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.

Welcome to Novel PASTimes, Lady Abigail. We’re pleased you stopped by today.

I’m delighted to be here. Lovely to meet you. Please call me Abby, all my friends do.

So, Abby, you’re married? For how long?

Nick and I have been married for over ten years, but he’d enlisted in the Napoleonic Wars shortly after the war began. We’d only been married a day before he was called to the front lines.

That’s a short time to be together. How did you stay in touch through letters?

I wrote Nick every day for years but never received a reply. You see, he’d been recruited by a special regiment within the Foreign Office to spy for the crown and was stationed deep undercover in France. He couldn’t risk his letters being confiscated and compromising the mission. He tried to sneak a couple through with his handler, but they never reached me. 

Goodness. Did you think he’d died?

My heart refused to believe. Not even when the crown declared him missing and a casualty of war. I didn’t want to accept that all my prayers had gone unheard. Despite the bodiless funeral and the condolences and sympathy of my friends and family, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nick was out there somewhere—still alive.

What got you through those hard years?

My mother-in-law, Mama Em. I couldn’t have made it without her strong faith and words of wisdom. She’s the one who told me to take my questions and fears to God. He could handle them. Some days, though, I could barely breathe. My longing for Nick and grief suffocated me. On those occasions, Mama Em would remind me that we’d get through if we just kept breathing. She was right. I learned most from this trial that God listens to our prayers. Even if we don’t hear Him, He’s working. His timing and ways are better than ours, and He works all things together for our good. 

I’m sure her passing was difficult.

Most definitely. She was my last link to Nick. Tossing the handful of dirt on her grave felt so final. It hit me that she wasn’t coming back, and I started to believe neither was Nick. It had been ten years since he’d left, and I was under a lot of pressure from my family to remarry. I didn’t want to burden them, but I loved Nick and couldn’t imagine a life with anyone else taking his place. 

Thank heaven that didn’t happen. 

(Laughs) Indeed. What a disaster that would have been.

How did you and Mr. Emerson meet?

My twin brother and Nick became fast friends as children, and I was the tag-along younger sister. They stormed my tea parties and raided my doll house. Nick used to knot my braids and dangle worms in front of my face, but I retaliated by tying his boot laces together and tossing them high up in the tree branches, so he’d have to walk home barefooted. 

When did the two of you fall in love?

I secretly admired Nick as a young girl, but I never thought he reciprocated those sentiments until he returned from university. I initially didn’t take his pursuit seriously, thinking he was funning me or goading my brother, Stephen, but Nick wouldn’t relent. He coerced my brother into getting him nightly dinner invitations and wooed me until I was bereft without him. Ours was a love based on friendship that grew into something intimate and unique that, with God, nothing—not a war, espionage, nor the detrimental physical and mental scars they caused—could separate. 

What a sweet love story, Abby. I hope you and Nick are reunited soon. Thank you for being our guest on Novel PASTimes today.

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Author Bio:

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. 

Find her online at her website and watch the book’s trailer here on YouTube.

To purchase Reclaiming the Spy:

Find it HERE on Amazon.

Welcome Addison Bell—I mean, Addi. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.

I taught at the Watertown Center one-room schoolhouse for five years, and I’m ready for a change. I love the little ones, but the older children are too much of a challenge. Now, after my papa passed and forced me to board with grouchy old Mrs. Baumgardner, I need an escape. Hearing about the position at Thousand Island House is just the ticket out.

Tell me something about you that readers may find surprising?

I love the Thousand Islands, just seventeen miles from my hometown. The 1,864 islands are shared almost equally between New York state and Ontario, Canada. It’s where Lake Ontario narrows and becomes the St. Lawrence River. Here the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River intersect to become the world’s largest inland navigation system. Huge freighters pass by tiny islands along the main channel and share the waterway with all kinds of boats including kayaks and canoes.

Tell us more about the Thousand Island House where you work. 

Thousand Island House is one of the grand Thousand Islands hotels accommodating up to 600 patrons who flock to the Thousand Islands from East Coast cities and beyond during the summer. The hotel has one of the finest views of the St. Lawrence River, the most refreshing breezes around, and the most modern amenities too. The hotel’s recreation pavilion on tiny Staples Island is a great place to work. 

Who is this Liam Donovan I keep hearing about? 

He’s the Staple’s Island recreation pavilion manager, and he’s a great boss. He’s a little overconcerned with the natural noise children make, and he has some kind of hurt in his life that I’d like to get to the bottom of, but he’s helpful, kind, and a charming Irish gentleman.

And the Lighthouse Inspector, USN Lt. Maxwell Worthington? What about him?

Yes, he’s a lighthouse inspector from Buffalo, and I think he’s tired of leaving his little boy, Jimmy, with a nanny while he travels the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario inspecting lighthouses. So, I get to take care of Jimmy this summer. He’s a delightful little boy. 

If you could leave readers with one message, what would it be? 

Trust in God and His plans for you. Hope for a better future. Hope for love. Hope for healing. I want to give readers hope that God can heal a broken heart and help you forgive those who hurt you. He did that for me.

Thank you, Addi. I couldn’t agree more that you have a worthy message.

Here are a few fun, quick questions:  

What is your favorite hobby? Reading, of course.

Please describe yourself with three words. Joyful, friendly, and creative. 

What’s your most precious possession? My deceased mother’s silver locket.

Are you a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person?

That’s easy. I always look on the bright side of things, except when I get in trouble.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

People misunderstand me. Though I try, folks often challenge and judge me wrongly.

What is your greatest achievement?

Teaching children. I love their zest for life.

What is your biggest secret?

I dream about Liam. Shhh….don’t tell him, please.

What is your heart’s deepest desire? 

That’s easy. To love and be loved. After losing both of my parents and being an only child, aloneness is a terrible place to be.

What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?  

I’ve learned to trust in God and His plans for me. God can heal a broken heart and has helped me forgive those who hurt me. 

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About A Summer at Thousand Island House

By Susan G Mathis

She came to work with the children, not fall in love.

Part-nanny, part entertainer, Addison Bell has always had an enduring love for children. So what better way to spend her creative energy than to spend the summer nannying at the renowned Thousand Island House on Staple’s Island? As Addi thrives in her work, she attracts the attention of the recreation pavilion’s manager, Liam Donovan, as well as the handsome Navy Officer Lt. Worthington, a lighthouse inspector, hotel patron, and single father of mischievous little Jimmy.

But when Jimmy goes missing, Addi finds both her job and her reputation in danger. How can she calm the churning waters of Liam, Lt. Worthington, and the President, clear her name, and avoid becoming the scorn of the Thousand Islands community?

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Peyton’s Promise, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment and A Summer at Thousand Island House. Her book awards include two Illumination Book Awards, three American Fiction Awards, two Indie Excellence Book Awards, and four Literary Titan Book Awards. Reagan’s Reward is a Selah Awards finalist. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more. 

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