The Duke's Atonement (Regency Romance) by Elizabeth Downton

Author:Elizabeth Downton [Downton, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Regency Romance Historical Book Publishing Company
Published: 2016-04-02T16:00:00+00:00

As she lay in bed later that night, her mind refused to let go of some of her most favourite memories she shared with Miles. She tossed and turned, fluffing her pillow and re-situating herself. Nothing would shake the thoughts of him. At some point, she drifted into a troubled sleep, but was soon awakened abruptly by someone shaking her arm. Her eyes flew open and she saw her mother’s worried face hovering above her.

“Adeline! Wake up! Hurry! You must come right away!” Her mother cried fretfully. Abigail jolted upright, tossing the bedcovers away.

“What’s wrong, Mother?”

“The church is on fire!”

“What? How can that be?”

“Who knows? Perhaps someone left a candle burning? It matters not as it is bursting with flames now!”

Adeline hurriedly dressed and ran outside with her mother. Several men were rushing to pour buckets of water from the well on the fire, but it did little more than contain the ravaging flames. The fire glowed bright in the night as billows of smoke filled the star-dotted sky. All she could do was watch as the brilliant heat devoured their little church.

Hours passed, and though the men worked tirelessly, nothing could be done to save the church. As the sky began to turn grey as dawn approached, the fire ceased its relentless hunger. As the scent of burned wood and smoke hung heavy, the scorched remnants of the building stood sadly, smoke rising from its ashes.

Adeline swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. Their beloved little church where she’d hidden among the pews as a little girl while her mom lovingly cleaned and polished the sanctuary’s woodwork was now gone, reduced to nothing more than a few stones and a pile of charred wood.

She glanced over to where her mother stood quietly sobbing against her father’s shoulder. All around her, the parishioners stood huddled together, mourning the loss of the symbolic house of worship which they all held dear.

“We shall rebuild,” her father said firmly. Several men heartily agreed.

Adeline was pleased to know that all stood so firmly behind her father, the rector, but she knew that rebuilding the church from the ground up would be no easy task and quite expensive. They were a small parish. How would they ever muster up the funds to accomplish such a daunting endeavour?

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