Dear Reader,
Most interesting news has arrived. A wedding apparently has taken place officiated by a very high-ranking clergyman. I herewith share a partial letter I received from our local correspondent:
My Dear Mr. Clemens,
I hasten to send you this news, though I daresay given the state of the roads it won’t reach you before the event I report has occurred. Wet, wetter, and wettest; that is how this weather has been. I only pray that my report reaches you safely, for it is a—dare I say—juicy revelation.
To begin at the beginning, the esteemed and ancient Episcopal See which I will refrain from naming is to be the sight of a wedding—a rather rushed wedding to be officiated by no less than a bishop–between a high-ranking young clergyman and a local woman, the hired companion of one of the prosperous parishioners.
As to how this came about, you must have heard in town about the abysmal snowstorm that struck locally on Twelfth Night. The soon to be happy pair (or already happy, if this letter is delayed) found themselves on an improvident—dare I say imprudent—social call and snowbound. Sheltering together in a vacant cottage, they spent an entire night alone together before returning and announcing their engagement.
If it would not be indelicate, I might add that one would hardly doubt what went on that night. Those acquainted with the happy groom found the affair shocking. Parishioners had thought him to be upright and sober. (Though there were, of course, others who found his probity veering toward the pompous.)
Ah, but the next piece of news will explain everything. Concerning the bride
~~~
Dear Readers,
The roads must have been wet indeed, for the rest of this letter has been soaked beyond my ability to trace the letters.
I shall endeavor to find out more of this interesting story for you in my next edition.
Or, you can find out more in Twelfth Night Treasure, by Alina K. Field, in Christmastide Kisses, a Bluestocking Belles Collection with Friends
The Bluestocking Belles and Friends brighten your holidays with:
- A beleaguered uncle whose wards have run off every governess–what he needs is a wife, if only he can persuade the latest applicant
- A country solicitor who becomes an earl and then finds a secret that changes everything
- A very proper clergyman who battles very improper urges when he and a lady with a murky past find themselves snowbound
- A viscount whose search to unearth generations-old family secrets kindles the fire of love for his lovely search partner
- A former army captain who wonders if the best friend of his ex-fiancee is the woman he should have married
- A vicar with a misspent youth and the duke’s daughter who brings out the best in him
Six gentlemen and the ladies with whom they discover the power of a Christmastide Kiss.
Release date: December 26, 2023
Pre-order your copy for only 99 cents:
https://books2read.com/u/m26VG6
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