by BJ Hoff
Slowly, he dragged his gaze to her face. She saw it then—the sweet, reluctant admission of love in his eyes, mingled with an old hurt and perhaps the beginning of a faint light of hope.
Briefly, Finola pressed her fingers against his hand, then released it and stood up. Swept up in the thrill and relief of hearing his confession of love at last, she felt her own hands tremble now as she slipped her fingers beneath the ribbons of her dressing gown.
Her eyes never left his face…his beloved face…as softly, speaking in the Irish, she told him the secrets of her heart, her love for him, her desire to belong to him. As she spoke, she slipped the dressing gown from her shoulders to stand before him in the ivory satin nightdress she had chosen just for tonight.
Morgan caught his breath, and his head sank back against the pillow.
“I love you, Morgan,” she said again, reaching out toward him. “And I am asking you to make me your wife…”
At first he made no move, but simply bathed her in the glow of his love-softened gaze. Then, he rose up on one elbow and reached for her hand, pressing her palm to his lips in a gentle, lingering kiss. “Are you sure, Finola aroon? Please, be very, very sure, for once you are truly mine, you will be mine forever. I would die before I let you go.”
Finola freed her hands just long enough to extinguish the lamp, then turned back to him. As she slipped into the bed beside him, the ivory swan pendant he had given her as a wedding gift escaped her nightdress. Clasping it in one hand and putting her other hand to Morgan’s heart, she brought her face close to his and began to repeat, again in the Irish…
“I, Finola, take thee, Morgan, to be my wedded husband, for now and forever.…”
Framing her face with his hands, he held her, searching her eyes as if trying to look into her heart. Finally, he smiled…a glory of a smile that fell over Finola’s face like stardust. At last he added his voice, unsteady as it was, to hers. Speaking in the ancient language of their people, he drew her into the warm, safe haven of his arms…
“I pledge to thee my love…my fidelity…and life…for now and forever.…”
EPILOGUE
And to the Prodigal…Grace
The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
LUKE 15:21-24
The next morning, Morgan Fitzgerald sat by the window in his bedchamber, watching the dawn of yet another mild, sun-touched December morn. He had cracked the window, relishing the sweet-scented air. He knew that all too soon December’s flirtation with springlike temperatures would end, giving way to winter. But in the meantime, he meant to absorb every precious moment of warmth he could before the cold set in.
Glancing across the room, he smiled at the scene revealed in the first light of dawn. Finola still lay abed, but not alone. Well before daybreak, she had gone to collect Gabriel for his early morning nursing, and now the two of them lay snuggled together, warm and dozing in Morgan’s enormous bed.
He watched them for a moment, drinking in the sight of his wife’s golden hair falling like a curtain of sunshine over the babe cuddled to her heart. If a man could die from happiness, Morgan thought, his time might be near.
Unexpectedly, a sound filtered through the haze of his content. Faint, indistinct, and elusive, the music caught his attention, and he reached to open the window a little more.
He sat listening with growing wonder and appreciation as the strains of a violin came wafting across the grounds from the Gypsy wagon. It could only be Jan Martova. Although the Gypsy seemed to carry his fiddle with him wherever he went, this was the first time Morgan had actually heard him play.
The music was exquisite: achingly melodic, tormentingly lovely. Morgan had never heard anything quite like it. It seemed composed of both the ancient Celtic and the Romany, a haunting blend that carried with it the wailing of the wind across the mountains and the mystery of secrets whispered around the campfire.
He realized at once that he was hearing an exceptional talent, a brilliant gift. The boy played like a master! And yet Morgan sensed the unrestrained joy, the wildness and spontaneity of one who plays freely, whose spirit soars, unencumbered by the boundaries of form and method.
Hearing Finola stir, he motioned her to the window. She left the babe, still sleeping, and came to stand beside him.
“Listen,” he said softly. “It’s the Gypsy. He plays as if inspired, don’t you think?”
“’Tis beautiful,” she agreed, putting a hand to his shoulder. “Morgan, what will happen to him now? You said you feared he might no longer be welcomed among his people, after all that has happened.”
Morgan nodded. “The lad risked his life to help a Gorgio—an outsider. Worse yet, an outsider who exposed the entire camp to the cholera. From the little I know about the Romany, Jan Martova will be an outcast from now on.”
“Are they really so harsh?”
“It’s their way,” Morgan said. “I’ve been thinking…if you agree, that is, that I might allow him to keep his wagon where it is. At least for now. Until he’s stronger and can make some plans.”
“Oh, I’m glad, Morgan!” She stopped. “But a bit surprised, perhaps.”
He smiled at her tact. “It has occurred to me that a soul which holds such exquisite music cannot be all that dark. Besides,” he said, “who knows what wonders the mighty Sandemon may have wrought in these past weeks, eh? It’s difficult to imagine anyone being altogether unchanged after so long a time in his presence.”
“And Tierney?” she asked after a moment. “What of your young prodigal?”
Still smiling ruefully to himself, Morgan covered her hand on his shoulder with his own. “Ah, yes, my prodigal. I have done much thinking about the young rogue. And I find that I keep coming back to myself.” He sighed. “It would seem that the very least one prodigal can do for another is to extend grace as he has received it. And since this prodigal has been given grace in great abundance, I can hardly deny a measure to Tierney Burke, now can I?”
Morgan turned to look up at her, and she bent to kiss him, her hair falling free to veil his face. His heart swelled with love and an overwhelming awareness of how greatly he had been blessed, and he clung to her, whispering a tender Gaelic endearment.
For several minutes Finola stood quietly beside him, listening to the music from the Gypsy wagon. “His music sounds…so joyful,” she said softly. “His heart must be happy, in spite of all he has endured.”
Morgan nodded, bringing her hand to his heart. “And can you hear my joy, Finola aroon? Can you hear the music of my heart?”
Finola dropped to her knees beside him and pressed her cheek next to his heart, as if listening. Morgan could hear the smile in her voice when she answered him. “Let me see…ah, yes…I hear it! Can it be? It would seem that the great Seanchai’s heart is playing a love song!”
Gently, he tipped her face to his and smiled into her eyes. “You are the song of my heart, macushla. You are the joy, the music of my life…and you will always be.”
Be sure and read the final book in The Emerald Ballad, Dawn of the Golden Promise…
In the fifth and concluding volume of her bestselling The Emerald Ballad Series, BJ Hoff brings the exciting Irish-American historical drama to a climax with all the passion and power readers have come to expect from her.
The saga finds Morgan Fitzgerald adapting to life in a wheelchair as a result of an assailant’s bullet to his spine. Meanwhile, his wife, Finola, must face the dark memories and guarded secrets of her past. In New York City, policeman Michael Burke is caught in a conflict between his faith and his determination to bring a dangerous enemy to justice.
This unforgettable series beg
an with the promise of an epic love story and an inspiring journey of faith. The finale delivers on that promise.
A Note from the Author
When I first began to research the idea for the first book in this series, Song of the Silent Harp, I discovered a strong religious thread throughout the history of Ireland. I hope I have communicated to my readers a clearer understanding of how Christianity influenced the lives of some of America’s Irish ancestors.
During those years of study and writing, I became aware that it is virtually impossible to separate the past from the present. The struggles and successes, the trials and triumphs of our forebears, make up not only a rich heritage but also contribute in immeasurable ways to what we—and our world—are today. Like young Daniel Kavanagh, I believe that, from God’s perspective, yesterday, today, and tomorrow are one vast panorama, a continuing epic that our Creator views in its entirety, from the dawn of time through the present to eternity.
Further, history does, indeed, repeat itself. Most experiences of the past continue to happen. The horrors of famine and hopelessness that surround many characters in The Emerald Ballad still exist. Month after month, year after year, the innocent victims of war, disaster, political indifference, and oppression go on suffering and dying, just as they did in Ireland during the Great Famine.
Government programs and private charities cannot begin to meet the escalating demand for worldwide assistance. I believe the Christian church should be at the very front of international rescue operations, for it is the church that bears the responsibility—and the privilege—of giving love to a world that needs it.
I invite you to join me in finding practical ways to help through your church or favorite charity. There are many organizations that provide an opportunity to put faith and love into action. One person does make a difference.
BJ Hoff
OTHER FINE BJ HOFF BOOKS
PUBLISHED BY HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
RACHEL’S SECRET
Bestselling author BJ Hoff delights with her compelling series The Riverhaven Years. With the first book, Rachel’s Secret, you’ll discover a community of unforgettable characters, a tender love story, the faith journeys of people you’ll grow to know and love, and enough suspense to keep the pages turning quickly.
When wounded Irish American riverboat captain Jeremiah Gant bursts into the rural Amish setting of Riverhaven, he brings chaos and conflict to the community—especially for young widow Rachel Brenneman. The unwelcome “outsider” needs a safe place to recuperate before continuing his secret role as an Underground Railroad conductor. Neither he nor Rachel is prepared for the forbidden love that threatens to endanger a man’s mission, a woman’s heart, and a way of life for an entire people.
WHERE GRACE ABIDES
In this compelling second book in the The Riverhaven Years series, you’ll get an even closer look at the Amish community of Riverhaven and the people who live and love and work there. Secrets, treachery, and persecution are a few of the challenges that test Rachel’s faith and her love for the forbidden “outsider,” while Gant’s own hopes and dreams are dealt a life-changing blow, rendering the vow he made to Rachel seemingly impossible to honor.
The Amish community finds their gentle, unassuming lives of faith jeopardized by a malicious outside influence. At the same time, those striving to help runaway slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad face deception and the danger of discovery.
SONG OF ERIN
The mysteries of the past confront the secrets of the present in bestselling author BJ Hoff’s magnificent Song of Erin saga.
You’ll be intrigued by this panoramic story that crosses the ocean from Ireland to America. In this tale of struggle and love and uncompromising faith, Jack Kane, the always charming but sometimes ruthless titan of New York’s most powerful publishing empire, is torn between the conflict of his own heart and the grace and light of Samantha Harte, the woman he loves, whose troubled past continues to haunt her.
AMERICAN ANTHEM
At the entrance to the city, an Irish governess climbs into a carriage and sets out to confront the man who destroyed her sister’s life—a blind musician who hears music no one else can hear…
On a congested city street, a lonely Scot physician with a devastating secret meets a woman doctor with the capacity to heal not only the sick…but also his heart…In a tumbledown shack among hundreds of others like it, an immigrant family struggles to survive, and a ragged street singer old beyond her years appoints herself an unlikely guardian…
So begins American Anthem, a story set in 1870s New York that lets you step into another time to share the hopes and dreams and triumphant faith of a people you’ll grow to love.
“An eloquently told story that weaves
history, music, faith and intrigue…
an absolute pleasure.”
CHRISTIAN RETAILING
“The story gently unfolds with intriguing characters,
and the sound of music, which Hoff manages to make fly off
the pages with her glorious and passionate descriptions.”
—CHRISTIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL
GREAT REVIEWS FOR BJ HOFF’S
MOUNTAIN SONG LEGACY TRILOGY
BOOK ONE, A DISTANT MUSIC
“BJ Hoff always delights readers with her warm stories and characters who become part of your ‘circle of special friends.’”
JANETTE OKE,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LOVE COMES SOFTLY
“For this Kentucky woman, reading A Distant Music was like driving through the eastern hills and hollers on a perfect autumn day, with the scent of wood smoke in the air and the trees ablaze with color. BJ Hoff’s lyrical prose brings to life this gentle, moving story of a beloved teacher and his students, who learn far more than the three Rs. I brushed away tears at several tender points in the story and held my breath when it seemed all might be lost. Yet, even in the darkest moments, hope shines on every page. A lovely novel by one of historical fiction’s finest wordsmiths.”
LIZ CURTIS HIGGS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THORN IN MY HEART
“As always when I open BJ’s books I’m drawn into a place that is both distant and at home…as I tell my husband, I wish I could create the kinds of characters BJ does because I fall in love with them and want them always as my friends.”
JANE KIRKPATRICK, AUTHOR OF LOOK FOR A CLEARING IN THE WILD
“In some ways, A Distant Music is reminiscent of the ‘Little House’ series. Each chapter recalls the details of an event or some character’s dilemma. Eventually, though, Hoff connects all the threads into a solid story whose ending will deeply touch readers. A Distant Music should find an eager audience.”
ASPIRING RETAIL MAGAZINE
BOOK TWO, THE WIND HARP
“BJ always does a great job of drawing her readers into the lives of her characters. I’m sure that there will be many who will be eagerly pleading to know ‘what happens next.’ I will be among them.”
JANETTE OKE, BESTSELLING AUTHOR
OF LOVE COMES SOFTLY
“BJ Hoff continues the story of Maggie and Jonathan, who must endure their share of trials before reaping their reward. Though this novel is historical, BJ Hoff deals with issues that are completely contemporary…Kudos to the author for charming us again!”
ANGELA HUNT, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE NOVELIST
BOOK THREE, THE SONG WEAVER
“Like a warm visit with a good friend over a hot cup of tea, The Song Weaver offers comfort and satisfaction…and you don’t want the visit to come to an end.”
CINDY SWANSON
“BJ Hoff is a master at characterization, and her stories are rich with insight. I love the historical setting and learned something new about the role of women in that society.”
JILL E. SMITH
“The Song Weaver is the last book in the Mountain Song Legacy story, and I hate to see it end. I’ll miss Maggie and Jonathan a
nd all the others…A very satisfying end to a special series. She never disappoints.”
BARBARA WARREN
About the Publisher
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