by Jen Turano
“This had better be good,” Mr. Dana all but growled.
Holding up a package, the young man smiled. “It’s a present for you, so yes, I do believe it might be good.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Placing the package on the desk, the man seemed about to linger, but an actual growl from Mr. Dana had him fleeing the office.
As the door slammed behind the fleeing man, Mr. Dana pulled the gaily wrapped box to him and considered it for a long moment.
“Who would be sending me a present?” he asked the empty room.
Certainly not expecting an answer, he untied the bow and lifted the lid, finding a horribly scribbled note lying on top of what appeared to be thin pieces of crumpled paper.
Pulling the note out of the box, he smiled when he recognized the horrible handwriting.
It was from Miss Permilia Griswold, the former Miss Quill and one of only a handful of people he actually regretted dismissing.
Shoving his glasses to the bridge of his nose, he scanned the note.
Dear Mr. Dana,
Enclosed please find the exclusive you once demanded of me—an exclusive I’m giving you, not because I feel you’re owed it, but because I always felt you were a nice gentleman, no matter your grave error in judgment when you fired me.
Consider us squared away, and hopefully I’ll be seeing you soon.
With deepest regards,
Miss Quill
Smiling as he dug through the box, he pulled out a single sheet of heavy vellum, vellum of the finest quality that practically begged a person to run a finger over its smooth surface. Resisting the urge to do so, since he didn’t want to risk smudging what turned out to be an invitation, he set it on his desk, his smile widening with every line he read.
The pleasure of
Mr. Charles Dana’s
company is requested aboard the yacht
Cornelia
in order to celebrate the engagement of
Miss Permilia Griswold
to
Mr. Asher Rutherford
Monday, June the fourth
at half-past four until half-past ten.
Responses delivered to
420 Park Avenue
Mrs. George Griswold
Shaking his head as he laid the invitation down on his desk, he leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and released a bit of a sigh. The sigh was no reflection of his happiness for the bride-to-be. It was more along the lines of an acknowledgment that even though Miss Griswold had given him exclusive notice about an event that was certain to be the talk of the town, he would never, no matter that the times were indeed changing, write what his readers would love to read—the story of a wallflower who’d defied all the odds by working behind the scenes she’d so carelessly been banished from, breaking free of the chains society had tried to bind her with, and in so doing, found her very own happily-ever-after.
Jen Turano, a USA Today bestselling author, is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in clothing and textiles. She is a member of ACFW and RWA. She lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. Visit her website at www.jenturano.com.
Books by Jen Turano
Gentleman of Her Dreams (e-novella)
A Change of Fortune
A Most Peculiar Circumstance
A Talent for Trouble
A Match of Wits
After a Fashion
In Good Company
Playing the Part
At Your Request (e-novella)
Behind the Scenes
Sign Up Now!
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Twitter: @Bethany House