Introduction

Gripping Sophomore Novel from a Rising Historical Romance Talent

In the spring of 1917, all of Britain is caught up in WWI. Wealthy young suffragette Grace Mabry will do anything to assist her country’s cause. Now that her brother is fighting in the trenches, she holds every able-bodied man who is not enlisted in contempt. One such man is notorious Casanova Jack Benningham, dashing heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke.

At a posh masquerade ball, Grace hands a white feather of cowardice to this society bachelor, not anticipating the danger and betrayal set in motion by her actions. Later, Grace comes face-to-face with Jack in the course of her work for the Women’s Forage Corps. Both she and Jack are forced to learn the true meaning of courage when the war strikes much closer to home—and it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems.

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Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

1. Seeing Jack Benningham at Lady Bassett’s ball, Grace has already formed her opinion of him, based on the newspapers and gossip from Swan’s. Can you think of an instance, past or present, where a public figure was maligned by the press or a group of people, and then later exonerated?

2. Women’s suffrage was strengthened during the war as women took on more men’s roles. They worked in munitions and as tank builders, ambulance drivers, policewomen, and forestry workers, just to name a few. If you had lived in that time, what occupation would you have chosen, and why?

3. When the two women arrive at Roxwood, Grace finds herself the target of Clare’s animosity. Have your first impressions ever been wrong? If so, what did you do about it?

4. Agnes spies for the Germans to keep her imprisoned mother and sister alive—actions that betray the country fighting for her Belgian people and likely cause the deaths of countless British sailors, and have the kindhearted Mabrys arrested and facing execution. What would you have done in her circumstances? Do you think the enemy would have kept their word?

5. At the village dance, Grace coaxes Mr. Tillman into taking a turn around the room with Mrs. Vance, and romance blossoms. Have you ever played matchmaker for someone? Set up a blind date or invited to a party two singles you thought well-suited to each other? What was the outcome?

6. Violet Arnold comes across as a rich, spoiled, and shallow heiress in want of a coronet. Yet as she confronts Jack, her harshness seems more out of desperation than hatred. She feels caught in the net of her father’s agenda and frustrated by Jack’s unwillingness to end the farce and repay Stonebrooke’s debt. Do you feel she was sincere about loving the Scottish viscount’s son, or as Jack suspected, did she want out once she saw his horrible wounds at the hospital?

7. Grace’s coded letter to her father results in her being suspected as a spy. Yet Jack has doubts after hearing the testimony of her friends. Have you ever had an instance where your instincts conflicted with your reasoning? How did you proceed?

8. A budding writer seeking publication for her stories, Grace keeps a journal of her adventures with the WFC and her outings with Jack. Have you ever kept a journal or diary? What key observations did you notice when you reread the entries later on?

9. Jack teaches Grace to “paint with words” so he can envision the places they visit during their outings. Among her colorful descriptions, did you have a particular favorite? Did it remind you of a place or an event you’ve seen before?

10. When Jack rescues Colin Mabry in France, he gains new understanding into the cause behind his brother Hugh’s death after returning from the war, how “shell shock” is as much a wound as missing limbs or being blinded. In Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey, Mrs. Patmore’s nephew, Archibald, suffers from a similar condition and deserts. With today’s return of so many soldiers from places like Iraq and Afghanistan, do you have thoughts on how we can help those with PTSD make a better transition back into society?

11. At the end of the story, Jack has come to terms with Hugh’s death and his own injuries. He begins to rediscover his faith in God and to understand the concept of suffering. Do you feel his circumstances in the story better enabled him to help Grace? If so, in what way? And how did Grace help Jack?

12. Who was your favorite secondary character in the novel, and why?

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