To Have and To Hold

""To Have and To Hold"" is a historical romance novel written by Mary Johnston. It is set in colonial Virginia during the late 1600s and tells the story of a young Englishwoman named Lady Jocelyn Leigh. Jocelyn travels to the New World to marry a wealthy plantation owner named Ralph Percy, but quickly discovers that her new husband is not the man she thought he was. Ralph is abusive and cruel, and Jocelyn finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage.As Jocelyn struggles to adapt to her new life in Virginia, she meets a handsome and mysterious man named Captain Christopher Newport. Despite their different backgrounds and social statuses, Jocelyn and Christopher are drawn to each other and begin a passionate love affair. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Jocelyn is still married to Ralph, and by the political and social tensions of colonial Virginia.""To Have and To Hold"" is a sweeping epic that explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption. It is a vivid portrayal of life in colonial America, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the early years of English settlement in the New World. With its richly drawn characters and gripping plot, ""To Have and To Hold"" is a classic of historical romance that will captivate readers from beginning to end.1900. Johnston, an American novelist, wrote books that combine romance with history. She is chiefly remembered for To Have and to Hold, a story of colonial Virginia, and its successor, Audrey. The book begins: The work of the day being over, I sat down upon my doorstep, pipe in hand, to rest awhile in the cool of the evening. Death is not more still than is this Virginian land in the hour when the sun has sunk away, and it is black beneath the trees, and the stars brighten slowly and softly, one by one. The birds that sing all day have hushed, and the horned owls, the monster frogs, and that strange ominous fowl (if fowl it be, and not, as some assert, a spirit damned) which we English call the whippoorwill, are yet silent. Later the wolf will howl and the panther scream, but now there is no sound. The winds are laid, and the restless leaves droop and are quiet. The low lap of the water among the reeds is like the breathing of one who sleeps in his watch beside the dead. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.