The Matrimony Plan (24 page)

Questions for Discussion

1. At first, Gabriel considers Felicity proud. Why? What does she do to give that impression?
   
2. Sometimes fear and self-doubt make a person raise defenses against getting hurt. What defenses does Felicity use? Have you ever shielded yourself from emotional pain? Looking back, how might you have done things differently?
   
3. Why is Felicity so attached to animals? What does she see in them that she doesn’t see in people?
   
4. What in Gabriel makes him less threatening than the other people Felicity knows? What in him touches her heart?
   
5. How is Mr. Coughlin the embodiment of Felicity’s deepest fears? Have you ever faced someone who frightened you? If you did, what happened?
   
6. Felicity drifted from her faith while she was away at school, yet the Lord never forgot her and the Bible verses she learned as a child stayed with her. Have you ever drifted away? How did the Lord call you back?
   
7. Gabriel is torn between protecting Felicity and saving the town from bootlegging. How could he have handled this problem better?
   
8. Instead of telling Felicity the truth about her background, her father and mother hide it. Why? What did they hope to gain?
   
9. Why does Felicity’s mother treat her so coldly?
   
10. Felicity decides she must forgive her mother first. Why? How do you think this will lead to a closer relationship in time?
    
11. During World War I, German Americans faced prejudice and many changed their names. Mr. Grattan did not. How might that experience have led to his actions in this story?
    
12. Gabriel lets his anger with Mr. Kensington overcome his better sense when he accuses Felicity’s father of leading the bootlegging ring. Have you ever let anger take hold of you? In retrospect, would things have worked out better if you had reacted differently?
    
13. Mrs. Grattan judges Gabriel and Felicity based on what she saw. Which other character(s) rush to judgment? How does that affect their relationships? How would events have unfolded differently if they’d given others the benefit of the doubt?
    
14. Felicity finally stands up for Gabriel in front of her parents and the church elders. Would the old Felicity have had the nerve to do this? What changed to give her this courage?
    

ISBN: 978-1-408-95144-6

The Matrimony Plan

© Christine Elizabeth Johnson 2011

First Published in Great Britain in 2011
Harlequin (UK) Limited
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