Match in the Making (The Matchmakers Book #1) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Jen Turano

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

198 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Miss Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a temporary paid companion position for the Newport summer season, believing it would be a lark to spend the summer in America's most exclusive town. She suddenly finds her summer turning anything but amusing when her employer expects her to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with the daunting prospect of attaining advantageous matches for her clients, Gwendolyn soon finds herself in the employ of Mr. Walter Townsend, the catch of the Season, but a gentleman Gwendolyn finds beyond irritating.Walter Townsend is reluctantly in search of a wife for the sake of his unruly motherless children who cannot keep a governess for long. What he wasn't expecting was Miss Brinley, an amateur matchmaker who turns his quest for a new wife into a complete and utter debacle. Constantly besieged by society ladies on a mission to win his affection, Walter must find a way to overcome their inundating attention--and his unexpected attraction toward Gwendolyn.The more time they spend together throughout the Newport Season, the harder it is for Gwendolyn to find Walter a wife when she realizes his perfect match might be . . . her.

Sujets

Historical romance

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	21 février 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493440658
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0408€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Half Title Page
Books by Jen Turano
L ADIES OF D ISTINCTION
Gentleman of Her Dreams: A L A D I E S O F D I S T I N C T I O N Novella from With All My Heart Romance Collection
A Change of Fortune
A Most Peculiar Circumstance
A Talent for Trouble
A Match of Wits
A C LASS OF T HEIR O WN
After a Fashion
In Good Company
Playing the Part
A PART FROM THE C ROWD
At Your Request: An A P A R T F R O M T H E C R O W D Novella from All For Love Romance Collection
Behind the Scenes
Out of the Ordinary
Caught by Surprise
A M E R I C A N H E I R E S S E S
Flights of Fancy
Diamond in the Rough
Storing Up Trouble
Grand Encounters: A H A R V E Y H OUSE B RIDES C OLLECTION Novella from Serving Up Love
T H E B L E E C K E R S TREET I NQUIRY A GENCY
To Steal a Heart
To Write a Wrong
To Disguise the Truth
T H E M A T C H M A K E R S
A Match in the Making
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2023 by Jen Turano
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2023
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.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-4065-8
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover design by Kelly L. Howard
Cover model photography by Lee Avison / Trevillion Images
Author is represented by Natasha Kern Literary Agency.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
For Natasha Kern My extraordinary literary agent, who never hesitates to lend me her invaluable wisdom, whether it be professional or personal. It’s been a privilege working with you all these years. With much love, Jen
Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Jen Turano
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Five
Thirty-Six
Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Nine
Forty
Forty-One
Forty-Two
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
One

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND JULY 1, 1888
One of the most curious discoveries Miss Gwendolyn Brinley had made during her brief sojourn as an unexpected and oh-so-reluctant assistant matchmaker was this—securing advantageous marriages amongst the socially elite was not for the faint of heart and, frankly, could be considered a blood sport.
She’d been in Newport a mere six days, and yet the events she’d attended leading up to this evening’s official opening of the Season at Mrs. Astor’s impressive Beechwood “cottage” had allowed her to observe underhanded tactics one didn’t expect from young ladies of such illustrious social significance.
She’d witnessed an “accidental” punch spill at a pre-Season picnic, seen ladies edging other ladies out of their way with sharp elbows to the ribs, and then watched from the balcony of the esteemed Newport Casino as a lady took out an opponent she apparently saw as competition on the marriage mart by whacking a tennis ball directly at that opponent’s head, which resulted in the young lady sporting a spectacular black eye a few hours later.
In retrospect, Gwendolyn’s decision to accept a paid position for the summer to afford herself a respite from the drama that always surrounded her cousin, Catriona Zimmerman, whom she’d been a companion to for years, seemed ridiculous, given that she’d now landed in a most dramatic situation.
“Miss Brinley, would you be a dear and maneuver me and this dreadful chair to the other side of the ballroom?” Mrs. Parker, her employer, said, pulling Gwendolyn from her thoughts. “I’m having difficulties keeping track of our targets from this vantage point. If we want to succeed this summer, we must learn what the most eligible gentlemen desire in potential brides. I won’t be able to point out the location of those gentlemen if I can’t find them in the crush we’re currently in.”
Mrs. Parker’s blue eyes began to gleam. “I’m determined to secure the best matches for the ladies I’m sponsoring this summer, Miss Elizabeth Ellsworth and Miss Hannah Howe. To accomplish that, we’re going to have to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into reconnaissance work, which was delayed due to the unfortunate breaking of my leg.”
“A leg that wouldn’t have been broken if you hadn’t entered a three-legged race,” Gwendolyn said, taking hold of the handles on the back of Mrs. Parker’s wheeled chair and pushing it slowly through the guests milling about the edges of Mrs. Astor’s ballroom.
“In hindsight, the three-legged race was sheer foolishness on my part,” Mrs. Parker admitted. “But how could I have refused to participate when my partner was Mr. Russell Damrosch? He’s worth millions and is known to be searching for a wife. I’m quite convinced he’d be a perfect match for Miss Howe.”
Gwendolyn stopped pushing the chair and leaned close to Mrs. Parker’s ear. “Mr. Damrosch is the last gentleman you should consider for either of your young ladies. He’s obviously a thoughtless man, what with how in his pursuit of winning the three-legged race he dragged you over the finish line after you stumbled and fell to the ground.”
“I’m sure he didn’t realize I’d fallen.”
“It would have been difficult for him to miss, because one minute the two of you were galloping along and the next you were lying on the ground. It speaks volumes about his character, or lack thereof, that he was so determined to win two bottles of The Marsh and Benson from 1809, he didn’t bother to notice the grievous injury he was causing you.”
“You can’t blame the man for being so earnest in his attempt to win the grand prize—1809 was an excellent year for Madeira.”
“Considering Mr. Damrosch is a multimillionaire, he’s capable of purchasing an endless supply of 1809 Madeira. He should have abandoned his desire to win the race the moment you fell.”
Mrs. Parker bit her lip. “I suppose you have a point. It may be prudent to have you monitor his behavior to see if that inconsiderate nature you believe he possesses rears its ugly head again.”
“It would be more prudent if you’d simply take him off your list of eligible bachelors. The last thing Miss Howe needs is to be shackled for life to an inconsiderate man.”
“Miss Howe will be only too happy to overlook inconsideration if it means she’ll have access to millions.”
“That’s a mercenary approach to marriage if there ever was one, and I haven’t gotten the impression Miss Howe’s a mercenary sort. I believe she may be interested in securing a love match over a profitable one.”
Mrs. Parker waved that aside. “If she wanted a love match, she’d have convinced her mother to approach Miss Camilla Pierpont to sponsor her, not me.”
“Miss Pierpont?”
Craning her neck, Mrs. Parker waved toward a beautiful lady with golden hair, dressed in the first state of fashion and surrounded by an entire brigade of gentlemen. “That’s Camilla over there. She’s a grand heiress, the only heiress, in fact, to the Hubert Pierpont fortune.”
“And she’s a matchmaker?”
“I know, she hardly fits the standard image of matchmakers, since we tend to be older matrons of society. Camilla’s twenty-five, unmarried, and has allowed it to be known she intends to embrace her spinster state forever.”
“It seems peculiar for a confirmed spinster to dabble in matchmaking.”
“Indeed, but she’s unusually successful with her matches, which makes her direct competition for me. I haven’t heard a peep about a specific lady she may be sponsoring this Season, but even if she’s decided to sit the summer out, she’s surely sizing up the gentlemen surrounding her. It won’t benefit us if she sets her sights on one of them for a match in the future. That means you need to get me settled and then get to the task I’ve given you this evening.”
Mrs. Parker gestured to a spot next to the orchestra. “There’s Mrs. Ryerson. You may deposit me beside her. I’ve been meaning to speak with her about her son, August. He’s a quiet young man but may be a prime catch in the next few years because he’s due to inherit a substantial fortune. He’ll only be a catch, though, if he can learn to mingle more comfortably in society. I believe tonight is the night I’ll present that concerning matter to his mother.”
Gwendolyn opened her mouth, then swallowed the opinion she’d been about to broach. Mrs. Parker didn’t appear to welcome unsolicited advice from a mere employee, but it was doubtful Mrs. Ryerson was going to enjoy listening to Mrs. Parker wax on about the deficiencies she saw in the lady’s son. Pushing the chair into motion again, she kept to the edge of the ballroom floor as Mr. Nash, Mrs. Astor’s cotillion leader, called out instructions to dancers weaving their way through a “German” known as the Hungarian.
She was forced to stop when she reached a gathering of young ladies dressed in lovely creations of soft-colored silk, the colors adding a festive atmosphere to an already splendid ballroom. Unfortunately, even though the ladies clearly saw they were blocking Gwendolyn