Among the Fair Magnolias Read online

  ADVANCE PRAISE FOR

  AMONG THE FAIR MAGNOLIAS

  “The era of America’s Civil War has long been fertile ground for memorable stories, and here are four you’ll love. I found myself enchanted by these stories of strong women challenged by hard choices—and the ultimate triumph of love and faith.”

  —ANN TATLOCK, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF ONCE BEYOND A TIME

  “Four intriguing novellas rich in historical detail, with unique settings and surprising premises—each filled with romance and heartbreak, pain and redemption. This collection set in the nineteenth century took me home to times and places in the Deep South I’ve visited only in my dreams. An absolute pleasure to read. An absolute must read.”

  —CATHY GOHLKE, BESTSELLING AND CHRISTY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF SECRETS SHE KEPT AND SAVING AMELIE

  “Four talented authors have penned a charming collection of stories that take place in the Deep South. Passions simmer, romance blossoms, and history comes alive. The settings are so real you can almost smell the sweet scent of magnolias on every page. This all adds up to a winning combination that was truly a delight to read.”

  —MARGARET BROWNLEY, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BRIDES OF LAST CHANCE RANCH AND UNDERCOVER LADIES SERIES

  “Grab some sweet tea and find a rocking chair underneath the ceiling fan of a wide front porch. You are in for a treat! Among the Fair Magnolias reminded me of Gone with the Wind mixed in with Gunsmoke. Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser each pen exciting, romantic tales of the Old South and the great state of Texas. Set before and after the Civil War, these four stories speak of genteel ladies and gallant gentlemen, with a few charlatans thrown in for good measure. I loved getting caught up in these hugely romantic tales of love in the time of a changing America. And with recipes from each story to add to the charm, this collection is best read . . . under the fair magnolias. I loved it!”

  —LENORA WORTH, AUTHOR OF AN APRIL BRIDE AND LAKESIDE HERO

  “Among the Fair Magnolias will sweep you into the past, carrying you into the beauty and battles of the Old South. You will love, laugh, and lament as your heart is inspired to face life with courage and live it more fully.”

  —CINDY WOODSMALL, NEW YORK TIMES AND CBA BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF AMISH FICTION

  OTHER NOVELS BY THESE AUTHORS

  TAMERA ALEXANDER

  THE BELLE MEADE PLANTATION SERIES

  To Whisper Her Name

  To Win Her Favor

  THE BELMONT MANSION SERIES

  A Lasting Impression

  A Beauty So Rare

  SHELLEY GRAY

  THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR MYSTERY SERIES

  Secrets of Sloane House

  Deception on Sable Hill

  Whispers in the Reading Room (Available November 2015)

  DOROTHY LOVE

  A Respectable Actress (Available October 2015)

  The Bracelet

  A Proper Marriage (e-novella)

  Carolina Gold

  ELIZABETH MUSSER

  THE SECRETS OF THE CROSS TRILOGY

  Two Crosses

  Two Testaments

  Two Destinies

  The Swan House

  The Dwelling Place

  Searching for Eternity

  Words Unspoken

  The Sweetest Thing

  Waiting for Peter (novella)

  Copyright © 2015 by Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser

  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.

  Elizabeth Musser is represented by MacGregor Literary, Inc.

  Interior design by James A. Phinney

  Thomas Nelson 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.

  Scripture quotations are also taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  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 978-1-4016-9074-8 (eBook)

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Among the fair magnolias : four southern love stories / Tamera Alexander, Shelley Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser.

  pages cm

  Summary: "Four Southern women are at a turning point in history. and in their own hearts. To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander The Civil War cost Savannah Darby everything--her family and her home. When Aidan Bedford, an attorney from Boston, buys the Darby estate, he hires Savannah to redecorate. Can she find a mysterious treasure before her job is finished? An Outlaw's Heart by Shelley Gray When Russell Stark returns to Fort Worth, he's determined to begin a new life. But when he arrives at his mother's homestead, he discovers that she is very ill and the woman he loved is still as beautiful and sweet as he remembered. With time running out, Russell must come to terms with both his future and his past. A Heart So True by Dorothy Love Abigail knows all too well what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles and take her place in society. But her heart belongs to another. A terrible incident forces Abby to choose between love and duty. Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser Emily has a secret: She's in love with one of the freedmen on her family's plantation. Meanwhile, another man declares his love for her. Emily realizes some things are not as they seem and secrets must be kept in order to keep those she loves safe"-- Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-4016-9073-1 (paperback)

  1. Love stories, American. 2. Women--Southern States--Fiction. 3. Christian fiction, American. I. Alexander, Tamera. II. Gray, Shelley Shepard. III. Love, Dorothy, 1949- IV. Musser, Elizabeth.

  PS648.L6A49 2015

  813'.08508--dc23

  2015003948

  15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

  CONTENTS

  A Heart So True by Dorothy Love

  Dedication

  A Note from the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  A Note from the Author

  Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

&
nbsp; Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  A Note from the Author

  An Outlaw’s Heart by Shelley Gray

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  A Note from the Author

  Recipes

  Discussion Questions

  Acknowledgments

  About the Authors

  A HEART SO TRUE

  Dorothy Love

  For My Mother

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  DEAR READERS,

  Since childhood, the beach is the place where I have felt most alive and closest to God. There is something about the power and beauty of the ocean, the golden light of a sunrise over water that calms my heart and fuels my creativity. Many of my books were first conceived during an early-morning beach walk. When I was offered the chance to write a novella for this collection, I knew right away it would be set on Pawleys Island, South Carolina, one of my favorite places on earth.

  If you have read my novel Carolina Gold, this setting will be familiar to you. My fictional character Charlotte Fraser grew up spending her summers in her family’s cottage on Pawleys. For A Heart So True I couldn’t resist returning to a place I love to give you another glimpse of Charlotte at age fifteen, before she became mistress of Fairhaven, her father’s rice plantation on the Waccamaw River. And I’ve included a scene in which you will catch up with Celia Browning of The Bracelet, a year after her marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Sutton Mackay.

  Now I hope you will enjoy meeting a new heroine, Abby Clayton. In A Heart So True, a beach barbecue sets the stage for events that compel Abby to make hard choices that change the course of her future.

  Be blessed,

  Dorothy

  CHAPTER ONE

  Pawleys Island, South Carolina

  May 1860

  HAD WADE BENNETT TRULY FORGIVEN HER?

  Skirts tucked up, shoes dangling from one hand, Abigail Clayton stepped over the pungent remains of a horseshoe crab and studied the tumbling surf as if the answer to her question might be written there. A storm had blown ashore after midnight, leaving in its wake piles of broken shells, burrowing whelks, and clumps of rust-colored seaweed. Under the warm spring light the deserted beach took on a particular radiance that illuminated a pair of orange-beaked skimmers searching for sand crabs and a flock of brown pelicans gliding above the breakers.

  Despite her worry, Abby released a grateful sigh. How perfect was God’s creation, how delightful the rhythm of life on Pawleys Island.

  Last week, with the last of the rice fields planted, Papa had closed Mulberry Hall and moved the household—furnishings, livestock, house servants, and all—here. To Osprey Cottage. The twelve-mile journey—nine by water down the Waccamaw River and three by land—had been accomplished by nightfall. The days following passed in a blur of activity. After a thorough cleaning and airing of the cottage, Mama had supervised the unpacking of dishes and lamps, silver and crystal, and set about preparing for the Claytons’ annual spring barbecue. On Friday the beach would ring with the sound of dozens of their guests gathering for a three-day visit before leaving for summer homes in Saratoga or Europe.

  Abby dropped her shoes onto the sand and stooped to examine a tiny fan-shaped shell. Mama was counting on her to help with the preparations, but all she could think about was Dr. Wade Bennett. Would he attend the party or stay away? Was he still holding on to his anger in the wake of their quarrel?

  She heaved another sigh. If only she could take back her hurtful words. If only she could tell him that—

  “Miss Abigail!” Rapid footsteps sounded behind her, and Abby turned to see her mother’s favorite house servant, Sophronia, hurrying along the beach. Sturdy and compact, Sophronia reminded Abby of the steamers that plied the Lowcountry rivers. All she lacked was a smokestack and a whistle. And despite her small stature, she could move like wildfire through kindling when on a mission from Mama.

  Clearly that was the case now. Sophronia hove to a stop in front of Abby, hands on hips, a frown creasing her smooth brown face.

  “Where you been? Your mama sent me to fetch you half an hour ago.”

  “I went down to the boathouse.” Abby jumped as the cold surf rushed over her bare toes. “I wanted to be sure my rowboat survived the winter. I must have lost track of time.”

  “Humph. You know Miss Alicia don’t like you taking that boat out by yourself. It sure ain’t ladylike, and ’sides that, it ain’t safe.”

  “I’ve had a boat since I was ten years old. And I don’t take it into open water. I stick to the marshes.”

  “Where the alligators just waitin’ to gobble you up for breakfast.” Sophronia glanced at Abby’s feet. “Better not let Miss Alicia catch you running ’round with no shoes on.”

  “I know it. Mama can be such a stickler for propriety.” Abby plopped down on a patch of dry sand to pull on her stockings and shoes. “Honestly, I don’t see why she must stand on formality even here at the beach.”

  Sophronia’s brows went up. “Maybe ’cause your daddy got his sights on running for office, and the governor hisself is on the way here for the barbecue.”

  Sophronia held out a hand and hauled Abigail to her feet. “Come on home now ’fore your breakfast gets cold as stone.”

  Abby followed Sophronia up the path to the cottage that had been her summer home for her entire life. Constructed of plain clapboards, it was not quite as large as the summer homes of their neighbors, the Westons, the Frasers, and the Allstons, but it boasted a prime location on the four-mile-long spit of land that was Pawleys. A wraparound porch provided a shady spot to while away a summer afternoon, watching the seabirds and the occasional pod of dolphins. The rear of the house faced the golden marshes and the endless serpentine creeks that fed into the broad, blue Waccamaw River. A sight that never failed to soothe her spirit.

  “There you are.” Mama stood on the porch, leaning on her walking cane, watching Abby’s approach. Her voice was stern, but her brown eyes held a hint of merriment. “I might have known you’d come home damp and sandy. Don’t track that dirt into the parlor, please, Abigail. Your father is expecting Governor Gist this afternoon, and Molly has already cleaned it. And for heaven’s sake, do something with your hair. It looks like a rat’s nest.”

  “Yes, Mama.” Abby ran lightly up the steps and planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “I’m sorry you had to send out a search party. I didn’t intend to be gone for so long.”

  “You’re here now, and no harm done. Your breakfast is waiting in the dining room. Please tidy up and meet me there. We have a million things to do before Saturday.”

  Ten minutes later Abby was seated in the dining room, a plate of eggs, sausage, and Molly’s delicious spoon bread in front of her. Molly bustled in and poured coffee into Abby’s paper-thin china cup. She set down a cut-glass pitcher of warm syrup. “Here you are, missy. Molly knows you partial to havin’ syrup with spoon bread.”

  Abby drizzled syrup over the bread and took a bite. “Delicious, Molly. Don’t I always say you make the best spoon bread in the Carolinas?”

  With a gentle nod Mama dismissed Molly. She opened a leather-bound book and picked up her pencil. “Our dresses have arrived. You must try yours on at once in case it needs any last-minute alterations.”

  “All right.” Abby took another bite of spoon bread, letting the warm sweetness linger on her tongue. She peered at the stack of mail on the table. “More replies for the barbecue?”

  “Yes. T
hese came yesterday, but I was too busy to open them.” Mama withdrew a sheet of paper from a thick envelope. “The Frasers are coming. Poor Francis. I feel so sorry for him, trying to raise Charlotte all alone. You must remember to make time for her, Abigail. She’s much younger than you, but desperately in need of female friendships.”

  Abby dug into her eggs. Fairhaven, the Frasers’ plantation, was their neighbor on the Waccamaw. On her visits home from boarding school, she’d caught occasional glimpses of a small, sturdy girl traipsing after her father in the rice fields, her dark hair flying, her too-large boots sinking into the marshy ground. Abby couldn’t help envying the younger girl’s relationship with her father. Mr. Fraser seemed to dote on his only child, whereas Abby’s own father believed girls were meant to be seen and not heard.

  “The Averys are coming up from Georgetown tomorrow,” Mama continued. “Theodosia will room with you.”

  “Oh. I was hoping to see more of Penny Ravensdale. It’s been ages since we last spoke.”

  Mama scribbled in her notebook and spoke without looking up. “You’ll see plenty of Penelope. The Ravensdales will be staying here for the weekend. Besides, Theodosia is perfectly lovely. And so ladylike.”

  “And I’m not?”

  “I didn’t say that, darling. Only you must try to comport yourself with great care this weekend. For your father’s sake.” Mama’s brown eyes bore into Abby’s. “You know how strong his political aspirations are. We owe it to him to do all we can to make a favorable impression on Governor Gist. The governor’s opinion will carry a great deal of weight when the state legislature meets to choose his successor.” Mama reached across the table and cupped Abby’s chin in her hand. “Whatever your opinions, please try not to voice them.”

  “After all the money Papa has spent filling my head with knowledge, I don’t see why now I’m obliged to conceal it, but all right.” Abby raised one hand, palm out, as if taking an oath. “I will be the walking definition of ‘seen and not heard.’ ”

  Mama tried and failed to suppress a smile. “Thank you. Will you please see that Sophronia makes room in your clothespress for Theodosia’s things?”

  “Fine. But my room is so small we’ll be tripping over each other all weekend.”