The Mistletoe Countess (Fredrick & Grace Mystery, #1)

by Pepper Basham

“Besides, I don’t plan to think of marriage until I’m forced to by circumstances, will, or heart.”

Romance and

marriage proved such daunting prospects in reality, but hidden within the pages of her beloved books, their appeal sparkled with magic and mystery.

Lillias really shouldn’t refer to books in such a dismissive way, and Grace would have said so if she’d thought it would have made a difference.

library, pulling Grace from the delights of Jane Eyre.

“I suppose you are an avid reader?” “Oh, I devour books.” She tugged the novel against her chest. “It’s a disastrous habit for being productive, I’m afraid.”

“You’d rather be reading.” “Wouldn’t you? Or at least having tea and cake with a party of no more than four?”

the past attached weights to the future if he let it.

“I would never have presumed… Wait. This was your first kiss?” “Well of course! You don’t suppose I’m off kissing men on a regular basis, do you? Fantasy and reality are not the same thing, and despite my love of fiction, I don’t confuse them. Often.”

Where was God if not in everything?

What if—like his grandmother often said—God used everything as a building tool of character? And if God was the Father he’d always heard his grandparents profess, the loving Father, would he love Frederick enough to mold his character, even after so many mistakes?

Any man who spoke in fiction was certainly worth forgiving. “Exactly.”

Truth and goodness gave a great deal of hope to the world. But how on earth could God mend such a broken situation?

to everyone he’d met at Whitlock. Her smile softened. Kindness was a most attractive feature, especially for a husband, she imagined. And somehow the idea made him a little handsomer.

Regret seemed a terrible waste of mental energy with no real outcome besides a headache.

“I may be young, Lord Astley, but I am neither dimwitted nor oblivious. Choosing not to focus on certain things does not mean I do not see them.”

“It is a sad commentary, Freddie, that you only relate joy with the behavior of a child.

“Then why are you suddenly surprised when the Almighty gives you what you asked? If

God always seemed to send a cheerful something at the most opportune times.

“Actually, I do talk to myself quite often, but in this particular instance I was praying aloud, so unless you’re one of the growing number of atheists in the world, you were interrupting a quite honest conversation for guidance.”

The horizon of mountains and sky beckoned her heart to trust in One who weaved the patterns of life and death and adventures and romances together in the tapestry of eternity.

“But as is true of any marriage, you will have to work for your happily-ever-after.

Remember who you are and what you believe. You were made for this moment, Grace.”

“You hold to the same faith as I, but even more than that, your Creator holds to you. No matter where you go or what the expectations are, you are not alone. Remember who you are, and you will not only survive, but you will flourish.”

“Grandfather would say, ‘Kindness is your most valiant weapon. People may fight against many things, but against kindness, they fall unprepared.’”

Grace stiffened her chin. If all else failed, she had her faith, her fiction—she looked over at Frederick—and her extremely roguish friend.

Perhaps God was using these lonely moments to remind her that He was enough and that He’d made her just as she was, for His glory.

“I’m a regular church attender, Lady Astley.” He tugged at his collar and shot her a wink. “But I usually arrive late and leave early. Too many marriageable ladies desperate to entrap a single man.”

She belonged to Him.

a clear choice: fall beneath the weight of her regret and lose her own story, or grasp with both hands and full heart the story God had placed before her.

“My future is yours. Alone.”

“Conflict can help you

grow if you allow it to make your relationship stronger.”

“Conflict can become one of the great shapers of our lives. God uses conflict to reach the deepest levels of who we are as nothing else can. You have been placed into Frederick’s life to love and encourage him. To be his greatest asset. But you are also there to make him a better person than he was without you, and the same for him to you. That’s what people do when they love. They mold and shape one another into better forms of themselves.

“There’s no need to ponder the what-ifs. They steal the truth of what is.

“The only heroes worth reading about are the broken ones. They have the greatest potential because they’ve learned what it takes to be truly strong. And seeking forgiveness is certainly the act of a hero.”

“We all live with reminders of the past, dear Frederick. We cannot escape them. There are plenty of regretful ones, I’m sure, so why not celebrate the sweet ones? Lily

“Of course I do, but not only I. God doesn’t go about placing people haphazardly into their stories. He must think you are strong enough too.”

“If you were hoping to add the right people to your good intentions, a higher hand chose better for you than you chose for yourself.”

“It’s a pity it’s taken me such hardship to prefer His choices to mine.” “As my mother would say, sir, that is the beginning of wisdom.”

“I collect a great deal of strength from a very different world so that I can survive this one. What do you think heaven is all about?”

“As long as you draw breath, there is a chance for redemption.” Grace covered the woman’s hand. “Even for you.”

“Grief is a powerful force.”

“Remember whose you are.”

Havensbrooke held his heart and his history. A piece of him inextricably linked to the stories and soil of this earth, but he belonged to an even greater legacy. One bound to an eternal story—etched out of sacrifice and love, not stone and dirt. Facing life as Earl of Astley gave him a temporary home, but living life as a child of God gave him an identity. A truth written on his soul.

She’d always loved watching people open presents. It was like a marvelous mystery of the sweetest kind, even if she knew exactly what the gift was. The mystery came with the response of the recipient, and she felt confident in her choices.

But just when she’d thought her choice to take her sister’s place would lead to her giving up on her dreams, God had used the unexpected to give her even more. How

How God could take two people’s very different stories and combine them to create an entirely new tale was rather remarkable. Instead of his story or her story, it had become their story, and Grace was fairly certain this one would be her favorite.