The Rose of Cuba: A Novel

By Lou DeCaro

This is a classic love story about a former slave and a young socialite. Francisco Santo and Margaret Pennington meet in Key West. They fall in love, and plan to get married. But, Margaret's family disapproves. They want their daughter to marry Jonathan Peabody, the richest and most influential man in Key West. The Rose of Cuba is a tribute to the power of love, and will capture the readers attention from the very first page.

This poignant love story never ceases to amaze the reader with its complex structure and shocking turn of events. Lou DeCaro has once again crafted a novel that is an absolute must read. - Ray Buurma

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514430101

Lou DeCaro

Lou DeCaro is the author of In The Dim Light Of The Day (Xlibris, November 2012), Marshmallow Dreams And Bitter Tangerines (Xlibris, October 2013), Anthony (Xlibris. January 2014), The Blind Eye of Love (Xlibris, October 2014), Once A Widow, Ever A Wife (Xlibris, January 2015), The Champion of Love (Xlibris, April 2015), Forever and a Day (Xlibris, August 2015), The Rose of Cuba (Xlibris, November 2015), The Writer of Lies (Xlibris}, January 2016), The Lonely and the Disabled (Xlibris, March 2016), Like Father, Like Son (Xlibris, July 2016), Maria (Xlibris, October 2016), The Pharaoh Club (Xlibris, January 2017), The Love Armada (Xlibris, May2017), Infirmed (Xlibris, October 2017), The Anger of Love (Xlibris, January 2018), A Moment in Time (Xlibris, March 2018), Johnny Reb's (Xlibris, May 2018), Jar of Broken Hearts (Xlibris, September 2018),Tears from the River of Love (Xlibris, September 2018),and False Love (Xlibris, June 2019).

Book preview

Chapter 1

Jonathan Peabody was a millionaire by the time he was twenty-years old. He operated the largest wrecking and salvage business in southern Florida, and became a very powerful political figure in Key West as well. Jonathan Peabody was also accustomed to getting his own way. His wrecking and salvage business had little competition until one of his workers decided to start his own company. That worker’s name was Francisco Santo.

Francisco Santo learned the trade very quickly. He was hired by Peabody shortly after he moved to Key West in 1837. But, Peabody and Santo had very little in common. Jonathan Peabody was a conservative Englishman. Francisco Santo was a dark skinned, handsome Cuban. Both men parted ways a year later when Santo discovered the Bahamian workers were being paid less than the American workers. When the Bahamians learned Santo was starting his own company, every one them joined him. As a sign of respect and appreciation, the Bahamians gave Santo the name El Siboney which meant great leader.

But the wrecking and salvage trade wasn’t the only thing the two men competed for. No amount of gold or silver could measure its worth. Margaret Pennington was born in London, England. She was the daughter of a very wealthy textile merchant whose home was located on Truman Avenue. She was the oldest of six children, and had a reputation for being independent and headstrong. Margaret was also extremely beautiful. She had dark brown eyes and very long black hair, and was the same age as Jonathan Peabody and Francisco Santo. Margaret was educated at a private school in Bermuda. She traveled to Bermuda every year to visit family and friends.

Margaret first met Jonathan Peabody when she started to attend Sunday services with her parents. Jonathan and Margaret were only five-years old at the time. The first time Margaret met Francisco Santo was only a month ago. He said hello to her when he walked past her home that day. Despite the cultural and economic divide between them, Margaret took a liking to Francisco and looked forward to seeing him. But her father, Albert Pennington, forbid Margaret from having anything to do with Santo. Yet, Margaret would not be denied Francisco’s friendship. In addition to being very handsome, Francisco had a gentle demeanor that Margaret admired very much. Nevertheless, rumors began to circulate throughout Key West that Jonathan and Margaret were about to become engaged. These rumors upset Margaret very much. She swore she wouldn’t marry anyone unless she loved that person. Margaret openly stated she wasn’t in love with Jonathan Peabody.

Francisco was deeply saddened when he heard these rumors. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do or say about it. Since he was not in a position to compete for Margaret’s hand, Francisco decided to focus his attention on his own future. One month later, Francisco left Key West aboard a small ship he was able to purchase with a crew of twenty loyal Bahamians at his side. Five days later, The Rose of Cuba sailed into Havana harbor. Little did Santo know that Margaret Pennington was about to leave Key West to visit friends and relatives in Bermuda. As Fate would have it, their paths were destined to cross again.

Chapter 2

Jonathan Peabody was unwilling to give up any share of his wrecking and salvage business, so he immediately sought to discredit the legitimacy of Francisco Santo by accusing him of using false lights to lure ships onto the coral reefs in the Straits of Florida near Key West. In addition, Jonathan Peabody claimed that Santo was only interested in salvaging precious cargo, and not rescuing its passengers or crew. He even spread rumors that Santo killed people instead of rescuing them.

But, Francisco Santo was undaunted by Peabody’s false allegations. In just a matter of months, his Bahamian crew salvaged at least a half-dozen shipwrecks. On all occasions, every survivor was safely transported to shore. Each survivor was given a three-day supply of food and water to sustain them until they were found. The only thing Santo refused to do was turn over any of the goods he salvaged to the U.S. government. That made Francisco Santo an outlaw in the eyes of the U.S. officials. It wasn’t long before Santo was proclaimed the most wanted wrecker on the high seas. A sizable bounty was offered by Jonathan Peabody for his capture, dead or alive.

Francisco Santo became an expert at navigating the waters around Key West. The reefs where most wrecks occurred extended seven miles off of Key West. Yet, Santo had the uncanny ability to avoid these reefs while pursuing precious cargo. On one specific salvaging operation, Santo’s crew rescued six men from Jonathan Peabody’s company and safely transported them to shore. All six men testified at a hearing that they owed their lives to Santo. After the public hearing was over, Jonathan Peabody promptly fired all six men.

News about Francisco Santo both amused and excited Margaret Pennington. Even though his reputation was becoming infamous in Key West, Margaret was becoming increasingly interested in him by the day. There was a certain mystique and adventurous quality about him that she found irresistible. He also became far more attractive to her than Jonathan Peabody. Her parents, on the other hand, had a very different opinion of him. Albert and Marta Pennington refused to allow any discussion about Francisco Santo in their home. As far as they were concerned, their desire to have their daughter marry Jonathan Peabody was etched in stone.

Margaret Pennington set sail for Bermuda on July 1, 1838 aboard The Victory. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky that morning. As she boarded the ship, she had a strange feeling overcome her. For some reason, she felt this might be the last time she would see Key West in a very long time. Something, she thought to herself, was beckoning her from afar. It wasn’t anything she could see with her eyes or feel with her hands. It was a very special feeling that came