Alice Wilde: The Raftsman's Daughter. A Forest Romance

In the quiet depths of a 19th‑century river valley, a spirited young woman named Alice Wilde spends her afternoons skating the water in a little birch skiff, humming the melodies she’s learned from the house‑servants who work for her father. Her father, the seasoned raftsman David Wilde, commands the biggest raft that ever floated the creek, and Alice’s days are filled with blackberry picking, singing, and dreaming of the day he returns home with a gift in his hands. The river’s shimmering surface and the surrounding forest create a backdrop that feels both wild and intimate, framing her world of simple pleasures and quiet hopes.

When the lanky saw‑mill worker Ben Perkins loses his balance on a floating log, he catches a glimpse of Alice’s confident rowing and can’t hide his admiration. Their brief encounter hints at a budding connection, while a dashing, well‑dressed stranger aboard the raftsman’s own vessel adds a touch of intrigue. As the currents carry each of them toward one another, the story unfolds as a gentle, forest‑tinged romance that explores youthful yearning, loyalty, and the pull of the river that binds them all.