The Stoic and Composed Widow's Guide to Enjoying a Ball (Part 2)

Lonning Parish holds the standard ingredients for a great romance: a youthful woman with strong opinions of marriageable age, a helpful best friend offering few obstacles to the heroine’s plots, and, of course, a young man who draws admiration everywhere he goes but is decidedly fascinated with the heroine. Naturally, the story of Miss Katherine Caroll has a bit of a snare. Even in her small parish, there are two handsome men vying for her attention: a virtuous vicar with angelic looks and a smart-mouthed gentleman who is the very picture of devilish handsomeness. As Miss Caroll’s heart is torn between them, we learn the stories of other friends in the parish, like the Widow Tigney and her healing heart, and Mr. Duke and his permanently broken one. The lives of Lonning Parish intertwine and teach Miss Caroll lessons, but will she learn them in time to capture a happy ending, or will indecision make the choices for her?It is a dreadful caprice of fate to occasionally strand us for long periods of time without the presence of the object of our affection. Such is the fate of Miss Katherine Caroll, trapped at a ball with no one interesting to talk to except the lady of the manor, the Widow Tigney. But as the widow’s past intertwines with Miss Caroll’s present, a tall, dark, handsome not-so-stranger arrives to sweep them off their feet in this bittersweet romance of grief, joy, and the best parts of history repeating itself.