Chapter One
Catherine Grier buttoned her coat and slipped on a pair of worn green gloves she’d gotten for Christmas some years back. The forecast was calling for sleet that morning, and she had a six-block walk to work ahead of her. She dreaded the cold almost as much as she dreaded her birthday.
An image of her college sweetheart’s laughing face floated through her mind. “Come on, Cathe. It’s your birthday…it’ll be fun. I’ll be careful.” If only she’d said no and insisted they wait for the storm to pass before climbing on the back of his motorcycle, maybe he’d still be alive…as would their unborn child.
Jeff and Cathe had been inseparable as only first loves could be, and not a day went by that she didn’t miss him. The unplanned pregnancy had been a shock, but they’d been determined to keep the baby and had even begun picking out names.
A wave of sorrow passed through her with the memory of waking in intensive care only to realize that Jeff was gone and she no longer carried their child. Cathe hadn’t celebrated her birthday since their deaths on that very day, twenty-seven years ago.
Forcing her thoughts aside, she checked her appearance in the mirror on her way to the door. At forty-seven years old, she was still very attractive. Her blonde hair hung in layers to her shoulders, and aside from a few small laugh lines, her face was devoid of wrinkles. She’d managed to keep her girlish figure and received compliments daily on her striking blue eyes.
The icy wind stung her cheeks as she made her way outside, dipping her chin deeper into the pale green scarf wrapped around her neck. Puffs of smoke escaped her mouth with every breath she took, only to be swept away on the frigid February wind.
With a slight wave of her hand, she hailed a taxi and climbed into its warmth without apology. It was bit too cold to walk to work that morning.
Winters in Florida were usually mild, requiring only a light jacket. But not this winter. Temperatures had been dropping into the low twenties and even the mid-teens for weeks now.
“Where to?” The cab driver checked his mirrors before pulling out into the busy Pensacola Beach traffic.
“Fisher’s Bookstore on Warrington.”
“That building is still there? I heard they’d demolished it awhile back.”
“They were going to before I bought it. It’s being renovated now and will be as good as new in no time.”
Cathe had moved to Pensacola Beach, Florida from St. Augustine shortly after Jeff’s death. With nothing left for her back home, she’d decided to finish school and obtain her law degree somewhere that didn’t remind her so much of what she’d lost. Besides, she’d spent several summers growing up in Pensacola up and had always loved the place.
After retiring from family law where she’d been an attorney since graduating from college, she’d decided to purchase the old bookstore and restore it back to its original state.
“That’s great. My wife has been buying books from there since she was a teenager,” the cabbie remarked, weaving in and out of traffic.
Cathe smiled at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “Books are magical. They provide an escape from a world full of sorrow and pain.”
The driver laughed. “Sounds like you love to read.”
“More than anything.”
Fisher’s Bookstore came into view a few minutes later. Cathe paid the driver and climbed out into the blistering cold with keys in hand. She shivered and let herself inside, turning the Open sign on before making a beeline toward the old thermostat on the far wall.
It would take at least half an hour for the temperature in the room to raise enough to warm the place and another half an hour for her body to thaw.
The bell over the door chimed, letting her know she had an early customer. “I’ll be right there!” Cathe called, switching on the lights to the back of the store.
“Take your time. I’m just looking.”
Making her way back to the front, Cathe turned the small key on the register until it clicked, unzipped the blue bag she’d removed from her purse, and took out an assortment of bills to fill the cash drawer.
She glanced up, acknowledging the woman perusing the romance aisle. “Good morning. Let me know if I can help you with anything.”
“Thank you. Do you have any historical romance?”
“I sure do.” Cathe meandered over and pointed out the meager selection. “Someone traded in a box of romance books yesterday, if you’d like to look through them.”
“That’s okay.” The woman took down a book and flipped it over to read the back. “I’ll take this one.”
After paying for her purchase with a promise to return soon, the lady left.
Cathe picked up the box of books she’d gotten the day before and set it on the counter to price them before putting them on display.
What is it about romance novels that women find so appealing? She plucked one from the box, grinning at the gorgeous guy on the cover. That would explain it.
The day went by in a flurry of people looking for their next literary fix. Cathe could sympathize. She’d been addicted to reading since childhood, and it had stuck with her throughout her adult life as well. She read everything from memoirs to paranormal and a few other genres in between.
Thunder rolled in the distance followed by a web of flashes that streaked across the sky, signaling the impending arrival of the weather channel’s predicted storm.
Cathe decided to close up early, hoping to make it out of the store and arrive home ahead of the rain.
The chime sounded on the door just as she made it to the thermostat on the back wall. “One second!” Cathe yelled out, hoping to be heard over the thundering outside.
She switched off the heat and hurried back to the front. An elderly lady stood at the counter wearing a long wool coat that had seen better days, a tattered knitted hat, and a pair of thick glasses with lenses so dingy Cathe wondered how she could see out of them. Her shoes were well worn, and a piece of duct tape hung from the side of one.
Cathe’s heart went out to her. “Sorry about that. May I help you?”
“Just returning a book,” the elderly lady rasped, keeping her head down.
Cathe cleared her throat. “The library is two blocks over, ma’am. This is Fisher’s Bookstore.”
The ancient old woman glanced toward the door. “I’ll never make it there ahead of the rain. You’ll see that it gets to the library?”
Cathe peered down at the book and ran her fingers over the lettering on the light brown cover. A raised brass key symbol rested just below the title, giving it an ominous appearance. “Turn the Page,” she read aloud. “How clever.”
She carefully opened it to the first page and pulled out an old, faded library card. There were at least two dozen names written there, each one crossed through with ink. She glanced at the last name and the date listed next to it.
“Oh, wow, ma’am? Maybe you should just return it when you can. It was due back twenty-seven years ago.”
When no answer came, Cathe looked up in time to see the woman exiting the store. “Wait!” she called, rushing around the counter and out the front door only to find the sidewalk empty. The tiny old lady had disappeared.
Cathe clutched the book to her chest and carried it back inside, carefully depositing it into her purse before shutting down the register. She grabbed her keys and switched off the lights on her way out. It would be dark soon, and with it another temperature drop. She made a mental note to return the book to the library on her way to work the next morning.
Catching another cab, Cathe rode home in silence, staring out the window at the gathering clouds. How ironic that it would storm on the day of Jeff’s death, exactly as it had all those years ago. She hugged her purse to her chest The heavy feel of the book inside felt oddly comforting.
A sprinkling of rain had begun to fall as Cathe arrived home. She quickly paid the driver before jumping from the cab and sprinting to her door. A cup of hot tea and a nice long bubble bath were just the things she needed.
* * * *
Cathe stepped from the tub and briskly dried off. She grabbed her favorite robe, wrapped herself in its fluffy softness, and trailed off to her bedroom to fall across her bed. The electric blanket she’d turned on before her bath assured her of its warmth.
The phone rang, but she ignored it, pulling the old book free of her purse and crawling under the covers to scope it out. It was probably her older sister calling to check on her, anyway.
As far as families went, Cathe had a good one, and on any other day, she would have answered the call. Not today. Her emotions were riding too close to the surface, and the last thing she wanted to hear was, Happy birthday.
She took a deep breath and fought back the tears, well aware she should have stayed in therapy as recommended. Normal people moved on with their lives after the death of a loved one, but not Cathe. She grieved still, almost thirty years later.
Perhaps it was her fault for not letting go as she knew she should, yet something deep inside refused to do that very thing. Her relationships had always suffered. It was as if she couldn’t give what was needed, always holding back a part of herself, the part where pain was created and born…her heart.
The dream of settling down and having children had been taken from her years ago, along with any notion of a happily ever after. No one could replace Jeff, and no other child could ever take the place of the one she’d lost.
It wasn’t that there weren’t plenty of wonderful men in the world, Cathe thought with a sigh. They just didn’t deserve to be saddled with someone that couldn’t give them children or any kind of happiness.
She glanced around her room, admiring the antiques and expensive furniture. She’d worked hard for everything she had and obviously didn’t need a man to take care of things for her. No, she’d done just fine on her own…hadn’t she?
Cathe shook off her thoughts and opened the book, skimming over the acknowledgements and publishing information to the first chapter. She was determined to lose herself in someone else’s story for the night, no matter how briefly.
Two hours and many eye-watering moments later, Cathe found herself lost in the tale of the legendary, Lord Bryne Adair, Earl of Hallensberg.
Originally from Westminster, London, Lord Adair had recently married Maria Alontra, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz’s lady-in-waiting. Maria died of diphtheria shortly after giving birth to Adair’s first-born son, and the child had passed not long after his mother.
Adair had been ordered by George William Frederick, King of England, to surrender his lands in exchange for a sizable castle in St. Augustine, Florida for the questioning of his allegiance.
When Adair refused, he’d been put on a ship with his belongings, and his castle had been burned to the ground.
Sources later revealed that Bryne Adair was thought to be the King’s illegitimate brother, but the accusations couldn’t be proven, and the only evidence in existence was assumed to have been destroyed along with Adair’s family home.
Bryne’s father, the Marquess of Hallensberg, had taken his own life not long after Bryne’s deportation to the Americas, leaving his title and legacy of shame to his only son.
Cathe yawned while blinking to keep her eyes open. She wondered how much of what she’d read was actually fact or fiction. The thought of losing a family home that had been passed down through generations on some bogus allegiance charge astounded her, but the loss of his wife and child was felt to her soul.
Her heart fluttered with the very description of the man as she continued to read. Why hadn’t some other available female swooped in and claimed him after his wife’s death?
There had to be more to the story, she concluded, turning the page…