Miss Wilton's waltz

Josi S. Kilpack

eBook - 2018

A follow-up to Josi S. Kilpack's bestselling Proper Romance title The Vicar's Daughter. Shy and timid Lenora Wilton has spent most of her life either behind the keys of her beloved pianoforte or in the shadow of her younger sister, Cassie. But when Lenora decides to travel to Bath to live with her Aunt Gwen and teach music at an all-girls' boarding school, she begins a journey of self-discovery that leads her to a surprising romance. When Lenora meets Aidan Asher, a plantation owner who has recently returned to England from Jamaica in order to care for his orphaned niece, she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to him, despite the fact that she has resigned herself to remaining an independent, unmarried woman. But problems a...rise when she learns that Catherine--Lenora's newest and most troublesome student in the school--is Mr. Asher's niece. The chemistry between Lenora and Aidan increases until they share a passionate kiss one evening by the River Avon. But Lenora's perfect fantasy is shattered when she learns that Aidan is engaged to another woman. Aidan doesn't love Miss Keighly--he had proposed to her simply as a way to provide a stable home life for Catherine--but Lenora is not sure she can trust him anymore. When Miss Keighly announces that she is not interested in dissolving the engagement, Aidan finds himself caught between his obligation and his heart. Lenora must decide if she is willing to risk her heart for a chance to love and be loved in return.

Saved in:
Subjects
Genres
Regency fiction
Published
[United States] : Shadow Mountain Publishing 2018.
Language
English
Corporate Author
hoopla digital
Main Author
Josi S. Kilpack (author)
Corporate Author
hoopla digital (-)
Online Access
Instantly available on hoopla.
Cover image
Physical Description
1 online resource
Format
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
ISBN
9781629736402
Access
AVAILABLE FOR USE ONLY BY IOWA CITY AND RESIDENTS OF THE CONTRACTING GOVERNMENTS OF JOHNSON COUNTY, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, HILLS, AND LONE TREE (IA).
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Lenora Wilton is perfectly happy with her new life in Bath, living with her aunt Gwen and teaching music at Mrs. Henry's School for Girls, until the day Catherine March appears in her classroom. Catherine is such a disruptive influence on the other students in class that Lenora is convinced she must go. However, after meeting Catherine's guardian, her uncle Aiden Asher, Lenora quickly changes her mind. Not only does Aiden know a secret about Lenora and her nighttime walks around Bath, he is more than willing to use that knowledge to ensure that his niece remains in school. As the days go by, Lenora feels she is slowly finding a way to reach Catherine while at the same time forging an unexpected connection with Aiden. However, when Lenora discovers Aiden has a secret of his own, it could turn out to be the catalyst that shatters any hope of a future together. Sweet, insightful, and gracefully written, Kilpack's (All That Makes Life Bright, 2017) latest Regency romance is a quiet triumph.--Charles, John Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

The jilted elder sister in Kilpack's The Vicar's Daughter becomes the heroine in this tender, satisfying Regency romance. After Lenora flees from her family home to Bath, she works hard to establish herself as someone other than the painfully shy and anxious musical daughter, always hiding behind the pianoforte. Determined to accept her lot as a single woman, Lenora finds employment as a music teacher in a school for young ladies, returning to her aunt's for weekend social events. When Catherine, a particularly troublesome new student of Lenora's, becomes her nemesis, Lenora falls into a conflicted relationship with the girl's devoted uncle, Aiden, who will do anything to help his difficult niece-even blackmailing Lenora with his knowledge of her secret habit of taking late-night river walks while dressed in men's clothing. Kilpack convincingly portrays the acting out of an angry, formerly neglected child, who causes such damage to Lenora's psyche, reputation, and future hopes that she declares, "I hate that girl." Lenora's slow, arduous journey toward empathy, forgiveness, and love, with both niece and uncle, proves deeply rewarding. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Lenora Wilton accepts a position as music teacher at a girls' school in Bath, where a difficult student and an unfortunate meeting with the girl's guardian change her lifeand her hopes for the future.Painfully shy Lenora moves to Bath after her fiance breaks their engagement to marry her sister and she's left feeling she has no marital prospects. Spending her workdays as a music teacher and her weekends at the home of her beloved Aunt Gwen, Lenora often sneaks out to the river for midnight walks, which would be a scandal should anyone discover her. All goes well for two years, until Lenora meets Aiden Asher, guardian to his niece Catherine Manch, a bright but troubled girl who was neglected by her family and can't read, since she suffers from what modern readers will recognize as dyslexia. Acting out, Catherine ultimately gets Lenora dismissed from her job, but Aiden and Gwen arrange for Lenora to give Catherine private lessons despite reservations on both sides. Aiden and Lenora become close, and Catherine begins to have faith that neither of them will abandon her. Lenora, however, feels betrayed by Asher, who told her he had feelings for her even though he was engaged to someone else. Asher, who had entered into a betrothal with a woman he doesn't love in order to offer Catherine more stability, realizes they should share their lives with Lenora, but his fiancee won't release him, and Lenora refuses to have him even if she does. Lives intertwined by circumstance are suddenly bound by love, and it will take courage to vanquish the fear, pride, and guilt that are blocking everyone's happiness. Kilpack's sequel to The Vicar's Daughter (2017) is another quiet, character-driven romance that finds poignancy through complex conflicts while maintaining a more authentic tone and sensibility (including no sex) than many current historical romances.A sweet, engaging, graceful romance. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

PROLOGUE As a vicar's daughter, Lenora knew that doing the right thing was not always easy, in fact it was rarely so. It was  right  that Evan Glenside had broken his engagement to Lenora because he'd realized that it was Cassie he'd fallen in love with. It was  right  that Lenora had stood up to her parents who had forbidden Cassie and Evan from each other. It was  right  that in the morning Cassie and Evan would marry in Father's church and begin their lives together. There was comfort in having been an essential part of so much rightness, but it was  not  easy. She'd been known all her life here in Leagrave as the shy Wilton girl. The daughter of the vicar who struggled to maintain eye contact, who kept to herself, and whose only friends were her five sisters. Lenora was used to that, but the number of consoling looks sent her direction and amount of whispering behind their hands made it impossible for her to stay here. "Poor girl," they were surely saying in piteous tones. "Such a strange little thing." And Lenora just kept playing the pianoforte, providing background music to everyone's life while hiding behind her instrument. The guests were slowly leaving, and Lenora kept her eyes on the music as her fingers moved over the keys with tender exactness. There were still a few people in the room--extended family who had come for the wedding--when Mother put her hand on Lenora's shoulder, her way of saying that Lenora could stop after this piece. Once she'd finished, Lenora attempted to slide out of the room before anyone attempted to draw her into conversation. Her throat seemed to close more often than not when people addressed her. She would stare at the floor, fidget like a child, and make everyone uncomfortable.  Two more days , she told herself, and her stomach erupted with butterflies, some fluttering due to nerves, but some due to excitement and relief. Lenora startled when Cassie took her arm in the foyer; she'd thought her younger sister was still making sparkling conversation with their guests. Sometimes Lenora felt like Cassie got Lenora's portion of social graces, as though they were slices of cake. "Two for Cassie, and, I'm sorry Lenora, there's none left for you." But then maybe Lenora got Cassie's musical portion. The trading abilities wouldn't bother her other than the fact that other people thought it odd that she preferred her own company. And yet, that was changing too. At least it had been in Bath. Then she'd come back to Leagrave and fallen right back into the role she'd always played: shy prodigy. Excerpted from Miss Wilton's Waltz by Josi S. Kilpack All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.