In nearly three years of eligibility, Lenora had only ever shown interest in one man. This man-Mr. Glenside. If no one intervened, she would throw this opportunity away, and who knew when she might have another. Surely if she remained unmarried in another two or three years their parents would have to consent to let Cassie have her debut-but she would be the same age then that Lenora was now. Not on the shelf, yet , but competing for attention with girls five years her junior. Mr. Bunderson would surely have married by then. Such thoughts made the edges of Cassie's vision shimmer with frustration. "I shall be an old maid forever," Cassie grumbled as she left the music room and climbed the stairs to her bedchamber as though crushing each step underfoot. Her mother's words rang back to her: "You could help her." Cassie snorted as she entered her room and closed the door behind her. She had helped, and Lenora had rejected the perfect opportunity to further her acquaintance with an eligible man! "She needs far more help than I could give her," Cassie said to her paintings. Still fuming as she crossed the room, her eyes fixed on her writing desk and her mind spun toward a new possibility. Was there another way she might help her sister? With a slower step and a more focused mind, Cassie moved toward the desk. She ran her fingers across the worn wooden surface while a new-and rather desperate-idea began to build itself brick by brick in her mind. A slow smile spread across Cassie's face. The confidence Lenora needed would only come through success gained through action she was too nervous to take. Cassie, however, could take that action for her and write letters on Lenora's behalf. She sat down at the writing desk and extracted a fresh sheet of paper. The first obstacle would be learning to write in Lenora's same hand, but for a woman of artistic talent who could draw nearly anything it did not seem too much of a challenge. The second obstacle would be the delivery of the letter without her parents' or Lenora's knowledge. Young could help there; she was a trusted confidant among the children and had protected Cassie from trouble with her parents before. Cassie would have to confess after the exchange of just one or two letters, enough to intrigue Mr. Glenside and give Lenora the feeling of being "known" by him. Cassie would be disciplined for her deception if her parents learned of it, but if that confession came on the heels of a young man's interest in Lenora who would come alive in her letters . . . well, then, Cassie would accept whatever penalty might come. And once her penance for the act-not quite a sin since her intent was good-was complete, Cassie would have the chance to truly live her life. Dancing. Gowns. Mr. Bunderson. Oh, and Lenora's happiness, of course. Excerpted from The Vicar's Daughter 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.
