From Temporary Engagement to True Love?
Sophie Handley is a charming flirtâjust like the fiancée who jilted Lieutenant Charles Cantrill after he was wounded at Waterloo. Yet her assistance in helping veterans is proving invaluable. And when she offers to feign a courtship to appease his family, he finds their arrangement curiously appealingâ¦.
Sophie has been groomed from birth for a life of easy comfort. Then financial ruin obliges her to reevaluate all her plans and dreams. Helping veterans and their wives helps her see whatâs truly importantâand gives her the chance to enjoy the lieutenantâs very appealing company. Somehow Sophie must help his embittered heart to see sheâs found her permanent placeâby his side, and in his arms.
Sophie patted his arm. âHonestly, Charlie, I am not offended that anyone would think our courtship was real.â
His heart beat faster. Really? Was that so?
âI am a career soldier, but I confess I have no idea how to handle this particular battle. I donât know how to extricate you without damaging your reputation.â
âRemember who I am? What I am? Fickle and flighty Sophie.â She gave a bitter laugh that wrenched his stomach. âIf it comes to that, no one will think anything of it if I break our engagement.â
âI donât think of you that way,â he muttered. It was the truth. He hated for her to think poorly of herself, when he had seen so much good in her.
She turned toward him, her bright blue eyes glowing. âDonât you?â
âNot at all. I admire you greatly.â It was difficult to say the words, but something told him she needed to hear it.
She reached up and pecked his cheek. âOh, Charlie,â she whispered. âThat means more to me than all the diamond bracelets in the world.â
LILY GEORGE
Growing up in a small town in Texas, Lily George spent her summers devouring the books in her motherâs Christian bookstore. She still counts Grace Livingston Hill, Janette Oake and L. M. Montgomery among her favorite authors. Lily has a BA in history from Southwestern University and uses her training as a historian to research her historical inspirational romance novels. She has published one nonfiction book and produced one documentary, and is in production on a second film; all of these projects reflect her love for old movies and jazz and blues music. Lily lives in the Dallas area with her husband, daughter and menagerie of animals.
The Temporary Betrothal
Lily George
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
âColossians 3:13â15
Chapter One
March, 1818
Oh, botheration. All the buildings in Bath looked precisely the same. Sophie Handley clutched her bonnet with one hand, clamping it tightly to her curls as she tilted her chin upward. Her intuition fledâshe was completely and utterly lost. There was no sign of a haberdashery anywhere on this street. Sophie scoured the directions, written in Mrs. Wiggâs undulating hand, once more. Very well. She had come up Charlotte Street, just as the housekeeper instructed. But then, had she taken a right or a left at George Street? Neither. Sheâd walked straight aheadâyes, that was the Circus, directly in front of her. So should she retrace her steps? Or keep going toward the Circus?
Something splashed onto her piece of foolscap, smearing the ink. She scanned the swollen clouds in the slate gray sky. Botherationâan afternoon shower. Rain fell in fat drops, dampening the foolscap so that it folded itself limply across her glove. And she had no umbrella. Of course. Sheâd left it behind, as this was supposed to be a mere dash to secure a few buttons for Lord Bradburyâs daughterâs frock. And yet here she was, lost in the very middle of Bath, with no parasol.
Sophie bit her lip in frustration. She had come to Bath full of purpose and promise, determined to strike out on her own as a seamstress to a wealthy family. And she was coming perilously close to failure, as she could not even go to the shops without getting lost and drenched.
If only there were a way to catch her bearings, but Bath was nothing like home. To find her way in Tansley Village, she had only to note the position of the sun or the moon and then navigate her way across the fields, the sweet moor grass swaying in the gentle breeze. The scrubby hills and valleys were as familiar to her as the face of a dearly beloved friendâbut she wasnât home any longer. She gave her head a defiant toss. She had chosen to leave home and come to Bath. And she had chosen a life as a servant. So she had better find her way to the haberdasher and quickly, and then return home to continue work on Amelia Bradburyâs riding habit.