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Authors: Sarah E. Ladd

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A Lady at Willowgrove Hall

BOOK: A Lady at Willowgrove Hall
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A
CCLAIM
FOR
S
ARAH
E. L
ADD

The Headmistress of Rosemere

“This book has it all: shining prose, heart-wrenching emotion, vivid and engaging characters, a well-paced plot and a sigh-worthy happy ending that might cause some readers to reach for the tissue box. In only her second novel, Ladd has established herself as Regency writing royalty.”


RT B
OOK
R
EVIEWS
, 4 ½
STARS
, TOP PICK!

“Sarah Ladd has written a story sure to warm your heart even on the coldest day.”

—L
AURIE
A
LICE
E
AKES
,
AUTHOR OF
A L
ADY

S
H
ONOR

“[E]ngaging scenes of the times keep the pages turning as this historical romance . . . swirls energetically through angst and disclosure.”


P
UBLISHERS
W
EEKLY

“Readers will cheer for the determined heroine and the flawed hero in this engaging story of redemption, set in the lush English countryside. Sarah E. Ladd is quickly establishing herself as a rising star in Regency romance.”

—D
OROTHY
L
OVE
,
AUTHOR
OF
C
AROLINA
G
OLD

The Heiress of Winterwood

“If you are a fan of Jane Austen and
Jane Eyre
, you will love Sarah E. Ladd’s debut.”

—USAT
ODAY
.
COM

“My kind of book! The premise grabbed my attention from the first lines and I eagerly returned to its pages. I think my readers will enjoy
The Heiress of Winterwood
.”

—J
ULIE
K
LASSEN
,
BESTSELLING
,
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR

“This debut novel hits all the right notes with a skillful and delicate touch, breathing fresh new life into standard romance tropes.”


RT B
OOK
R
EVIEWS
, 4
STARS

“Oh my, what an exquisite tale! With clarity and grace, Sarah E. Ladd has penned a timeless regency that rises to the ranks of Heyer and Klassen, a breathless foray into the world of Jane Austen with very little effort . . . and very little sleep.”

—J
ULIE
L
ESSMAN
,
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF
T
HE
D
AUGHTERS OF
B
OSTON
AND
W
INDS OF
C
HANGE
SERIES

“This adventure is fashioned to encourage love, trust, and faith especially in the Lord and to pray continually, especially in times of strife.”


CBA R
ETAILERS
+
R
ESOURCES

“Captivated from the very first page!
The Heiress of Winterwood
marks Sarah E. Ladd as a rising Regency star sure to win readers’ hearts!”

—L
AURA
F
RANTZ
,
AUTHOR OF
T
HE
C
OLONEL

S
L
ADY
AND
L
OVE

S
R
ECKONING

“Ladd’s charming Regency debut is enhanced with rich detail and well-defined characters. It should be enjoyed by fans of Gilbert Morris.”


L
IBRARY
J
OURNAL

“A delight from beginning to end,
The Heiress of Winterwood
is a one-of-a-kind regency that kept me sighing with joy, laughing, crying, and even biting my nails when the occasion called for it!”

—M
ARY
L
U
T
YNDALL
,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
V
EIL OF
P
EARLS
AND THE
S
URRENDER TO
D
ESTINY SERIES

O
THER
B
OOKS
BY
S
ARAH
E. L
ADD

WHISPERS ON THE MOORS

The Heiress of Winterwood

The Headmistress of Rosemere

A Lady at Willowgrove Hall

© 2014 by Sarah E. Ladd

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-1-4016-8840-0 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ladd, Sarah E.

A Lady at Willowgrove Hall / Sarah E. Ladd.

pages cm — (Whispers on the moors ; book 3)

ISBN 978-1-4016-8837-0 (paperback)

1. Women—Fiction. 2. England—Social life and customs—19th century—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3612.A3565L33 2014

813'.6—dc23

2014015399

14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

I lovingly dedicate this novel to
my grandmother, Colleen.

Thank you for inspiring—and sharing—my lifelong love of literature.

CONTENTS

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

READING GROUP GUIDE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

1

Blacksmith’s Cottage at Aradelle Park
Detham, England, 1814

I
s
it
always
a
sin
to
tell
a
lie?

Sixteen-year-old Cecily Faire rolled over to glance at Leah, who slumbered in the narrow bed they shared. A worn, wool blanket was tucked tightly under her sister’s chin, and her long, auburn braid lay limply against the pillow.

For weeks she had kept a secret from her sister. Her dearest friend. Her closest confidante.

Cecily swallowed the emotion that welled within her.

Each little lie that she had told haunted her.

But had there been any alternative? Secrecy was imperative.

Cecily relaxed her head against her own pillow and stared at the rough, wooden beams running the length of their bedchamber and struggled to make out their uneven shape in the night’s shifting darkness. Outside their room’s only window, unremitting
rain battered her family’s modest cottage, clattering against the thatched roof and disturbing the shutters.

Normally, she did not mind a rainy night. The weather changed without warning on the moors. She had grown accustomed to the peculiar groans and whispering creaks conjured by harsh winds. But tonight, the uneven cadence made it difficult for her to hear the single sound that mattered above all.

The chime of her father’s clock.

How clearly her mind’s eye could recall the timepiece’s ivory face, golden hands, and intricate carvings of vines and leaves. It was by far the most elegant piece in their home. It sat in the parlor, just one floor below, marking each passing hour.

Unable to remain still another moment, Cecily clamped her teeth over her lower lip, held her breath as she pushed the thin covers away, and sat up, careful not to wake Leah.

Even as Cecily’s heart trembled in anticipation, Leah’s prior warning echoed like a boisterous raven, screeching its unpleasant song from the brush. Only two days past, Leah had discovered Cecily and Andrew arm in arm under the lacy shadows of the apple trees in Aradelle’s south orchard.

You
would
be
wise
to
stay
away
from
Andrew
Moreton.
Her sister’s stern voice had quivered with anger as she grabbed Cecily by her work-worn hand and dragged her back to their cottage.
He
is
not
good
for
you. People in his position are not what they seem. Any
relationship with him will only bring about your ruin.

Cecily swiped her unruly hair away from her face, the very memory of the words igniting agitation.

What did Leah know of love? Of passion?

Cecily may only be sixteen years of age, but she knew well her heart.

BOOK: A Lady at Willowgrove Hall
6.95Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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