Beauty for Ashes (43 page)
“Of course I want to wear them. They’re beautiful.” Leaning toward the mirror, Carrie fastened them in place and watched them catch the light. “Thank you, Mary. Maybe one day my daughter will wear them.”
Mary nodded toward the door. “You’d better get down there. Don’t keep Mr. Rutledge waiting.”
Carrie descended the staircase. In the parlor Griff stood next to Daniel Patterson, looking up at her with such devotion in his dark eyes that her throat closed up. Deborah, her eyes bright with tears, smiled as Carrie walked toward her groom. Mary followed Carrie down the stairs and stood next to Deborah. Joe and Caleb crowded in next to Philip.
Daniel opened his Bible and motioned to Griff. “Take ahold of her hand, sir.”
Griff smiled and clasped both her hands in his warm grip, sending his strength and his love flowing into her.
“Griffin Rutledge, do you take this woman, Caroline Louise Bell Daly, to be your wedded wife? To love her all the days of your life?”
“You bet I do.” Griff’s eyes never left her face.
The preacher grinned. “Caroline Louise Bell Daly, do you take Griffin Rutledge to be your wedded husband? To love him all the days of your life?”
Carrie nodded. “I do.”
Griff let go of her hands and took a ring from his pocket. “My darling Caroline, this ring has been in my family for generations. I give it to you as a token of my faith and devotion.”
The gold glittered, the sapphire and diamonds sparkled in the spring sunlight streaming through the parlor window. Griff slipped it onto her finger.
The preacher began a prayer, but Carrie’s heart was already full to overflowing with love and praise for the Father who had given her beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning. Who had poured out upon them all the full measure of his grace.
Once again, heartfelt thanks to my publisher, Allen Arnold, whose passion for story inspires me every time I sit down to write. Thank you to my editor, Natalie Hanemann, for asking the right questions and to Becky Monds and Anne Christian Buchanan for taking such care with my revisions. I appreciate you more than I can say. To Eric Mullet and Katie Bond and the entire marketing and publicity staff, it’s plain old fun working with you on this series. Your creativity, good humor, and energy are unmatched. Thank you.
To my agent, Natasha Kern, and to my posse of wonderful authors who encourage me and make me laugh: Leanna, Sandra, Rosslyn, Cathy, Julie, Tammy, Margaret, and Colleen—love you all.
And as always, love and thanks to my family. I couldn’t do what I do without your love and support.
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for visiting Hickory Ridge again. I hope you enjoyed renewing your acquaintance with Ada and Wyatt Caldwell, whose story is told in the first Hickory Ridge novel,
Beyond All Measure
. And I hope Carrie’s search for true love and abiding grace leaves you inspired and entertained.
Much of my reader mail comes from people wanting to know which parts of my novels are fact and which are fiction. The town of Hickory Ridge, while firmly rooted in a real location in the southern Appalachians, is the product of my imagination, as are all of my characters. But the economic conditions portrayed in
Beauty for Ashes
are all too real. The panic of 1873, which was caused in large part by unbridled expansion of the railways, resulted in a prolonged economic depression that was keenly felt across the South.
The disposition of Henry’s body, as insensitive and horrifying as it seems, is a reflection of actual conditions in Chicago toward the end of the nineteenth century. The details regarding Southern blockade runners during the Civil War are true as well.
Some years ago I spent a lot of time in and around Charleston, South Carolina, researching a novel for young readers and fell hopelessly in love with the Carolina low country. Creating the character of Charlestonian Griff Rutledge provided an excuse to revisit all of the things I love about that very special place. I hope that reading this novel has given you a sense of its beauty and the pull it exerts upon everyone who is lucky enough to spend time there.
One of the best things about being an author is receiving mail from readers. I love hearing from you either through my website,
www.Dorothylovebooks.com
, or by snail mail to Thomas Nelson, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN, 37214, Attention: Author Mail. Or join me and my friends on Facebook for the latest news, announcements, and fun.
You’re cordially invited back to Hickory Ridge next year when Sophie Robillard, the beautiful little orphan you first met in
Beyond All Measure
, returns to Hickory Ridge as a young woman set upon making a name for herself in the newspaper world, and discovers some surprising secrets about her past.
Until then, may His face shine upon you and give you peace.
Dorothy
1. How does the title of the novel,
Beauty for Ashes
, relate to Carrie and Griff? To Deborah? To Mary?
2. Hickory Ridge is a small town tucked beneath the mountains. How does geography influence the townsfolk’s customs and attitudes? What role does geography play in defining your city or town?
3. Griff and Carrie both experience great loneliness in their lives. How do they cope with it?
4. Carrie tells Caleb that it was not forgetting that helped her heal after a great loss, but remembering. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
5. After Mary’s baby is born, Carrie muses that people’s lives rarely turn out as they planned and that the secret of happiness is to want the life one has. Do you agree or disagree?
6. In Charleston Griff realizes he has spent years roaming the world looking for what he needed, then returned home to find it. Have you ever had a similar experience? How did it change your view of yourself or the world?
7. On her visit to Hickory Ridge, Ada Caldwell tells Carrie to pray “the prayer that never fails.” What prayer, above all others, sustains you?
8. Deborah believes Carrie is frightened by the thought of complete surrender to God. What causes us to be fearful of such a commitment? What are its implications?
9. Near the end of the story, Mary realizes God has changed her and Carrie. How does each woman grow and change over the course of the story?
10. Carrie’s friends disapprove of her relationship with Griff. Have you ever had to choose between keeping someone’s approval and following your heart?
