Chapter One
London
Late in the Reign of Queen Victoria
Always the bridesmaid…
As a girl, Nell Blake had never cared for fairy tales.
While the princes were handsome and the princesses wore lovely gowns, she was most certainly too impatient to wait to be rescued.
Life was too short to bide one’s time, now wasn’t it?
Traveling to destinations near and far with her intrepid aunt, she’d come to believe that every woman had her own unique purpose.
Some were born to be creative artists, while teachers and librarians were destined to advance learning.
Of course, there were tenderhearted ladies who were drawn to charitable acts and giving.
In her life, a woman might well play many roles. And Nell had certainly found her niche.
Nell was the forever bridesmaid.
She could be counted on to stand by her friends as they exchanged vows with the men they loved.
Nell had uttered nary a whisper of complaint while wearing winter gowns adorned with scratchy lace and spring gowns with enormous sleeves, which were not to her taste at all.
Once, she’d nearly fainted in the heat of a summer wedding, but she’d applied a cool compress to her forehead, pulled in a breath, and soldiered on.
Oh, and there was the autumn ceremony during which she’d dutifully carried a colorful bouquet of chrysanthemums, only to battle sniffles from her adverse reaction to the flowers.
Her friends knew they could always rely on the perpetually good-natured wallflower by choice.
Nell would be there to offer encouragement and even to dry the occasional tear.
And after the wedding, she would smile and wave oh so cheerfully as her friend jaunted off on her honeymoon.
Even as Nell stayed happily on the shelf.
Or perhaps, not so happily.
As she strolled through Piccadilly Circus on a summer day with her friend Penelope, a soon-to-be bride herself, Nell uttered a rather startling confession.
“Quite honestly, being cheerful all the time is growing a bit tiresome,” she said, if only to see the look of shock on Penelope’s face.
To her surprise, Penelope displayed no trace of shock.
Not even a hint of surprise. Pressing her mouth into a thoughtful bow, her friend replied, “I can well imagine it is. Personally, I enjoy a fit of pique from time to time. It keeps things lively.” She smiled.
“I do believe it keeps my Bradley on his toes.”
“Does it now?”
“Absolutely,” Penelope said, her wide brown eyes sparkling.
“The pity of it is, I do not have a man to keep on his toes,” Nell said matter-of-factly.
“Would you like one?” Penelope was rather direct.
“I did,” Nell replied, unable to force any cheer into her tone. “Once.”
“Once.” Penelope seemed to ponder the word. “Might I ask what happened? Did he meet an unfortunate fate?”
Sadly, no. Nell bit back the first response that came to mind. It wasn’t seemly to wish ill upon another, now, was it? Even if that another had left a jagged crack in her heart.
“No. Not that I am aware, at least,” she replied. Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure what had become of the artist who’d loved and left her. “I met him in Paris, when I toured the Continent with my Aunt Tilly.”
“Oh, I do adore Lady Tilly. She is quite a pip.”
“Indeed.” Nell smiled at the thought of her vivacious, eccentric aunt. “Since she’s become taken with her new beau, she has spent little time in London.”
“Now, shall we revisit the subject of your Frenchman?” Penelope said. “I find the accent quite romantic.”
“I do agree, but he was not French,” Nell said as an image of his warm hazel eyes flitted through her memory. “Our time together was brief. A lovely interlude, really. If given time, I might have fallen quite deeply for him.”
“Well, my dear friend, it is high time you moved on. And I know precisely what you must do.”
“I am glad that you do, Pen. I certainly have not figured out the answer.”
Penelope flashed a little grin. “The answer is right in front of your nose.”
Nell allowed a little frown. “Is this intended to be a riddle?”
“Nothing of the sort.”
As Penelope looked about the bustling hub of activity, Nell could not fathom what precisely had caught her friend’s attention.
“Come with me.” Penelope was quite a bit less willowy than Nell, but she walked with determination, covering ground rapidly.
“Where are we going?” Nell asked, feeling a sudden twinge of impatience.
Penelope stopped at the base of a stately fountain. “Here.”
Nell stared up at the sculpted figure of a Greek god atop the large fountain. “Precisely what is it that you expect me to do? I don’t consider this chap to be my type. I prefer my men to wear clothing.”
“There are advantages to either state, clothed or unclothed.” Penelope tossed a wink.
“I do recall that to be the case.” Nell grinned as her friend’s brows rose in mock reproach.
“Now, to get onto the task at hand…” Opening her reticle, Penelope retrieved a coin. “We shall each toss a coin into the fountain and make a wish.”
Nell took a penny from her own purse. “I had not believed you to be superstitious.”
“I am a firm believer in making one’s own good fortune.” Penelope’s eyes flashed with merriment. “It’s good luck.”
“If you say so.”
The clouds parted a bit, enough to allow a few rays of daylight to dance unfiltered over the water cascading down the bronze fountain.
“My goodness, the sun has come out,” Penelope observed as if the event were quite remarkable. “Now that is a good sign.”
“It is an excellent sign that I should have brought my parasol.”
“This would actually be a fine time for your usual good cheer to return.” Penelope’s tone was one of sage counsel. “You need to make a wish.”
“Am I to believe some fanciful legend that I shall find my true love simply by flinging a coin into water?”
Penelope smiled as she gave a nod. “It worked for me.”
“Do be serious.”
“I am,” Penelope said. “And even if I’m not, there’s no harm in it. I shall go first.” She brushed a wayward strawberry-blond curl behind her ear, then closed her eyes. “I wish…” Her voice trailed off as she tossed her coin into the fountain.
“I did not hear a wish,” Nell pointed out.
“You don’t need to speak the wish out loud. As long as your heart knows, that is all that matters.”
“I see.”
“Now it’s your turn. Simply close your eyes and wish to your heart’s content.”
“Very well,” Nell said reluctantly. This was all rather silly, really. Turning to the fountain, she gripped the coin between two fingers. “I wish…” With a brief shuttering of her eyes, she uttered a silent plea for her heart’s desire as the sound of the splash confirmed she’d hit her target.
“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
“I cannot say that it was.” Shading her eyes from the sun, Nell made a show of looking about, then plastered on a plaintive expression. “How very unexpected. I don’t see him.” She pretended to frown. “He’s not here—my tall, dark, and handsome Adonis is nowhere to be found.”
Penelope met her gaze, her expression one of wisdom Nell had not expected from her usually lighthearted friend. “Give it time, my dear.” Her smile was warm. “Give it time.”