Letters for Phoebe (Promise of Forever After Book 1)
Page 11
“I told a very close friend about you. About both my letter-writer and you, Griffin Fenwick.” She looked up at him from beneath the brim of her hat. “She said I ought to meet my anonymous friend. She said, in fact, that the moment I laid eyes upon him I would know if I could care for him. You see, your letters made me curious. Then they rather enchanted me.”
Griffin leaned closer, his eyes upon hers. “And? Now that you have laid eyes upon me?”
Her smile grew. She tipped her chin up bravely. “Griffin. I find I rather adore you, and if you do not ask to call upon me, if you do not seek my brother out and inquire after a courtship, I will be grievously disappointed.” For a moment, her eyes glimmered with worry.
Griffin pulled in a sharp breath of air. “Phoebe, my dearest, most lovely friend. I rather intend to do more than court you. In fact, if you will permit me, I should rather like to kiss you.”
A grin burst upon her beautiful face. Phoebe stood upon her toes, tilting her face toward his. They met in what little space remained between them, heedless of anyone watching, and sealing their fate, rather happily. Her lips were soft, sweet, and his free hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer. He had longed to kiss her since the night of the play; it was better than even his dreams. Everything felt warm, and right, and Griffin knew in the instant their lips touched that he would spend the rest of his life craving Phoebe’s kisses.
When they parted, her hat tipped back rather perilously after their kiss, Griffin kept her close. “A courtship is all well and good, my love. But it will be terribly short.”
Her already pink cheeks darkened, and her eyes gleamed. “I find I do not mind that idea. My dearest friend.” Then she laughed. “To think, I owe my present happiness to your horrid duel in the park.”
He joined in her laughter and remained with her in the park, walking hand-in-hand, a rather confused groom walking several paces behind, until it began to rain.
Epilogue
Letter to a Friend
To My Dear Daphne,
I have the most wonderful news to share. I am engaged to be married to Mr. Griffin Fenwick, the very gentleman we discussed less than a fortnight ago. He is everything I could wish for in a husband, attentive, kind, witty, and deeply in love with me. You must know how I have always had a plan, mapped out my life to suit what I thought best. I certainly never planned on falling in love with someone as spontaneous and ridiculous as my darling Griffin.
You may, perhaps, wonder what happened to my mysterious friend. You will never guess! Griffin and the anonymous friend are the same person. I will tell you all about it when next we meet. I hope it will be soon. If you are still in London in a fortnight, I hope you will attend the wedding ceremony. I have written our other friends to let them know, and have invited them to come if they are able.
Daphne, I do hope you are well. I could tell there was something on your mind when last we met. I have a feeling you might need the bracelet. Not that I think it is especially lucky or anything. But I cannot deny that having it these past weeks has given me a measure of comfort and courage as I remembered you and the other girls.
When I see you at my wedding, the bracelet will be yours.
I wish you well with all my heart.
Yours Most Sincerely,
Phoebe Kimball
Did you enjoy reading about Phoebe? There is more to the story of the five friends and their lucky bracelet. Continue with Daphne’s story, Romancing Her Rival, written by Joanna Barker.
If you enjoyed Sally Britton’s writing, turn the page for a list of her Regency titles.
Acknowledgments & Notes
This is the second series I’ve written with my dear friends and critique group. It isn’t easy to put these books together, to work with one another to make certain we capture the voices of each other’s characters, and it takes a certain amount of trust and patience. I’m grateful to know the women I work with on a personal level. A day never passes without one of us messaging the group. In the two years we’ve known each other, we’ve laughed and cried together, shared both triumph and heartache, and we’ve even lost our tempers. We get through it all, we remain friends, because there’s something special holding us together.
Knowing these women in this way made our decision to write a second series together natural. We wanted to write about a group of friends, and as we worked together on the first scene of five girls, we laughed and giggled as much as our characters did. I hope you enjoy our stories of friendship as you continue through the series.
I’m also grateful for the other friends I have made while working in the world of words: my designer and dear friend Shaela Kay, my sweet editor Jenny Proctor, my proofreader and assistant Carri Flores, have all contributed to this book in one way or another.
Now for my usual caveat. Writing isn’t easy. No matter how hard an author tries, they can never be perfect. I have yet to publish a book completely devoid of typos or minor mistakes - even the largest publishing houses in the world usually have what they call “an acceptable error rate.” No book is perfect, because no author, editor, or proofreader is perfect, either. So I am all the more grateful for the wonderful people on my team who help me polish my drafts until they shine.
Also by Sally Britton
Heart’s of Arizona Series:
Book #1, Silver Dollar Duke
The Inglewood Series:
Book #1, Rescuing Lord Inglewood
Book #2, Discovering Grace
Book #3, Saving Miss Everly
Book #4, Engaging Sir Isaac
Book #5, Reforming Lord Neil
The Branches of Love Series:
Prequel Novella, Martha’s Patience
Book #1, The Social Tutor
Book #2, The Gentleman Physician
Book #3, His Bluestocking Bride
Book #4, The Earl and His Lady
Book #5, Miss Devon’s Choice
Book #6, Courting the Vicar’s Daughter
Book #7, Penny’s Yuletide Wish (A Novella)
Stand Alone Romances:
The Captain and Miss Winter
His Unexpected Heiress
A Haunting at Havenwood
Timeless Romance Collection:
An Evening at Almack’s, Regency Collection 12
About the Author
Sally Britton, along with her husband and four incredible children, now live in Oklahoma. So far, they really like it there, even if the family will always consider Texas home.
Sally started writing her first story on her mother’s electric typewriter, when she was fourteen years old. Reading her way through Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, and Lucy Maud Montgomery, Sally decided to write about the elegant, complex world of centuries past.
Sally graduated from Brigham Young University in 2007 with a bachelor’s in English, her emphasis on British literature. She met and married her husband not long after and they’ve been building their happily ever after since that day.
Vincent Van Gogh is attributed with the quote, “What is done in love is done well.” Sally has taken that as her motto, for herself and her characters, writing stories where love is a choice.
All of Sally’s published works are available on Amazon.com and you can connect with Sally and sign up for her newsletter on her website, AuthorSallyBritton.com.