To Honor and Trust (Bridal Veil Island Book #3) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Tracie Peterson , Judith Miller

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184 pages

English

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More Bestselling Fiction from Coauthors Tracie Peterson and Judith MillerCallie DeBoyer is unsettled as she arrives at Bridal Veil Island with the Bridgeport family. She's just received a letter from her parents, missionaries in coastal Africa, stating they are in dire need of more personnel. Should Callie give up her governess job and join her parents in their important work? Is God calling her to the mission field, or does she just want to escape the emotional scars of being jilted by her former beau?When she enrolls young Thomas Bridgeport in golf lessons, Callie meets Wesley Townsend, who urges Callie to take lessons, as well. During their time at the golf course, Callie comes to care for Wesley--until she discovers hidden secrets about his past. Then expensive jewels go missing from various homes on the island, and suspicion is aimed in Callie's direction. As the investigation continues, Callie wonders if she should escape it all by going to Africa. After the secrets he kept about his past, will Wesley ever be a man she can honor and trust for the rest of her life?

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Romance

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 janvier 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441261007
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 2013 by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6100-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the authors’ imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by John Hamilton Design
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Tracie Peterson & Judith Miller
Back Ads
Back Cover
Chapter 1
B RIDAL V EIL I SLAND , G EORGIA J ANUARY 1913
Callie Deboyer opened the ornate front door of Fair Haven, certain there had been a terrible mistake. Who was this woman? Surely she couldn’t be the nanny Mrs. Bridgeport had hired for the children.
With hat askew and mousy brown hair laced with strands of gray jutting in all directions, the woman standing on the other side of the threshold squinted at Callie through the screen door. Did she dare open the door of Luther and Eunice Bridgeport’s elaborate twelve-bedroom cottage to this woman?
“Good morning.” The woman leaned forward. “I’m Maude Murphy, the new nanny. Are you Mrs. Bridgeport?”
Callie cautioned herself to withhold further opinion. If this was indeed the newly hired nanny, she didn’t want to start things off poorly. She didn’t want to be accused of judging a book by its cover, but this woman was not what she’d expected. Maude Murphy came with a fine recommendation from one of the former residents of Bridal Veil Island, but this woman’s appearance belied someone with years of experience as a nanny to wealthy families. Despite the fact that Mrs. Bridgeport and Mrs. Murphy had exchanged correspondence, they’d not yet met in person, and Callie couldn’t help but wonder how their first meeting would go. Would Mrs. Bridgeport be as shocked as she was?
Mrs. Murphy’s shoulder sagged a bit to the right, probably due to the weight of the traveling case she grasped by one hand. At the sound of clattering shoes in the hallway, Callie glanced over her shoulder. Five-year-old Daisy stopped behind Callie and peeked around her skirts while seven-year-old Lottie stared at the woman.
Lottie leaned forward until her upturned nose touched the screen. “Who are you?”
Before Callie could correct the girl’s unsuitable manners, Mrs. Murphy stooped down and placed her nose near the other side of the screen. Nose-to-nose, they stared at each other for a moment. “I am Mrs. Murphy. Your new nanny. You must be Lottie.”
Lottie took a quick backward step. “You’re too old to be our nanny.”
“Lottie! You owe an apology to Mrs. Murphy.”
Oh dear. So did she. She’d kept the poor woman on the porch now for several minutes. Without waiting for Lottie to beg the woman’s pardon, Callie reached forward and opened the door. “Do come in, Mrs. Murphy. I’m sorry to have kept you standing on the porch.” Callie gave Lottie’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “What would you like to say, Lottie?”
Lottie coughed as she inched forward. “I’m sorry I called you old, but our other nanny, Miss Sophie, was young like Miss Callie.”
Daisy stepped from behind Callie. “Miss Sophie got married.” Lottie gave the older woman an appraising look. “Are you going to get married?”
Mrs. Murphy sat her traveling case inside the front door. “I’ve tried that twice before. I don’t think I’ll be doing it again.”
The children appeared confused, but Callie didn’t give them an opportunity to ask further questions. “Why don’t you girls run upstairs and tell your mother that Mrs. Murphy has arrived and we’ll meet with her in the sitting room.”
Lottie coughed as she and Daisy ran up the steps. Mrs. Murphy watched for a moment. “Is the girl sick?”
“No, but she does suffer with a cough some of the time.”
Mrs. Murphy nodded. “I see. Well, I don’t want to take charge of children in need of constant medical care, if you know what I mean. I’m not good around sickness and such.”
Callie peered at the woman, wondering why she would become a nanny if she didn’t want to care for a sick child. “All children are ill from time to time, but the Bridgeport children are generally quite healthy.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.”
The two of them were as different as day and night, clearly separated by much more than their years. Using her own five-foot-six-inch height as a guide, Callie surmised Mrs. Murphy would measure a mere five feet, perhaps a little less. The woman’s hair was dull and askew, while Callie’s rich coffee-brown hair bore a beautiful sheen and had been carefully arranged. She couldn’t condemn the woman for the deep lines that creased her weathered face or for the extra pounds that had settled around her midriff. She’d obviously lived enough years to earn every wrinkle and pound. Still, Mrs. Murphy’s outward form proved a stark contrast to Callie’s flawless complexion and trim figure. There hadn’t been much wind this morning, so Callie decided the woman’s rumpled appearance must have come about during her boat ride across the Argosy River from Biscayne. If not, Mrs. Bridgeport might dismiss the woman before she’d even begun her position.
“Would you like to straighten your hat before we sit down, Mrs. Murphy? There’s a mirror in the sitting room that you can use.” Callie waved the older woman toward a rectangular mirror surrounded by a frame of molded brass and tortoiseshell. The mirror was perfectly centered above an ebony side table. With its spiral-turned legs and carved ivory figurines, the table was a favorite purchase of the Bridgeports, made during their European travels.
Mrs. Murphy stepped in front of the mirror, tucked one loose strand of hair behind her ear, gave the no-nonsense felt hat a tug, and turned around. “That will do for now. I figure the missus is more interested in my ability to care for the children than whether my hat is perched at a proper angle.”
She propelled herself across the room with a short-legged gait and settled on the pale blue upholstered settee. Her feet barely touched the floor, and Callie wondered if this woman would prove capable of handling young Thomas Bridgeport. At twelve years of age, he was already taller than Mrs. Murphy, though she likely outweighed him by at least twenty pounds. Still, Thomas could be a handful especially if he decided he didn’t like someone.
“I understand you’ve worked as a nanny for several wealthy families in the area, Mrs. Murphy.” Callie took a seat in an open armchair near the settee. From the appearance of her work-worn hands and ragged fingernails, Callie wondered if Mrs. Murphy’s recent employment had been as a nanny or a housekeeper.
Callie immediately scolded herself for the judgmental notion. She disliked the fact that so many of the women in the Bridgeports’ circle of friends judged everything from outward appearance. Shortly after she’d begun to work for the family, Callie realized that she’d taken on some of those same behaviors. Over the past couple of years, she’d been asking God to nudge her when such thoughts crossed her mind. God had been faithful to answer her request. It seemed as though He was prodding her far more frequently than she’d expected.
Mrs. Murphy squared her shoulders. “I sent my letter of reference to Mrs. Bridgeport.”
Callie hadn’t intended to insult the woman, but Mrs. Murphy certainly appeared offended. “I know she was pleased with the recommendation, or she wouldn’t have hired you to work with the children.”
Mrs. Murphy gave a firm nod that jostled her hat back to its previous off-centered position. Given the woman’s curt reply, Callie couldn’t decide if she should mention the hat. Before she could make up her mind, Mrs. Bridgeport sashayed into the room, wearing a pale yellow dress of imported batiste, adorned with wide inserts of French lace. Her ebony hair was fashioned in a perfect Grecian coiffure that accentuated her azure eyes and fair complexion.
Before greeting Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Bridgeport hesitated and let her gaze sweep over the woman. She clasped a palm to her bodice and flashed Callie a look of concern before returning her attention to the new nanny. “Good morning, Mrs. Murphy.”
Mrs. Murphy scooted forward on the settee and bobbed her head. The movement was enough to launch her hat into a graceful pirouette. All three women stared at the chapeau as it came to rest on the patterned Axminster carpet.
Mrs. Murphy jumped to her feet, retrieved the hat, and squashed it atop her head with the flat of her hand. “That ought to hold for a minute.”
“I’d be pleased to loan you a hatpin, if you’d like.” Callie edged forward on her chair.
“That’s not necessary. It will stay put if I don’t move my head much.”
Callie nodded. “In that case, I’ll leave the two of you to your discussion and go upstairs to help the children unpack their belongings.”
Mrs. Bridgeport gestured for Callie to remain seate