A warm feeling radiated through Charlotte. “I must go to her,” she said, almost bolting from the group. “She has loved me from afar my whole life. My destiny has arrived, and it’s because of her.”
She turned at the doorway to find Tristen at her side, more love in his eyes than she ever thought possible. “I love you so much, I think I’ll shatter into a million pieces,” she whispered for him alone. “Let us express our gratitude to Mathilda together and never forget the love and happiness we feel right now.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, my first thank-you goes to my publisher and all the wonderful people at Montlake. They’ve been so supportive of me and my ideas, I could never properly express my gratitude if I tried for a thousand years. I appreciate all the ways they make my writing life better. It’s difficult to believe An American Duchess is our ninth novel together. How time flies.
Thank you to Alison Dasho, my Montlake editor. Her dedication and professionalism are such a blessing, as well as her cheerfulness. I’ve adored every moment working with her.
Thank you to my developmental editor, Caitlin Alexander, who has kept all my Montlake novels on track—from the folks in Logan Meadows in my Prairie Hearts novels, to the Brinkman sisters in my Colorado Hearts novels, and now off to England with my new Brightshire novels. Each and every book has been a joy!
A huge thank-you to Saralee Etter for her knowledge and help with all things Victorian England. I couldn’t have written this book without her!
My heartfelt love to my family: my husband, Michael, and our sons, Matthew and Adam. My daughter-in-law, Misti, and my soon-to-be-daughter-in-law, Rachel. My darlings, Evelyn and Hudson. Gratitude to all my sisters, my sister-in-law, and mother-in-law—all here on earth—and my parents, father-in-law, and sister in heaven. You all are my world. Thank you for your love and support.
Never to forget my readers! You’re the best. Thank you. I treasure your comments and love.
And most, thank you to our awesome God, who continues to bless my life, my family, and the work of my hands.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Fyffe was born in Waco, Texas, the first of many towns she would call home during her father’s career with the US Air Force. A horse aficionado from an early age, she earned a bachelor of arts in communications from California State University, Chico, before launching what would become a twenty-year career as an equine photographer. She began writing fiction to pass the time during long days in the show arena, channeling her love of horses and the Old West into a series of Western historicals. Her debut novel, Where the Wind Blows, won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Award as well as the Wisconsin RWA’s Write Touch Readers’ Award. The author of the Prairie Hearts series, the McCutcheon Family novels, and Heart of Mine and the Colorado Hearts series, Caroline lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest and has two grown sons, two daughters-in-law, and two darling grandchildren. For more information, visit the author at www.CarolineFyffe.com.
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