There would be more success stories. Jess was already deciding what sort of lessons the women were going to get when they came to live at the cottage. She’d never admit how much she’d come to care about helping the women, and her methods would never be what anyone deemed gentle, but Daphne couldn’t wait to see what sort of strong women these new relationships would produce.
Mr. Leighton smiled at Daphne from his pew, bringing Daphne back to the present. A handful of families sat with the Irishman, families of men who had occasionally helped out at Haven Manor over the years.
Even one of the families who had taken in one of Daphne’s young charges had come back. Seeing young Alice bicker and play with her new siblings nearly sent Daphne’s prickle of tears over the edge.
Mr. Thornbury seemed delighted with the festivities as he sat beside two of William’s closest friends who were in attendance. They were staying at an inn, but she and William had dined with them several times and now she could look their way without shaking.
Then there was Benedict. He stood at her side, despite convention, smiling and wearing a brand-new custom-tailored suit. “Are you ready?” He swallowed. “Mother?”
She was never going to make it through this day without crying.
“I’m ready.”
Her son walked her to the man who would become her husband before kissing her on the cheek and going to sit beside Kit.
She barely remembered the vows, knowing the words didn’t matter. Her heart and future and everything she was belonged to William. And he belonged to her.
A joyous cheer went up from the collected crowd as Daphne and William were declared husband and wife. Friends and family surged around them, not waiting for the rest of the traditional ceremony.
Daphne swung from friend to friend, marveling at the number of people who were around her and the attention focused on her, and yet she didn’t feel the need to hide.
She wrapped her arms around Kit and hugged her with all her might. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”
Kit hugged her back briefly before giving her a punch on the shoulder. “I think we can all agree you’re stronger than you thought you were—than any of us thought you were.”
Daphne looked to Jess to see if she was going to join in the teasing, but the smaller woman wasn’t watching them. She was looking toward the back of the church.
“Jess?” Daphne asked. “Is everything all right?”
She blinked a few times and then swung her gaze back to Kit and Daphne. “I thought I saw . . . someone for a moment. And yes, I think any woman who can convince a man to actually see that he’s completely wrong about something is impressive.”
Her glare drifted across the church to land on Mr. Thornbury. Daphne couldn’t hold back a giggle. “I thought the problem with Mr. Thornbury was that he wasn’t wrong.”
“Mr. Thornbury is irritating,” Jess returned. “Isn’t it time we all went back to the manor? Horatia was overseeing the last of the food preparation, and it should all be ready by now.”
Once at Haven Manor, the guests ate and laughed. Children played on the lawn. Eventually they trickled away, returning to their own homes.
Darkness rolled in, and that night, when Daphne lay in bed, her new husband curled at her side, she didn’t have to dream. Nothing she could imagine could possibly be better than the reality she was living.
Acknowledgments
While I am intimately aware of the dangers of an overactive imagination, there was a great deal of the rest of Daphne’s life I have never experienced.
I want to thank the men and women who shared their stories with me. The ones who opened their hearts, showed me their scars, and bled their stories into Daphne and William.
You are strong, my new friends. You are an inspiration. I hope Daphne shares your story in some small way and maybe spreads your strength to someone who needs it. I hope William inspires someone to begin anew with a sense of purpose.
God bless you all.
Kristi Ann Hunter is the author of the HAWTHORNE HOUSE series and a 2016 RITA Award winner, an ACFW Genesis contest winner, and a Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award for Excellence winner. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia. Find her online at www.kristiannhunter.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Kristi Ann Hunter
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
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Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
List of Pages
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A Return of Devotion Page 39
