Note Yet Unsung (A Belmont Mansion Novel Book #3) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Tamera Alexander

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273 pages

English

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From Bestselling Author Tamera Alexander Comes the Final Novel in the Sweeping Belmont Mansion SeriesA master violinist trained in Vienna, Rebekah Carrington manages to wheedle her way into an audition with the new maestro at the Nashville Philharmonic. But women are "far too fragile and frail" for the rigors of an orchestra, and Rebekah's hopes are swiftly dashed when the conductor--determined to leave his mark on the world of classical music--bows to public opinion. To make matters worse, Adelicia Cheatham, mistress of Belmont Mansion and Rebekah's new employer, agrees with him.Nationally acclaimed conductor Nathaniel Tate Whitcomb is Nashville's youngest orchestra leader. And despite a reluctant muse and a strange buzzing and recurring pain in his head, he must finish composing his symphony before the grand opening of the city's new symphony hall. Even more pressing, he must finish it for the one who first inspired his love of music--his dying father. As Tate's ailment worsens, he knows Rebekah can help him finish his symphony. But how can he win back her trust when he's robbed her of her dream?As music moves us to tears yet makes our hearts soar, A Note Yet Unsung captures the splendor of classical music at a time when women's hard-won strides in cultural issues changed not only world history--but the hearts of men.

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	31 janvier 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441230942
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0461€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by Tamera Alexander
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 2017
Ebook corrections 02.26.2018
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 978-1-4412-3094-2
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.
Epigraph Scripture quotation identified N L T is from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This is a work of historical reconstruction; the appearances of certain historical figures are therefore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover design by Jennifer Parker
Cover photography by Mike Habermann Photography, LLC
Background photography by Alexander Levitsky/Shutterstock
Author represented by Natasha Kern Literary Agency
Praise for the B E L M O N T M A N S I O N novels
A Lasting Impression
“This book is a full-on hit!”
— USA Today
“Tamera Alexander has once again written a novel rich in storytelling and history, peopled with living, breathing characters who made me laugh, and cry. Better than sweet tea on a veranda, A Lasting Impression is a winner. I want to live at Belmont!”
—Francine Rivers, New York Times bestselling author of Redeeming Love
“Pure reading pleasure! Tamera Alexander paints vivid scenes, not with oils on canvas but with words on the page, as she sweeps us away to the cafés of New Orleans and the hills of Tennessee. In Claire Laurent we find a true artist, ever doubting her talents, ever questioning her calling. And in Sutton Monroe we meet a hero whose bright mind is eclipsed only by his tender heart. A lovely story, sure to please anyone who treasures a good romance.”
—Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author of Mine Is the Night
“Beautifully written and brimming with ‘real life’ history, A Lasting Impression captures a slice of American history, and an era the South will not soon forget. Nor should we. As Director of the Belmont Mansion, I highly endorse A Lasting Impression and invite you to visit the home of Mrs. Adelicia Acklen to see, in person, the beauty and elegance that defines both Adelicia’s home, and this novel.”
—Mark Brown, Executive Director, Belmont Mansion, Nashville, Tennessee
A Beauty So Rare
“Alexander’s exquisitely written historical tale is filled with unforgettable characters, a romance that seems hopeless, and a close-up look at the aftermath of a war that nearly destroyed our country.”
— Booklist
“Bestseller Alexander will delight fans of . . . inspirational historical romance with the second Belmont Mansion novel.”
— Publishers Weekly
Dedication
To Jack, my little writing buddy. It was so hard to finish this one without you. We miss you still. . . .
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Praise for the B ELMONT M ANSION novels
Dedication
Epigraph
Preface
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Author’s Note
Discussion Questions
A Preview of the First Book in this Series
With Gratitude to . . .
About the Author
Books by Tamera Alexander
Back Ads
Back Cover
Epigraph

“For the L ORD sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes.”
Proverbs 5:21 ( NLT )
Preface
M usic is an important part of our lives and comes in many forms. Most definitely, the term one size fits all does not apply when discussing the vast number of styles in this time-treasured art form.
As can be said pretty much across the board when comparing the mores of current society to those of times past, what was taboo then—be it for better, or worse—has now become the norm. In nearly every country in the world today, women are welcome to participate in orchestras, and their talent is lauded.
But such was not always the case.
In the nineteenth century, women were not allowed to play in orchestras or symphonies. They were considered too genteel and delicate natured for the rigors of practice and dedication required to master an instrument. (O ye of little faith . . . )
As I researched, I came across a popular opinion of the time that not only supported the preclusion of women playing in orchestras, but that also set forth that a woman playing a violin in public would be scandalous. Far too sensuous and suggestive. No proper woman would ever consider doing such a thing!
And from that . . . the idea for A Note Yet Unsung , a Belmont Mansion novel, was born.
Most of the novel you’re about to read is fictional, though there are certainly elements of real history and people woven throughout. For instance, there really is a Belmont Mansion in Nashville, built in 1853, that still stands today. And Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, a character in the novel, is the dynamic, born-before-her-time woman who lived there.
Adelicia had three defining loves in her life—art, nature, and music. So as I began writing the Belmont novels (of which you’re holding the third and final installment), their singular themes rose rather quickly in my thoughts: art ( A Lasting Impression ), nature ( A Beauty So Rare) , and finally, music ( A Note Yet Unsung ).
At times, as I wrote, it felt almost as if these stories and characters had been waiting for me to begin writing, and I’m so grateful they did. It’s been a pleasure and an honor to take these journeys with them.
In addition to Adelicia, many of the other characters in the novel were inspired by real people who lived during that era—people who worked at Belmont and who visited there. But the characters’ personalities and actions as depicted in this story are purely of my own imagination.
A bonus to this book! On my website ( www.TameraAlexander.com ) I’ve included links to all the music “performed” in this book. So if you want to listen as you read, please visit the book page for A Note Yet Unsung on my website and click the playlist tab.
I invite you to join me as we open the door to history once again and step into another time and place. I hope you’ll hear the not-too-distant strains of Beethoven, Mozart, and other grand masters of music just as I did while I penned Tate and Rebekah’s story.
Thanks for joining me on yet another journey,
Tamera
1
N ASHVILLE , T ENNESSEE J ANU ARY 12, 1871
R ebekah Carrington stood shivering across the street from her childhood home, satchel heavy in hand, cloak dusted with snow. She counted the strides it would take to reach the front door. How could such a brief distance feel so insurmountable, so much greater a course to navigate than the ocean she’d just traversed? She wished she could blink and be back in Vienna.
After ten years, Austria felt more like home than the city in which she’d been born and lived the first half of her life. But the letter delivered nearly four weeks ago, only days before Christmas, had changed every—
The front door to the house opened.
Rebekah pressed into the shadow of a nearby evergreen, its pungent pine needles sharp and prickly with cold. She lowered her head to peer through the icy branches—breath fogging, hanging ghostlike in the air—and her stomach turned with something more than hunger.
It was him .
How many times since leaving Nashville had she pictured the man?
Yet looking at him now, a decade later, through a woman’s perspective, he seemed so different than when she’d peered up at him as a girl of thirteen. Though thicker through the middle with age, he was still tall, standing nearly six feet, and still possessed a commanding presence.
But he wasn’t quite the towering figure her memory had conjured.
For years, recollections of the encounters—and that one night, in particular—had haunted her. With time and distance, she’d moved beyond it. She was no longer that young, naive girl, and she wasn’t afraid of him anymore.
So why was her heart all but beating out of her chest? She straightened her spine, pulling her courage up along with it.
Her stepfather climbed into a carriage, one far grander than what she remembered him and her mother owning years earlier. Perhaps a purchase he’d made with money he’d gained in a recent inheritance . That possibility only deepened her resentment toward him, and made her question, yet again, the untimeliness of her grandmother’s recent passing.
Not a word from Grandmother Carrington about feeling unwell, much less being ill, and then the shocking news of her “sudden and tragic death.” It didn’t make sense, and the ache of loss reached deep.
Rebekah eyed the carriage, and the silhouette of the man inside.
Barton Ledbetter was not an honorable man, she knew that well enough. But surely he wasn’t so devoid of morals that he would have dared to—
“Who you hidin’ from?”
Rebekah jumped and spun, her thoughts veering off track.
A young boy peered up from beneath the bill of a ragged red cap, his belligerent expression repeating the question.
She frowned. “I’m not hiding from anyone.”
The tilt of his head told her he thought differently.
“I was merely . . . considering my plans.” Hedging the truth, she found the tug at her conscience easily allayed by the fact that her act