SOLVED. Christian historical romance series - character named Mercy - ungrateful brothers and father make her do all the work [s]

[bluestocking]

My mom read this circa 2009, but that's not necessarily the date of
publication. The book is the last in a series of 3 or 4 books, and
Mercy plays only a minor role in the first two books. It takes place in
the late 1800s, she thinks.


Mercy is the lone daughter in a family of about 6 brothers and her
father, who make her do all the housework and they are ungrateful. (Her
mother is deceased.) The men get their meals cooked, their clothes
washed, their house cleaned by their sister and NEVER give a thought to
the miserable life she is stuck with. And she never complains because
she figures it’s her lot in life.

And then one day she discovers a new neighbor down the road, a man
with a little boy. And she worms her way into the house, starts making
meals, playing with the little kid, even though the guy shows no
interest. The best part is the end, where the guy finds out where she
lives, goes over to talk to her, and finds her outside in the freezing
cold, hanging wash, while the dad and brothers are all relaxing inside
the warm house. He goes in, tells the men what he thinks of them for
sitting around while she’s out working in the cold, and he goes outside
and takes her home with him, right then.

Can anyone help me track this down?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

NO idea Bluestocking--but think I'll be getting a copy when it's found.

[SparksofEmber]

So is the man a widower? How old is Mercy? I assume her mother must have passed away?

[bluestocking]

Mercy's mother passed away. I am sorry I don't know her age or his marital status, as my mother read the book, and I didn't. I assume, since it's Christian fiction, that he's a widower.

[bluestocking]

A kind reader found it! It's Lawana Blackwell's The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter (The Gresham Chronicles, Book 2). The story about Mercy is a side story, not the main plot of the book.

[SparksofEmber]

Awesome! Now, if you go up to the top & click edit, you can move this thread to solved. And it'd be nice to also shelve the book while you are at it (or ask a mod to help you!).

The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter for the link!