she does something cute, let me know." Gabriel's tone was eager.



Julia laughed. "All right, Professor."



"I like to watch her sleep," Gabriel mused. He continued to drive the Volvo SUV at a snail's pace through the streets of Cambridge. "She's fascinating."



"You need to keep your eyes on the road, Daddy."



Gabriel flashed Julia a look.



"Since when do you drive so slowly?" she teased.



"Since everything I love is in this car." Gabriel's expression softened as he made eye contact with her through the mirror.



Julia's heart skipped a beat.



His enthusiasm for fatherhood had outstripped her expectations. She remembered the first night they'd spent in the hospital, after Clare was born. Gabriel held Clare all through the night and would not be parted from her.



Gabriel had said once that when he was an old man, he'd remember what Julianne looked like on the night they made love for the first time. She would remember the sight of her husband holding their baby on his chest for the rest of her life.



Tears filled her eyes and threatened to overflow. She bent over the baby in order to hide her reaction.



Gabriel turned the SUV onto their street-slowly, ever so slowly.



"What the hell?" His buoyant mood came to an abrupt end, rather like a ship hitting an iceberg.



"Language," Julia murmured. "Let's not teach the baby naughty words."



"If the baby were awake, she'd want to know what the hell was going on, too. Look at our lawn." Gabriel piloted the car toward the driveway, his eyes trained on the front of their...

„Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Verlag
Penguin Publishing Group
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
059309798X
ISBN 13 
9780593097984
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
352
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
gpsr@libri.de
gpsr@libri.de

Friedensallee 273
Hamburg
22763
Deutschland