He kissed her temple. “My pleasure.”
She found the letter she searched for near the top. The latest from Miss Granby, who was not currently in London but in Egypt. With each of the many letters she sent to Lily and her sisters, she included a sketch of the latest items her expedition had unearthed. Lily smoothed the page, showing it to her customer.
“The one I would make for you would be simpler but drawing on this one for inspiration. If you want a ring fit for a queen, why not begin with one worn by a queen?”
He looked simultaneously hopeful and stricken. “But…”
She patted his hand where he clutched the edge of the page. “I’ll work within your budget, never you fear.”
Half an hour and two quick sketches later, the young man left the shop with a skip in his step. As the door shut behind him, Lily caught a glimpse of her younger sister walking on the arm of a young man. A local squire’s son, who seemed smitten. Although Willa leaned against him and laughed, something in her expression hinted at reserve. Willa had been far more cautious in love since leaving London, though she hadn’t given up hope.
However, as Willa fell out of sight with the shutting of the door, Lily frowned. Where was her chaperone? With Adam’s help, she stood and hurried to check the neat square where the shop rested between awnings and troughs of water for horses. Spring had barely started to bloom, a chill yet in the air that couldn’t keep her sisters indoors. Lily held the door open, searching for her sister’s form again.
There—and half a dozen paces behind, with her nose buried in a book, was her chaperone. Sophie turned the page and glanced at the pair before continuing to walk, enveloped in her reading. Since arriving in town, she hadn’t given the slightest inclination that she intended to seek out love or marriage. Despite that part of herself lost in the years since Papa’s death, Sophie seemed happier, freer. Lily had even caught her scribbling down the beginnings of a romance novel.
Adam stepped up behind her. He laid his hand over hers on the door, at eye level. The other, he slipped around to rest on the bulge of her belly. His breath tickled the shell of her ear, making her shiver.
“I hope you’re not considering fencing that ring.”
She laced her fingers through his and drew him around to hold her. The door fell shut, enclosing them in their own private sanctuary. She turned in his arms, sliding her hands around his neck, and gave him a smile. “Why would I? I’ve already stolen your heart. That’s good enough for me.”
As his lips touched her, the door flung open again, bringing with it a brisk breeze that made her shiver. Heat staining their cheeks, Lily and Adam broke apart. Lily turned, mustering a professional mien.
Mama stood in the door, her cheeks flushed with color and her bonnet askew. Over the past several months, she had gained weight and liveliness, taking over the management of the house and their small roost of chickens. Today, however, her gaze sparkled brightest of all.
“Where are your sisters?”
“They aren’t here. Mama, are you bleeding?”
Mama waved her hand as she caught her breath. She seemed far less concerned about the scratch than the letter she clutched in her fist. “That blighted hen again. I’ll get the better of her. This is more important. This just came for your sister from Edinburgh.”
“From Edinburgh—for Sophie?”
“Yes. It says—”
“Mama, you opened it?”
“Trust me, she’s going to want to read it straightaway.”
With the page fluttering in front of her face, Lily caught it long enough to read the opening line: We very much enjoyed your novel, The Unlikely Providence of Sisters, and are pleased to offer—
Breathless, Lily pointed toward the door. “I think they were headed toward the bakery.”
Mama stood on tiptoe to mash her lips against Lily’s cheeks before she hurled open the door and ran, heedless to the image she made. Adam fetched his hat from a peg next to the latticed shop window and drew the key to the shop out of his pocket. He slid his arm around Lily’s shoulders and steered her to the door.
“Come, darling. This sounds like a cause for celebration.”
As she stepped into the square, her husband at her back, the baby kicked. She laid her palm on her round belly with a smile. “I believe someone is inclined to agree with you.”
“I should hope so,” he said and laid a kiss on the top of her head. “I have a lot more wisdom to impart.”
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Acknowledgments
None of my books are written without an army of supporters behind the pages. This book, in particular, proved a challenge because it was contracted only a scant few weeks before I developed the disability in my wrists. This book was an exercise in perseverance and passion, and it would never have happened were it not for the supportive people in my life staying my hand when I wanted to throw the first couple drafts out my office window.
The Entangled Team has been wonderful in working with me through the adjustment period in order to deliver this book. My editor, Erin Molta, in particular, helped in many ways to make this book as strong as it could be through drawing out its strengths and shoring up its weaknesses.
But before it ever crossed her inbox, this white whale of a book had to be written. It was my first foray into dictation, and I’d like to thank my friends and family for putting up with my constant griping while I discovered how dictating was so vastly different from typing. For all the little things they did behind the scenes, I’d like to thank Mom, Dad, and my sister, Sam. For listening to me complain and encouraging me to continue, I’d like to thank my writer network, including but not limited to: Alison Pearce, Krys Branchaud, Kim Malboeuf, Jan Wright, Taras Stasuik, Josée Cadieux, Brian Perjul, Elizabeth Keysian, Tessa Candle, L.J. Evans, Stacy Reid, Sasha Cottman, Merry Farmer, Emmanuelle de Maupassant, and Mariah Stone.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my partner, Mark Kind, for his unceasing support and celebration in my success. He may be an enabler, but at least I know I’ll always have a freshly baked batch of cookies to eat while crafting my next book.
And an honorary mention of thanks to Edgar, who never fails to offer to taste the aforementioned cookies for poison. Just in case.
About the Author
Harmony Williams is the Canadian author of more than fifteen novels, including the Ladies of Passion trilogy and the Lady Katherine Regency Mysteries. She grew up in a historic rural town, where she spent most of her time with her nose in a book. Not much has changed in that respect, though she occasionally resurfaces long enough to play Dungeons and Dragons with her friends, teach her adorable niece the merits of reading, or exercise her one-hundred-pound lapdog using her wheelchair or walker. She now lives in the suburbs with her partner, Mark, and their rescue dog, Edgar, in a house that is almost big enough to fit her book collection.
Also by Harmony Williams…
How to Play the Game of Love
How to Ruin Your Reputation in Ten Days
How to Fall for the Wrong Man
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