THE LETTER

THE LETTER
Friday, August 25, 2023 by Edwina Kiernan

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS

PLEASE WELCOME

EDWINA KIERNAN

FICTION FRIDAY

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time to a place where quaint buildings are bathed with a golden glow in the afternoon light, where the people are polite and respectful, and where the pace of living allows your soul to breathe and just ... be?

In that case...

Welcome to Lindenfell!

The Letter introduces us to Grace Stratton (daughter of the hero & heroine from my award-winning novel, Ruby’s Redemption), who accepts a position as a lady’s companion in a place she’s never been before, but where she’ll soon discover a whole new world.

“The air in Lindenfell had a scent of its own — one of warmth and peace. Of hope.”

Lord-willing, the Victorian Virtues series will have nine books, each based on an aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit, and each exploring the historical events and everyday realities that change and challenge eighteen main characters and nine blossoming romances.

Friends and foes, tragedies and triumphs, hopes and heartaches — the best and worst of life, all in one fictional market town in Victorian England.

It is my deepest hope that, as you travel to Lindenfell in each book of the series, you’ll find the truth and hope you need to navigate your own trials and triumphs and discover that the refreshment your soul longs for is already available to you, wherever you may be.

AN EXCERPT FROM THE LETTER

(Victorian Virtues, Book 1)

by Edwina Kiernan

David Carbury paced the drawing room floor of his London townhouse.

Dead. Dead!

Augustus Moss, his trusted friend and colleague, stood on the edge of the Axminster rug, his chin tucked low.

David turned to face him. “There must be some mistake, Augustus. I administered the chloroform myself. I—”

“He is dead,” Augustus said, shaking his head grimly.

David’s blood seemed to drain through him all over again.

No.

He’d been so careful.

There had to be some mistake.

Augustus sighed. “Did you administer the same quantity as always?”

David’s stomach tightened as he remembered the pitiable state of his patient. “He was so agitated, Augustus,” David said, shaking his head slowly. “His coughing was so violent that I had no hope of administering the opium. Not until he was calmed.”

“So… you used more?”

David exhaled a deep, shaky breath. “A little more. But only a little, Augustus, and I ensured that it was still within the safe parameters.”

Augustus’s gaze remained fixed on the floor. “Safe parameters,” he scoffed. “Many physicians still consider the wretched stuff to be experimental at best. We knew that. We never should have—” He broke off with a forceful sigh, commencing his own agitated pacing.

David stood still and stared at him, a sickening sensation coiling in his gut. “No. Augustus, you know as well as I do — there are doctors up and down the country who are using it now — for all kinds of conditions — why, plenty of surgeons use far larger doses than I. It is safe. And I gave Mr. Edwards an appropriate dosage, I know I did!”

Augustus turned abruptly and raised his eyes to look at David. “Well, that matters little enough now. The man is gone.”

A chill plunged through David’s heart. “What do you mean, it matters little enough now? It matters a great deal, Augustus! I administered a safe dosage. It was not the chloroform that ended his life, it was the cholera for which we were treating him, that is—”

“You. For which you were treating him. Do not drag me into this, Carbury. I never liked the idea of using that terrible liquid.” Augustus pointed a trembling finger at David, his teeth clenched as he spoke. “The culpability for his death is squarely upon your own head.”

David gaped. “Augustus? What do you—”

“I never wanted to have anything to do with it all in the first place, David. You knew that. But you insisted that, soon, the use of this horrid substance would become standard practice. That other physicians would laud us as one of the first to adopt it!” He exhaled bitter contempt. “I only wish I had adhered to my own judgment. Had I done so, he might still be alive.”

This cannot be happening.

Not only was his patient dead, but now his medical partner seemed determined to blame him for it.

David swiped his forehead with his palm. “Augustus, you know as well as I—”

“No! No more, Carbury. I am done.” He strode toward David, his icy gaze piercing him to the core. “We may both be legally liable if his family chooses to hold us accountable. What say you to that?”

David shook his head. He tried to summon the words, but only a throaty groan met the still air.

“Do not expect any support from me, Carbury. I shall not give up everything that I have worked for because of your error.” Augustus fixed David with a menacing glare, then spun on his heel and was out of the room before David could even try to respond.

The silence that closed around him seemed cavernous.

He’d been careful. He knew he had.

A vast number of cholera patients did not survive, even with a physician’s intervention. That was a somber fact of the profession.

It was not the chloroform’s fault.

It was not his fault.

Augustus’s words rang in David’s ears as he turned to stare out of the window, seeing nothing of the morning bustle in the street below. “No more, Carbury. I am done.”

So, that was it.

His patient. His partner.

One dead. One done.

Both gone.

MORE ABOUT THE LETTER

She wants a new life.

He’s in danger of losing his.

Will love solve everything — or immerse them in even worse peril?

Restless and ready for a change, Grace Stratton gladly accepts the opportunity to leave her remote parsonage home to serve as a wealthy spinster’s companion in the idyllic country town of Lindenfell. Its warm atmosphere and friendly inhabitants soothe Grace’s lonely heart. But when a mysterious stranger arrives, she soon discovers things aren’t always what they seem.

Convinced chloroform will revolutionize the medical world, Dr. David Carbury frequently administers it to his London patients — until one of them dies. Facing a grave trial to prove his innocence and defend a drug most people view as poisonous, he makes hasty plans to buy time to bolster his case. But he wasn’t expecting to face an even deadlier challenge.

Attraction sparks not long after they meet, but Grace soon suspects he’s hiding something, and David knows he can’t run from the truth forever.

And neither of them could imagine the sinister threat lurking just around the corner…

Immersed in faith and intrigue, this Christian Victorian romance from award-winning author Edwina Kiernan will encourage and delight you long after you turn the last page.

BUY LINK: https://edwinakiernan.com/letter

ABOUT EDWINA KIERNAN

Edwina Kiernan is the Christian author of six novels, three of which are award-winning. An enthusiast of classic novels and history, Edwina combines her faith, imagination, and research in hope-infused tales set in times past. A lifelong word admirer, with Welsh and Irish heritage, she started writing stories early in childhood. She is a committed follower of Jesus (the Living Word), and endeavors to use her pen to point others to Him. When she’s not writing, Edwina loves spending time with her dashing husband and lively little son, reading and studying the Bible, getting lost in a captivating novel, and drinking more types of tea than most people realize even exist. Find out more at https://edwinakiernan.com

Amazon Author page: https://edwinakiernan.com/amazonautho

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/edwina-kiernan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20858398.Edwina_Kiernan

Facebook: https://edwinakiernan.com/facebook

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