Virgin Voyage
JJ Ellis
Prologue
Charlotte Mannon's Journal
January 1, 2011 - This is my first journal ever in my 60 years, do you believe that? I bought a laptop so I can just type things out instead of hand writing everything. It is supposed to be easier. Besides, I can have a password to get onto this thing so I know no one will be snooping!
You see, I have a top secret project that I want to organize and writing this journal is going to help me do it. I made a New Year's resolution - I am going to make sure that one by one my children get married this year. I just can't leave it up to them anymore, they just don't ever get it right. I can't believe my children don't know how to fall in love, stay in love or pick the right people.
From this point on, learning about my plan will be on a need to know basis only. I made a mistake in telling my dearest husband Ethan about my New Year's resolution, his response was: Charlotte Mannon will you ever learn. Stay out of their lives. Harumph! He obviously doesn't know our children very well! I'll show him! One by one our five children will get married this year, I guarantee it. Now all I have to do is find suitable partners for all of them. I have ideas, but I still need to do a bit of research and double check my facts.
I think I'll start with Mari, she should be easiest. All I have to do is make sure she and her husband of convenience realize how much they really do love each other. After all, his mother Eleanor has been my best friend for fifty-three years. We will work together. So it is official now, Mari and Graham will be my first 'victims'.
March 15. 2011 - I am horrible at this journal writing thing! As you can see by the amount of time that has passed since my last entry, things aren't going well. Eleanor and I must be slipping in our old age, we can't seem to come up with a plan to get Mari and Graham together for real. The kids are driving us nuts. They love each other, they want each other, so what's the problem?
If it were up to me, I would put them on a boat together and leave them at sea for a week. They would come back a real couple, I guarantee it. Oh wow! That gives me an idea. Gotta go for now. I'll write more later.
March 31, 2011 - I found a great way to get Marjorie and Graham together - and maybe get the rest of the group married off too. We're going to take a family cruise to Alaska. Of course, Eleanor, Graham, and Sarah will come too. You see, I figure if Alaska helped Ethan and I fall in love then it will also work its magic on the kids. I might just have to make a mistake with the room arrangements or something. Romance on the high seas mixed with the beauty of Alaska! What could be better?
April 11, 2011 - I was two days away from revealing the family cruise to everyone when I found out that Graham and Mari have decided that being married is no longer necessary. Eleanor and I talked for two hours trying to decide what to do. Those kids wouldn't go on the same vacation now if you paid them to. So, we've decided to trick them. Graham and Mari will see each other on this vacation if it kills their poor old mothers.
Gotta go, I have to write in the journals I am keeping on my plans for the other kids. Can you believe I have found mates for all of them now? And everyone is going to be on the cruise and or in Alaska already!
July 11, 2011
Two days until D-day. Mari and Graham aren't going to know what hit them. They'll be mad at first, but someday, they will thank us. I'm sure of it.
Chapter 1
Mari Mannon walked across the gangplank onto the luxury cruise liner, The Sunset Destiny. "Oh, this is going to be heaven," she exclaimed breathlessly as she had her first look at the inside of the ship. What a great place to spend the next week. The wood banisters and casings looked like someone spent an entire week shining them. Brass fixtures and moldings were also polished to a high shine without a fingerprint in sight. The lush, colorful carpets added to the luxurious yet completely comfortable atmosphere surrounding her. What a fantastic place to just...be.
