The Lightkeeper's Ball
P
RAISE FOR
C
OLLEEN
C
OBLE
“
The Lightkeeper’s Bride
is a wonderful story filled with mystery, intrigue, and romance. I loved every minute of it.”
— Cindy Woodsmall,
New York Times
best-selling author of
The Hope of
Refuge
“Colleen Coble has long been a favorite storyteller of mine. I love the way she weaves intrigue and God’s love into a story chock-f of carefully crafted characters. If you’re looking for an awesome writer—I highly recommend her!”
— Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of
Dawn’s Prelude
, Song of Alaska series
“Colleen delivers a heart-warming romance—and plot twists that will keep you guessing until the final pages! Perhaps best of all, her novels call us to a deeper, richer faith.”
— Tamera Alexander, best-selling author of
The Inheritance
, regarding
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter
“
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter
is a maze of twists and turns with an opening that grabs the reader instantly. With so many red herrings, the villain caught me by surprise.”
— Lauraine Snelling, best-selling author of
A Measure of Mercy
“A high stakes, fast-paced romance. I loved it!”
— Mary Connealy, best-selling author of
Montana Rose
, regarding
Lonestar
Homecoming
T
HE
L
IGHTKEEPER’S
B
ALL
O
THER
N
OVELS BY
C
OLLEEN
C
OBLE
I
NCLUDE
The Rock Harbor series
Without a Trace
Beyond a Doubt
Into the Deep
Cry in the Night
The Aloha Reef series
Distant Echoes
Black Sands
Dangerous Depths
Alaska Twilight
Fire Dancer
Midnight Sea
Abomination
Anathema
The Lonestar novels
Lonestar Sanctuary
Lonestar Secrets
Lonestar Homecoming
The Mercy Falls series
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter
The Lightkeeper’s Bride
T
HE
L
IGHTKEEPER’S
B
ALL
A Mercy Falls Novel
Colleen Coble
© 2011 by Colleen Coble
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 Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., 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.
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.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coble, Colleen.
The lightkeeper’s ball / Colleen Coble.
p. cm. — (A Mercy Falls novel ; 3)
ISBN 978-1-59554-268-7 (tradepaper)
1. California—History—1850–1950—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.O2285L5 2011
813'.54—dc22
2010054395
Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Ami
C
ONTENTS
T
HE
N
EW
Y
ORK
brownstone was just half a block down from the Astor mansion on Fifth Avenue, the most prestigious address in the country. The carriage, monogrammed with the Stewart emblem, rattled through the iron gates and came to a halt in front of the ornate doors. Assisted by the doorman, Olivia Stewart descended and rushed for the steps of her home. She was late for tea, and her mother would be furious. Mrs. Astor herself had agreed to join them today.
Olivia handed her hat to the maid, who opened the door. “They’re in the drawing room, Miss Olivia,” Goldia whispered. “Your mama is ready to pace the floor.”
Olivia patted at her hair, straightened her shoulders, and pinned a smile in place as she forced her stride to a ladylike stroll to join the other women. Two women turned to face her as she entered: her mother and Mrs. Astor. They wore identical expressions of disapproval.
“Olivia, there you are,” her mother said. “Sit down before your tea gets cold.”
Olivia pulled off her gloves as she settled into the Queen Anne chair beside Mrs. Astor. “I apologize for my tardiness,” she said. “A lorry filled with tomatoes overturned in the street, and my driver couldn’t get around it.”
Mrs. Astor’s face cleared. “Of course, my dear.” She sipped her tea from the delicate blue-and-white china. “Your dear mother and I were just discussing your prospects. It’s time you married.”
Oh dear. She’d hoped to engage in light conversation that had nothing to do with the fact that she was twenty-five and still unmarried. Her unmarried state distressed her if she let it, but every man her father brought to her wanted only her status. She doubted any of them had ever looked into her soul. “I’m honored you would care about my marital status, Mrs. Astor,” Olivia said.
“Mrs. Astor wants to hold a ball in your honor, Olivia,” her mother gushed. “She has a distant cousin coming to town whom she wants you to meet.”
Mrs. Astor nodded. “I believe you and Matthew would suit. He owns property just down the street.”
Olivia didn’t mistake the reference to the man’s money. Wealth would be sure to impact her mother. She opened her mouth to ask if the man was her age, then closed it at the warning glint in her mother’s eyes.
“He’s been widowed for fifteen years and is long overdue for a suitable wife,” Mrs. Astor said.
Olivia barely suppressed a sigh. So he was another of the decrepit gentlemen who showed up from time to time. “You’re very kind,” she said.
“He’s most suitable,” her mother said. “
Most
suitable.”
Olivia caught the implication. They spent the next half hour discussing the date and the location. She tried to enter into the conversation with interest, but all she could do was imagine some gray-whiskered blue blood dancing her around the ballroom. She stifled a sigh of relief when Mrs. Astor took her leave and called for her carriage.
“I’ll be happy when you’re settled, Olivia,” her mother said when they returned to the drawing room. “Mrs. Astor is most kind.”
“She is indeed.” Olivia pleated her skirt with her fingers. “Do you ever wish you could go somewhere incognito, Mother? Where no one has expectations of you because you are a Stewart?”