Today we’re hosting Esther Andrews, the heroine of A Counterfeit Betrothal, for a cup of tea. We catch up with her partway through her story as told in Book One of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier, the latest series launched by Denise Weimer and Wild Heart Books.

Esther, tell us where you live and about your family.

Esther: I grew up mostly in a community called Hog Mountain, which was settled around Fort Daniel in middle Georgia. It’s the westernmost outpost this side of Creek and Cherokee Territory. During the War of 1812, that means a lot of danger. 

There’s not much in Hog Mountain, just some houses, a hotel, and a couple of trading posts—one of which my father ran before the consumption took him. I had to pick a husband when that happened. Liam was charming enough when he came to court, but turned out, he was a drunk with a mean streak a mile wide. If only Jared Lockridge had arrived just a bit sooner…

Oh, dear. This story is supposed to be a romance. Are you telling me you missed the chance for love?

Esther: I don’t think love is something I should be seeking. What I do know is, Liam got an arrow through the middle and his attacker was trying to take me off into the forest when Jared Lockridge showed up. He was scouting the area for Creek war parties and saw the flames from our cabin. When he found out I had no other family and no money, he took me back to the home he shared with his brother, Noble, and Noble’s wife, Tabitha. They’re good folks. Fine folks. A sight finer than I was accustomed to. 

So they took you in. But I’m curious as to why you said you shouldn’t seek love.

Esther: Well, I’m not exactly the type of bride most men look for. My father and Liam said I was more burden than blessing. You can’t see it because I’m sitting down, but my one leg is shorter than the other. The foot is twisted. But I don’t let that stop me. I know what it takes to live on the frontier. And I’m very skilled with herbs. Those were things Tabitha didn’t know. And she was having a difficult pregnancy. Jared’s commander told us attacks were happening all along the frontier. Women were being taken. Given all that, the Lockridges asked me to stay the winter. And a hard one, it was.

What happened over that winter?

Esther: Well, I can’t tell you everything, can I? Else it would give away the story. But I’ll say this much—my life changed. And I’m not talking about panther attacks or troubles between the settlers and Indians or even the man we realized was still watching me. The Lockridges taught me that God loves me. They taught me how to read his Word, which says I’m valuable just as I am. Well, really, Jared was the one who taught me how to read…

Oh? Do I detect a blush, Mrs. Andrews? Tell me more about this Jared Lockridge.

Esther: I surely have no cause to blush, although he did seem appreciative when I could sew up the wound he got while scouting. I think he took time with me because he felt sorry for me at first, especially when he learned how cruel Liam had been. Jared was the opposite—just as gentle with me as with the wood he carves into furniture when he’s not off soldiering or working on building his own cabin. But that cabin is not for me. You see, he has an understanding with a beautiful girl from back East. Although what’s strange is, he hasn’t heard from her in some time. 

Maybe she’s changed her mind about him. And maybe he’s spending time with you because he’s developed feelings for you.

Esther: There is a certain way he looks at me sometimes… But I cannot dare to hope he’d chose me over a fine lady.

That’s what romance is all about, Mrs. Andrews. One can’t predict where one’s heart will lead. Anyone who is curious to know what happens will just have to read your story.

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About A Counterfeit Betrothal – Book One of the Scouts of the Georgia Frontier

1813

At the farthest Georgia outpost this side of hostile Creek Territory, Jared Lockridge serves his country as a scout to redeem his father’s botched heritage. If he can help secure the peace against Indians allied to the British, he can bring his betrothed to the home he’s building and open his cabinetry shop. Then he comes across a burning cabin and a traumatized woman just widowed by a fatal shot.

Freed from a cruel marriage, Esther Andrews agrees to winter at the Lockridge homestead to help Jared’s pregnant sister-in-law. Lame in one foot, Esther has always known she is secondhand goods, but the gentle carpenter-turned-scout draws her heart with as much skill as he creates furniture from wood. His family’s love offers hope even as violence erupts along the frontier—and Jared’s investigation into local incidents brings danger to their doorstep. Yet how could Esther ever hope a loyal man like Jared would choose her over a fine lady?

Bio:

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother of two daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We’re so pleased you could stop by. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Let me assure you, my life isn’t very exciting. I was born in Laurel, Maryland and have lived here all my life. Despite the proximity to our nation’s capital, I’ve only been to Washington a handful of times. I was sixteen when the stock market crashed, and our family did the best we could to get through the depression. Then my father died, and Mother took ill. Fortunately, I was able to secure a job at the public library while being her caregiver. It was challenging, but others have difficulties, too. Mother passed shortly before the end of the war.

I love books. What is like to be a librarian?

I’m no longer at the library, but it was a joy to work there. We were very blessed with copious donations, and it was my job to process them. That may sound tedious, but I was able to meet each book as it came through the door. I wrote down the ones I wanted to read, {smiles}but realized nearly all of them ended up on the list. I also answered people’s questions or recommended authors or titles they might like, and of course, I checked out the books to the patrons. A wonderful job.

Where do you work now?

I am Fort Meade which is just about equal distance between Baltimore and Washington, DC. The facility was put in place in 1917 to prepare the men for going overseas during the Great War. Nearly 400,000 of our soldiers trained there, but for this last conflict over three and a half million of our boys passed through. At 70,000 men and women currently, the fort is like a small city. I type the discharge paperwork for the men. It’s not exactly doing something for the war effort, but I feel I’m making a difference.

Tell me a bit about Ray Fisher?

{blushes} I, um, met him at Meade. He was one of the men who came through my line. He was a Seabee, part of the Naval Construction Battalion…CB, get it? Anyway, he ended up helping very dear friends of mine, the Feeneys. They’re an elderly couple, and Ray is an experienced general contractor. He had, er, has his own business. He has performed many repairs for the couple. Even though he’s a brawny man and can seem overpowering, he’s quite gentle. He helped Mrs. Feeney during one of Mr. Feeney’s episodes.

Rumor has it that Ray is German. Doesn’t that bother you?

Ray’s ancestry is German, but that doesn’t bother me in the least. His parents emigrated to the U.S. after the last war. They were destitute and anxious to make a new start. Ray was a young boy when they arrived. Being German doesn’t make one a Nazi. I wish more people would realize that fact.

What is one thing you’d like readers to take away from your story?

Joy is possible in spite of our circumstances, not because of them. Too often we base our happiness on what is happening in our lives. Joy is not happiness; it is an inner gladness, one that comes from our faith in God. We can have joy no matter what is going on around us, even war.

About Francine’s Foibles

She’s given up hope. He never had any. Will they find it together?

World War II is finally over, and America is extra grateful as the country approaches this year’s Thanksgiving. But for Francine life hasn’t changed. Despite working at Fort Meade processing the paperwork for the thousands of men who have returned home, she’s still lonely and very single. Is she destined for spinsterhood?

Grateful that his parents anglicized the family surname after emigrating to the United States after the Great War, first-generation German-American Ray Fisher has done all he can to hide his heritage. He managed to make it through this second “war to end all wars,” but what American woman would want to marry into a German family. Must he leave the country to find wedded bliss?

Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a former trustee for her local public library. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.