Dawn at Emberwilde
Read Dawn at Emberwilde Online
Authors: Sarah E. Ladd
A
CCLAIM FOR
S
ARAH
E. L
ADD
“Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and populated by engaging and realistic characters,
The Curiosity Keeper
is Regency romantic suspense at its page-turning best. A skillful, sympathetic, and refreshingly natural author, Ladd is at the top of her game and should be an auto-buy for every reader.”
â
RT Book Reviews
, 4½
STARS
, TOP PICK!
“An engaging Regency with a richly detailed setting and an unpredictable, suspenseful plot. Admirers of Sandra Orchard and Lis Wiehl who want to try a romance with a historical bent may enjoy this new series.”
â
Library Journal
ON
The Curiosity Keeper
“Ladd's story, with its menace and cast of seedy London characters, feels more like a work of Dickens than a Regency . . . A solid outing.”
â
Publishers Weekly
ON
The Curiosity Keeper
“A delightful read, rich with period details. Ladd crafts a couple the reader roots for from the very beginning and a plot that keeps the reader guessing until the end.”
âS
ARAH
M. E
DEN
,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
For Elise
,
ON
The Curiosity Keeper
“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
.”
âJ
ULIE
K
LASSEN
,
BESTSELLING
,
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
“Ladd proves yet again she's a superior novelist, creating unforgettable characters and sympathetically portraying their merits, flaws and all-too-human struggles with doubt, hope and faith.”
â
RT Book Reviews
, 4
STARS
,
ON
A Lady at Willowgrove Hall
“[E]ngaging scenes of the times keep the pages turning as this historical romance . . . swirls energetically through angst and disclosure.”
â
Publishers Weekly
ON
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.”
â
RT Book Reviews
, 4½
STARS
, TOP PICK!
ON
The Headmistress of Rosemere
“If you are a fan of Jane Austen and
Jane Eyre
, you will love Sarah E. Ladd's debut.”
âUSAT
ODAY.COM ON
The Heiress of Winterwood
“This debut novel hits all the right notes with a skillful and delicate touch, breathing fresh new life into standard romance tropes.”
â
RT Book Reviews
, 4
STARS
,
ON
The Heiress of Winterwood
“Ladd's charming Regency debut is enhanced with rich detail and well-defined characters. It should be enjoyed by fans of Gilbert Morris.”
â
Library Journal
ON
The Heiress of Winterwood
“This adventure is fashioned to encourage love, trust, and faith especially in the Lord and to pray continually, especially in times of strife.”
â
CBA Retailers + Resources
ON
The Heiress of Winterwood
O
THER
B
OOKS BY
S
ARAH
E. L
ADD
T
HE
T
REASURES OF
S
URREY
N
OVELS
The Curiosity Keeper
Dawn at Emberwilde
A Stranger at Fellsworth
(available spring 2017)
T
HE
W
HISPERS ON THE
M
OORS
N
OVELS
The Heiress of Winterwood
The Headmistress of Rosemere
A Lady at Willowgrove Hall
Copyright © 2016 by Sarah 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 meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept 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 titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Unless otherwise noted, 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 978-0-7180-1184-0 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ladd, Sarah E., author.
Title: Dawn at Emberwilde / Sarah E. Ladd.
Description: Nashville : Thomas Nelson, [2016] | Series: A treasures of Surrey novel ; 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044774 | ISBN 9780718011819 (softcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Man-woman relationships--Fiction. | Upper class families--Fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3612.A3565 D39 2016 | DDC 813/.6--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044774
16 17 18 19 20 RRD 5 4 3 2 1
This novel is dedicated to Marthaâin loving memory
Contents
An Excerpt from the Curiosity Keeper
F
ELLSWORTH
S
CHOOL
S
URREY
, E
NGLAND
, 1817
M
rs. Brathay's shrill voice shattered the late-morning silence like a warbler's call unsettling dawn's still mist.
“Miss Creston! Are you in here?”
Isabel Creston froze just inside the door to the kitchen garden.
She'd been caught.
Again.
Determined to hide her early excursion from Mrs. Brathay's observant eye, Isabel shoved her flower basket onto the cupboard's top shelf, ignoring the pink primrose petals that showered to the planked floor. With a sharp tug she freed the bow at the small of her back to release the gardening smock from her waist, then she shrugged it from her shoulders.
“Yes, I am here!”
Isabel managed to loop her sullied apron over one of the iron hooks and whirl around just as Mrs. Brathay appeared in the corridor.
“There you are,” exclaimed Mrs. Brathay, her lips pinched. “I have been looking for you for at least this past hour.”
“I am sorry.” Isabel offered a sheepish smile. “I was not aware.”
“Obviously.” Mrs. Brathay ducked to avoid the entry's low wooden beam as she nodded toward the bloom tucked in the neckline of Isabel's gown. “And what in heaven's name is that?”
Isabel drew a deep breath, attempting to buy herself time for an explanation. “It is a rose. From the south garden.”
“I know it is a rose, Miss Creston.” Impatience increased the volume and pitch of the older woman's terse voice. “What I do not know is why you are wearing it in such a fashion. You know such adornments are not permitted.”
Isabel bit her lower lip at the scolding. She was well acquainted with Fellsworth School's stringent regulations regarding uniforms, and she accepted the requirement that she wear a stark black gown day after day without complaint. But being forbidden to adorn it with at least a spring flower seemed excessive.
“I only wanted to see how it would look.”
“Well, you can take it off now.” The headmistress's pointed gaze traveled up from the bloom and landed on Isabel's hair. “And did you go out with your hair loose like that again? I thought we already had this discussion.”
Isabel plucked the rose from her gown's neckline, tossed it onto the shelf above the hooks, and smoothed a flyaway hair into place, immediately regretting her decision to dress her hair so hastily. Hair was to be worn in a tight chignon at the base of her neck, not held up loosely with pins as she now wore it. Furthermore, her hair was to be covered anytime she was out of doors.
She had disregarded both mandates.
Mrs. Brathay clicked her tongue. “La, child. What I am to do with you I'm sure I don't know. But now's not the time to be fretting on such things. Mr. Langsby has asked to see you in his study.”
Dread, foreboding and heavy, sliced through Isabel. It was not every day that one was summoned to speak with the school's superintendent, and rarely for a positive reason. “If it is about my hair, Iâ”
“Don't be silly,” hissed Mrs. Brathay, her gray eyes alert. “Mr. Langsby is far too busy to be concerned with such things. It seems I must remind you that regulations, and the adherence to them, develops discipline. I fear you have been allowed far too many passes in that regard. If you hope to obtain a permanent teaching
position here at Fellsworth, then it would behoove you to show respect for the rules.”
