Her glance didn’t linger long on the groom. The sweet smile on his lips and the heart-warming glow in his eyes were for Beth. She sought out the best man, tall and handsome beside his friend. The traditional grey morning suit couldn’t possibly look better on anyone than it did on Matthew. Their eyes met, and he beamed, warming his entire face.
How could she have ever nicknamed him Dr Bluebeard or called him the worst man? God had taught them both so much in these past months. Her heart expanded with love, pounding joyfully in her throat.
Gently, she nudged Daisy forward. “Now it’s time. Walk to Matthew and throw the petals around. Just like we showed you.”
Daisy toddled down the aisle, flinging rose petals in the air, pausing every few steps to grin up at everyone she passed. She did her job perfectly. Only problem… she didn’t know when to stop.
Matthew caught her before she could keep going right into the sanctuary, scooped her up, and sat her next to Beth’s mother as they’d arranged. More than a hint of I-told-you-so laughter lit his eyes as he flashed a quick glance at Anita. He’d said Daisy was too young to do it.
Anita shook her head slightly and gave him a No-I-told-you-so grin right back. Between them, he and Daisy had done the job just fine.
Teamwork. Like a family should.
Slowly, regally, Beth walked down the aisle on a carpet of pink and white petals. No one seeing her could doubt she was every inch a worthy wife for James.
Anita followed her as the music swelled to a crescendo. Portia’s wide-brimmed lavender hat nodded in the first row. When they reached the front of the church, Anita twisted sideways to smile at her. And at Jack sitting beside her, straight and solid, holding her hand. Glimpsing the older woman’s determined and jubilant face brought happy tears to her eyes.
Thank You, Lord, for blessing them with healing and reunion. It’s never too late to choose love and to right old wrongs.
She took her place beside Beth, and the minister began the service to bless their marriage, their friends and family with them.
“James and Beth, you stand in the presence of God as man and wife to dedicate to Him your life together, that He may consecrate your marriage and empower you to keep the covenant and promise you have solemnly declared.”
His soft voice grew in power, filling the church and echoing in her heart.
“The Bible teaches us that marriage is a gift of God in creation and a means of His grace, a holy mystery in which man and woman become one flesh. It is God’s purpose that, as husband and wife give themselves to each other in love throughout their lives, they shall be united in that love as Christ is united with his Church.
“Marriage is given, that husband and wife may comfort and help each other, living faithfully together in need and in plenty, in sorrow and in joy. It is given that, with delight and tenderness they may know each other in love, and, through the joy of their bodily union, may strengthen the union of their hearts and lives. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children may be nurtured in accordance with God’s will, to His praise and glory. This is the meaning of the marriage you have made.”
As he spoke the words, she repeated them in her heart and couldn’t help glancing toward Matthew. His eyes met hers, and the glow igniting their dark depths trembled through her, telling her he was doing exactly the same.
Before too long, they’d be standing in a different church making their own vows, dedicating themselves to a life of love, a life lived for God. Thanksgiving flooded every cell of her body until she felt light enough to float up to the ceiling.
She couldn’t wait to see what new blessings and challenges their life together would hold. Growing deeper in love with Matthew as they weathered both trials and good times together. Working with him on the changes at the Mission. Setting up Coalbrooke House. Caring for Daisy till Jen got back on her feet. Someday, God willing, maybe children of their own.
Whatever happened, God would be there with them, holding them both in loving arms.
Forever.
Thank you for reading…
I hope you enjoyed reading Teapots & Tiaras!
If you did, you might also enjoy the other books published so far in the Love in Store series.
Book 1 – The Wedding List
Book 2 – Believe In Me
Book 3– A Model Bride
Book 4– Forget Paris
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About the Author
Autumn Macarthur is a USA Today bestselling author of Christian romance. Originally from Australia, she now lives near London with her very English husband and three spoiled rescue cats. She loves reading, growing food plants in her tiny garden, and writing deeply emotional stories to remind you how big and wide and deep God's love and forgiveness can be.
When she's not writing, in the garden, or trying to herd cats, she can be found:
- blogging at http://faithhopeandheartwarming.com,
- on Facebook as Autumn Macarthur,
- and on Twitter as @autumnmacarthur.
She’d love to hear from you!
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Faith, hope, & heartwarming –
inspirational romance to make you smile.
British English Glossary
As some of the British English terms the characters use may be new to readers, here are meanings for those most likely to be unfamiliar. Please let me know if there are other British-isms in the book that you’d like defined!
A1 – one of the major roads running northbound from London. Historical readers will know it as the Great North Road, as the modern road mostly follows the path of the old coaching road north from the capital.
Accident and Emergency – Emergency Department, ER, Casualty
Adrenaline – epinephrine, an injectable medicine used to treat a severe allergic reaction. It stops the person’s body responding to the allergy and prevents release of more of the chemicals that cause life-threatening symptoms
Bagpuss – A large soft toy cat, striped pink and cream, who appeared in a British children’s TV programme from the 70’s, voted in 1999 as the UK’s favourite children’s TV show ever. For more on Bagpuss see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpuss
Boris Bike – London’s public bicycle hire scheme, with a network of low-cost automated stations around London. The distinctive bikes are branded for the company sponsoring the scheme, initially sky blue for Barclay’s Bank, now red for Santander! Nicknamed after Boris Johnson, the London Mayor who initiated the scheme. To read more see www.visitLondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-London/London-cycle-hire-scheme
Car Park – parking lot
Dr – abbreviation for Doctor. Unlike US English, British English does not place a period (full stop) after abbreviations that start and end with the same letters as the full word
Garage – where you park your
car at home, but also the British word for a gas station, filling station, or service station
Houseman – intern, resident doctor, doing a compulsory year of hospital based training after completing university medical qualifications
Oga – not British, but Igbo or Yoruba (African languages) for boss, big man
Plasters – Band-Aids, adhesive dressings
Purse – in the UK, a purse means a woman’s billfold or coin purse, not her handbag
Manky – unpleasantly dirty and smelly
Marmite – yeast extract; a salty, sticky, dark brown food paste with a strong distinctive flavour. Best eaten spread very thinly on buttered toast. It’s a love it or hate it taste.
Mobile phone – cell phone
MOT – literally an acronym for the Ministry of Transport, a government department, but generally used as shorthand for the annual very strict roadworthiness test, compulsory for all vehicles over 3 years old
Nappy – diaper
Petrol – gasoline
Rubbish – trash
Stroller – pushchair, baby buggy
Trolley – gurney
The Fens (Fenlands) – a low-lying, naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago to produce rich agricultural land. Fenland reaches into Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and a small area of Suffolk.
Underground – the London underground train system or Metro, also commonly referred to as the tube
Wardrobe – closet
Wendy House – girl’s play house, cubby house
Bible Verses
Chapter 6
Ecclesiastes 7:26 (NIV) – I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains.
Phillipians 2:12 b KJV – “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Matthew misinterprets and quotes the verse out of context as he was taught by his grandfather, to mean we must work hard to earn our salvation.
This paraphrase including the rest of the passage shows the true meaning –
“… you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all that might displease him. For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.” TLB
Chapter 8
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Chapter 13
John 10:10 KJV– I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Chapter 15
Joshua 1:9 NIV – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Chapter 16
Romans 8:38 NLT – And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Chapter 17
Colossians 3:20-21 NIV – Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
1 John 4:8 KJV – He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV– For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Chapter 18
1 John 3:18 NIV – Let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth.
Other books by the Author
The Macleans series:
Mac’s story – A Model Bride
Catriona’s story – More than Friends
Fraser’s story – A Lesson in Love
Brodie’s story – due in early 2017
The Love in Store series:
Book 1 – The Wedding List
Book 2 – Believe In Me
Book 3– A Model Bride
Book 4– Forget Paris
Book 5 – Teapots & Tiaras– this book!
Book 6 – Heart in Hiding – coming later in 2016
Book 7 – Stand the Heat – due in 2017
For a free Love in Store ebook, more about new releases, special offers, and reader only contests, sign up for my email newsletter here or at www.autumnmacarthur.com
Acknowledgements
This book first released as part of a USA Today bestselling multi-author set, Whispers of Love. I'm so grateful to the other eleven authors for including me in the adventure. The set debuted at #79 in release week, after much prayer and hard work! Thank you to Jan Thompson for bringing us together and keeping us together, and the ten other wonderful authors: Kimberly Rae Jordan, Leah Atwood, Sally Bradley, Valerie Comer, Christina Coryell, JoAnn Durgin, Lesley Ann McDaniel, Carol Moncado, Staci Stallings, and Marion Ueckermann. It was an amazing ride!
Thank you to Jane Austen, for writing such wonderful stories and inventing the romantic comedy. Teapots & Tiaras began as an unashamed homage to Pride and Prejudice, one of my favourite books ever.
I’m so grateful to Aliza Latta for her wonderful (in)courage blog post, “Finding Love by the Sea”, which crystallised how I wanted Anita’s realisation of the depth and breadth and infinity of God’s love to happen.
Thanks to my dear husband Arthur for supporting me through many challenges and for teaching me what surrender to God really means. Thank you also for accepting my dreams, even the ones that are nothing like yours. Our differences make our marriage stronger. I love you.
Thanks to Shannon, crit partner and friend.
Thank you to my lovely editor Deidre at Brilliant Cut Editing. I love how she strengthens my writing. I only hope I didn’t accidentally add too many commas back in the wrong place!
Thanks most of all to God, for holding me securely in His love, for being the comforter who never leaves us.
Copyright 2016 © by Autumn Macarthur
First Kindle Edition, July 2016
Published by Faith, Hope, & Heartwarming
http://faithhopeandheartwarming.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means— for example, electronic, photocopy, recording— without the prior written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations in printed or broadcast reviews. Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
BIBLE VERSION COPYRIGHT NOTICES
King James Version (KJV): Public Domain
Living Bible (TLB): The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV): Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New Living Translation (NLT): Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved
OTHER COPYRIGHTS
Excerpts from the Church of England Marriage services are from the Book of Common Prayer – Common Worship: Pastoral Services, copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000
Archive.
Teapots & Tiaras: A sweet and clean Christian romance in London and Cambridge (Love In Store Book 5) Page 17