Here for the first time in eBook form is Leonora Sansay’s epic 3 volume novel “Zelica, the Creole”. It is a tale of life and death during the final years (1802-1805) of the revolution that drove the French out of St. Domingo (Saint Domingue) to form the new nation of Haiti.“Zelica, the Creole” is a much expanded retelling of Sansay’s earlier work “Secret History; Or, The Horrors of St. Domingo”. Both works insert fictional characters and stories into an historical narrative of real life persons and events. Secret History (published in 1808) is a single volume work written as a series of letters to Sansay’s friend Aaron Burr. Zelica (published in 1820) is a 3 volume novel where we read each character’s thoughts and speech. Many of the same characters and events appear in both works, but their behaviours and treatments differ.The character of Zelica is new in this story. She meets Clara St. Louis during the evacuation of St. Francois when Clara saves and befriends her. Zelica swears loyalty to Clara and works behind the scenes to ensure Clara’s safety. But this comes at a high cost as both Zelica and Clara suffer indignities and tragedy as a result of their friendship.Leonora Mary Hassal Sansay (b. 1773), also known as Mary Hassal, was born into the American Revolution. She was a personal acquaintance of Vice President Aaron Burr, under President Thomas Jefferson. She was one of the earliest US gothic authors, at a time when most others were men. She became noted for creating works that were “something in between romance and history.”Sansay writes partly from personal experiences of her life in St. Domingo during the times related in Secret History and Zelica. She writes of trying to find a romantic life amidst a backdrop of poverty, cruelty and the horrors of war. Not all is despair, as she also tells of finding heroism and chivalry amongst the people thrown together during these turbulent times. It should be of interest to both historians and romance fans alike.This eBook edition was carefully prepared by referring to original sources to correct scanning errors. Old spellings and word usages have been preserved, but obvious spelling and other typesetting mistakes in the originals have been corrected.This edition was prepared and edited by Snazz eBooks ™.Original cover design and other original content of this edition are Copyright © 2015 by Snazz eBooks ™. All rights reserved. No reproduction by any means is allowed without permission.Here is an excerpt from when Zelica and Clara first meet:Her [Zelica’s] form in lightness, symmetry, and grace, resembled the brightest emanation of a youthful poet’s fancy; her face was such as gilds the imagination of the painter in the moments of his happiest conception. Every eye was turned on the fair vision, who, rapidly descending from the portico and approaching Clara, asked if she was Madame St. Louis?“I am,” was the reply; “in what can I serve you?”“You can save me from despair and death,” returned the stranger. “To remain in the town among the horrors that are accumulating in it is impossible, and I can only hope for safety in flight beneath your protection—suffer me to accompany you to the mountain, and I will serve you as your humblest slave.”The spirits of Clara had flown—even her energy in doing good had been prostrated by her rival. “Alas!” she replied, “it grieves me to refuse you; but I have already exceeded the limits of my privilege, and dare not make another request to those whom it may be so dangerous to irritate.”“Then I am lost,” said Zelica, and she shuddered with terror at the idea of remaining in the town during the scene of horror that was rapidly approaching, … she cherished the fallacious hope of escaping, and without revealing her hopes or her fears, they gave an air of distraction to her looks that awakened the warmest interest in the breast of Clara.