Introduction

In age of elegance and excess, Lilly Westbrook longs for a love both true and eternal.

Newport, Rhode Island, 1899, is a place of shimmering waves, sleek yachts, and ladies of leisure. Of opulent mansions that serve as summer cottages for the rich and famous. Home of railroad magnates and banking tycoons--dashing young men and the women who aspire to marry them.

But it's not the place for lady novelists. Especially not those who pen disreputable dime novels. This poses a problem for Lilly Westbrook, because that's exactly what she does.

No one in Lilly's social set knows she pens fiction under the nom de plume Fannie Cole. Not her family or the wealthy young man about to propose to her. And especially not Jackson Grail, the long-lost beau who just bought her publishing company...and who stirs her heart more than she cares to admit.

But Lilly must put aside her feelings and follow the path that will maintain her family's social stature and provide the financial security that everyone is depending on.

Now Lilly faces a double dilemma. Can she continue to protect her secret identity? And will she have the courage to choose the man who will risk it all just to win her heart?

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Excerpt

P rolo g u e
N e w Y o r k C i t y , M ay 1 8 9 3
Jack slowed his pace, his courage once more waning at the sight
of the Westbrook home across the way. Anxiety twisted his
stomach in a knot. But in the dusky light, Lilly’s glow of confidence
reignited his own flame. She understood her parents far
better than he did. Since she believed her father would agree to the
marriage, why should he hesitate?
Arm-in-arm they strolled across the road. Among the row of
fine brick townhouses facing them, the Westbrook house stood
three stories tall like all the rest, with long, paned windows overlooking
Washington Park.
Mr. Ames, the ancient butler, opened the front door. Jack and
Lilly entered the dimly lit foyer.
“Where is my father this evening?” Lilly asked the butler.
“In the back parlor, miss.”
“Shall I go with you, Jack?”
“No,” he whispered, squeezing her hand, “I’d rather do this
on my own. Say a prayer all will go well.”
Jack strode toward the parlor, determined to plead his case.
Every nerve ending in his body fired with life—and more than
a few with apprehension. He’d calm himself and then ask Mr. Westbrook for Lilly’s hand in a respectful tone, solicitous, but
not fawning. He’d restrain his usual brash attitude and hope Mr.
Westbrook would consent to a marriage most would deem unsuitable.
If he weighed the odds of success, he wouldn’t even try.
Jack inhaled a steadying breath and increased his pace down
the narrow hallway leading to the back of the house. Gas sconces
threw a pale light along the Persian runner that muffled his footsteps
to a soft shuffle. The house lay silent except for the noise of
a sledge hammer beating against his chest.
Lord, I need a large dose of Your strength. Don’t allow me to cower.
I’ve never been a quitter and I don’t want to start now.
He hadn’t asked God for much in the past, but this was too
important to rely on his own untested powers.
Jack paused before he came to the door of the back parlor,
straightened his bow tie, and squared his shoulders. Voices stopped
him before he moved forward. He recognized Mrs. Westbrook’s
high, girlish tone. He’d wait for a lull in the conversation, excuse
his entry, and then ask to speak to Mr. Westbrook. Jack waited for
several minutes before he heard his name.
“Thomas, I noticed Jackson Grail seems especially fond of
Lilly. You don’t suppose he wants to marry her, do you?”
Jack winced at the worry in her voice. With his back to the
wall he stepped closer to the parlor.
Mr. Westbrook chuckled. “No, my dear, he’s George ’s friend,
not Lilly’s. She ’s hardly more than a child.”
“For goodness’ sake. Lilly’s nineteen, certainly old enough to
catch the eye of a young man.”
“All right, she ’s not my little girl anymore. But ready for marriage?
No, Nessie, I don’t believe so. She has lots of time to choose
a mate. There ’s no rush.”
“Hmm. I wouldn’t want her to delay too long. I’ve given considerable
thought to her future.”
“I’m sure you have,” Mr. Westbrook murmured. Jack pictured
his wry smile.
“Well, it’s my duty as her mother to guide her. Oliver Cross
or Pelham Mills come to mind as possible suitors. Maybe Harlan
Santerre. He’s such a polite young man and his mother and I have
been friends since childhood. Yes, he’s most definitely my first
choice.”
Jack let out the breath he’d been holding, knowing he should
break away, cease his eavesdropping—
“They’re all acceptable to me. But what about young Grail?
You say he might be interested in her. He’s got a good head on his
shoulders.”
“But no money in his pocket. Need I say more?”
Jack frowned and tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry.
Mr. Westbrook sighed. “No, my dear. You’re absolutely right.
He’s not suitable, though I do like him.”
“I do as well. And now he’s as finely educated as our own
George. But he would have to strike it rich quickly in order to court
Lilly,” Mrs. Westbrook added. “And that’s highly unlikely.”
“Nearly impossible, I’m afraid. So I hope you’re wrong and
young Grail hasn’t set his heart on Lilly.” Her father sighed. “He’s
an intelligent boy. I’m sure he’d know better. Especially when she
has an ambitious mama anxious to make her the perfect match.”
Mrs. Westbrook laughed. “Thomas, do stop your teasing.”
Jack bumped his shoulder against the curlicues of a large gilt
picture frame. Turning to give it a hard shove, he stopped himself.
He wouldn’t let his temper get the better of him. Leaving the oil
painting crooked, he stumbled down the patterned runner, away
from the awful voices. When he came to the foyer he dropped into
a rosewood chair and ignored the curious stare from Mr. Ames.
Jack buried his head in his hands and tried to gather his wits
before he had to face Lilly. But the Westbrooks’ conversation resounded through his mind. Poor. Unsuitable. Why had he ever
thought they’d accept him as a son-in-law? His love for Lilly had
banished all reason. He’d lived in a fog of hope these last several
months, but now it cleared.
At the sound of light footsteps he looked up. “What did Papa
say?” Lilly asked, grasping his hands.
He glanced at her without speaking and then saw his own
anguish reflected in her eyes. He so wished his answer could bring
her joy. She gently pulled him into the dimly lit sitting room. The
sheers and heavy velvet curtains blocked all but the final rays of
daylight from seeping through the windows overlooking the park.
They faced each other in front of the unlit marble fireplace, his arms
tight around her slim waist, her hands lightly touching his vest.
“Tell me,” she said in a rasping voice, barely audible.
“I never had the chance to ask, Lilly. When I got to the back
parlor your parents were already discussing appropriate husbands.
And my name wasn’t on the list.”
“That’s because they don’t know we love each other. Papa
has never refused me anything. It might take some persuasion, but
you can do it. We can approach him together.”
Lovely, pampered Lilly, who owned her father’s heart—
except when it came to marriage partners. And marriage among
the rich was certainly a business transaction. Their kind never
married Jack’s kind. He’d gone to St. Luke ’s and Yale with the
wealthy, but as a scholarship student, he didn’t belong to their set
no matter how hard he tried to fit in. Maybe he would’ve accepted
the impenetrable barrier if Lilly hadn’t swept into his life.
He gazed at her, drinking in her passion, memorizing her
large, expressive eyes and flawless skin, her tall, slender form and
thick brown hair framing her face.
Her eyes blazed like blue fire. “Come. We ’ll speak to Papa.
Right now.”
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Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

1. Jack proposed to Lilly without thinking through the objections he’d encounter from her parents. Should he have asked her for her hand in marriage even though the answer certainly have been no? Do you sympathize with him despite his cowardly behavior in leaving Lilly? If not, how could he redeem himself in her eyes?
2. Lilly thought she could keep her writing a secret. Do you think she was justified in hiding her career from her family and friends? If she’d chosen to tell them, how should she have handled the situation to make it more palatable? If they continued to oppose her, what could she have done?
3. Lilly saw her writing as a ministry and God’s will and purpose for her life. From that perspective, did she have a choice in writing in spite of opposition? Was she brave, prudent or cowardly in keeping her career a secret?

Weblinks

»	Author Cara Lynn James' web site

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