A Practical Partnership
Duty-Bound BachelorJohn Reed has no intention of changing his carefree lifestyle—until his father’s death forces him to return home. Now he’s in charge of the family estate and preparing his reluctant sister for her London Season. And he’s convinced millinery shop owner Nan Siddons will make his perfect partner in this task.Nan prides herself on her independence, but with a rival stealing her clients, she needs a new means of support. So when John hires her to see his sister through her debut, she accepts. She never expected their working relationship to become something more, yet soon Nan can’t imagine her life without John in it. The bachelor has captured her heart, but can she tame his?
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Duty-Bound Bachelor
John Reed has no intention of changing his carefree lifestyleâuntil his fatherâs death forces him to return home. Now heâs in charge of the family estate and preparing his reluctant sister for her London Season. And heâs convinced millinery shop owner Nan Siddons will make his perfect partner in this task.
Nan prides herself on her independence, but with a rival stealing her clients, she needs a new means of support. So when John hires her to see his sister through her debut, she accepts. She never expected their working relationship to become something more, yet soon Nan canât imagine her life without John in it. The bachelor has captured her heart, but can she tame his?
âYou donât have enough fun, do you?â
Color bloomed in Nanâs cheeks and her eyes sparkled with a feisty light. âI have more than enough hilarity for a woman in my situation.â
âYou do not.â John spoke the words flatly, glaring out at her from under lowered lids.
She pursed her lips together as though she were biting back harsh words. He pressed his advantage. âCome, then. Stand up. Dance with me.â
She shook her head, her eyes wide. âNo indeed. Thereâs no music, for one thing.â
âI shall hum.â He stood, holding his hand out to her.
âThat would be ridiculous in the extreme.â
âBut it might be fun.â
She shook her head once more. He bent down and took her hand in his.
âYou are a graceful dancer, and should indulge in the pastime more often.â He began to hum a familiar tune, leading her through the figures of a country dance.
At last, she looked up at him. He must be a little winded from the dance. That was the only way to account for the sudden catch in breath he experienced when she lifted her chin and looked at him squarely.
Growing up in small-town Texas, LILY GEORGE spent her summers devouring the books in her motherâs Christian bookstore. These books, particularly ones by Grace Livingston Hill, inspired her to write her own stories. She sold her first book to Love Inspired in 2011 and enjoys writing clean romances that can be shared across generations. Lily lives in northwest Texas, where sheâs restoring a 1920s farmhouse with her husband and daughter.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
â2 Timothy 1:7
For Zach, with whom I always wanted to elope.
Contents
Tansley Village, Derbyshire
March 1819
Hannah Siddons, commonly referred to by the practical and prosaic nickname of Nan, entered the village shop and tugged her bonnet lower on her forehead. Through all of her eighteen years, she had blended into the background, eclipsed by her lovely and tempestuous older sisters. Now, more than ever, she needed to become one with the shadows. Her very career depended on it, in fact.
She rounded the corner, neatly stepping past a display of brooms, and halted, drawing breath slowly. Her heart thundered in her ears. She glanced over at the counter, but the shopkeeper was engaged with a customer, rolling out a bolt of cloth. Nan nodded. Thatâs right. Stay busy, old fellow. She ducked around a few barrels of flour and paused again, taking in the tableau before her.
Yes, the rumors were true.
A girl, gaily dressed and sporting an elaborate coiffure, sat at a low table. Her nimble fingers flew back and forth as she stitched lace onto the brim of a neat straw bonnet. Her lips were pursed with concentration, creased on either side by a charming dimple. She didnât utter a sound, but if she had, it would probably be marked by a lilting accent.
The general store had engaged a French milliner, and thatâs why Nanâs millinery shop had seen fewer and fewer customers over the past week.
Protectively, Nan touched the rough brim of her own bonnet. That straw the girl was using wouldnât last a week in Tansley Village, subject as they were to sudden winds blowing up from the moor. Nanâs bonnets were designed with practicality in mind, for she had long since made a study of Tansleyâs particular weather patterns. What use was a bonnet if it fell to pieces after the first summer storm, or a capricious breeze blowing across the fields? She had built the family business after her sisters had left it behind, by catering to the women of the village and offering them sturdy bonnets that would last season after season.
That was what the women of Tansley wanted. They wanted to spend their hard-earned money on bonnets and hats that were durable. Or at least thatâs what Nan assumed. Thereâd never been a reason to doubt her assertionâuntil now.
