“I came to escort my bride to her wedding.” He lifted his chin, pinning her in place with his green gaze. The space between them charged with desire and promise. “Have you seen her?”
She crossed the room in a heartbeat and thumped her finger into his chest with each of her words. “You, sir, are a rogue.”
“And you, miss”—his voice softened—“are beautiful.”
She tilted her face toward his, and when his lips came down, she raised to her toes. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the urgency of his kiss and the strength in his embrace. His mouth moved along the arch of her neck to the hollow of her throat. The sweet sensation radiated through her, stealing her breath, her thoughts, her heart. He tasted of distant horizons—altogether consuming and far too heady.
He groaned and loosened his hold, setting her at arm’s length. “No more.” His husky tone shivered through her. “Not until I can finish the job.” His eyes glimmered with the knowledge of what lay beyond, after the ceremony, when vows were committed to action.
The heat in his gaze sent a tremor up her arms and down her back, settling in her legs and turning her knees to jelly. She swallowed, praying to keep her quivers from warbling her voice. “Then we’d best be about it.”
A slow grin slid across his face. Capturing her hand, he tucked her fingers into the crook of his arm. Steely muscles moved beneath the fabric. “So, I was correct about your grand designs all along, was I not?”
Her nose scrunched up, and she was glad he reached for the door instead of noticing her likely resemblance to her pug. “Whatever do you mean?”
Pausing, he turned to her. “The first morning we took breakfast together, you all but admitted your goal for the season was to garner yourself a husband.”
Fire spread across her face. Had she really been that shallow?
“Don’t be embarrassed, my love.” He bent and pressed a kiss against her brow. “For indeed, that is exactly what you have done.”
Author’s Note
Who Were the Bow Street Runners?
Traditionally, every male householder in London was expected to police the streets in their neighborhood, and every citizen was to report anyone they witnessed committing a crime. This changed in the eighteenth century because of increasing concerns about the threat of dangerous criminals who were attracted by the growing wealth of London’s middle class.
Prompted by a postwar crime wave in 1749, Magistrate Henry Fielding (who himself was a playwright and novelist) hired a small group of men to locate and arrest serious offenders. He operated out of Number Four Bow Street, hence the name “Bow Street Runners.”
Fielding petitioned the government and received funding, but even so, he soon ran out of money to pay these men a worthy salary. Still, the runners were committed to justice, so they took on odd jobs such as watchmen or detectives for hire or even—as in the case of Nicholas Brentwood—guarding people or treasures.
What attracted my interest as an author was an old newspaper advertisement put out by Fielding. It encouraged the public to send a note to Bow Street as soon as any serious crime occurred so that “a set of brave fellows could immediately be dispatched in pursuit of the villains.” I wondered about those “brave fellows” and what kind of villains they might come up against, and thus was born Nicholas Brentwood.
Despite Bow Street’s efforts, most Londoners were opposed to the development of an organized police force. The English tradition of local government was deeply ingrained, and they feared the loss of individual liberty. So, as gallant as the runners were in tracking down criminals, the general public did not always view them in a positive light. Even the nickname given them by the public—Bow Street Runners—was considered derogatory and was a title the officers never used to refer to themselves.
Bow Street eventually gave way to the Metropolitan Police, and by 1839, the runners were completely disbanded.
Interested in further reading? Here are a few of my favorite resources:
Beattie, J. M. The First English Detectives: The Bow Street Runners and the Policing of London, 1750–1840. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Cox, David J. A Certain Share of Low Cunning: A History of the Bow Street Runners, 1792–1839. New York, London: Routledge, 2012.
Hale, Don. Legal History: Bow Street Runners, Scotland Yard & Victorian Crime. Coast & Country, 2013. Kindle edition.
Discussion Questions
1. In chapter 3, Emily Payne is told by her guardian that she needed to begin building trust with him by keeping her word and being completely honest. Of course we should always speak the truth, but are “little white lies” permissible, especially those that would keep the hearer from becoming hurt?
• Read Ephesians 4:15, 25 and Zechariah 8:16
• When was the last time you were tempted to tell a little white lie?
2. In chapter 4, Jenny Brentwood tells her brother Nicholas that she’s “dandy and grand,” her trademark response when asked how she’s feeling though she’s dying of tuberculosis. What circumstances tempt you to give in to self-pity?
• Read Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 17:22
• Do you know someone who has a great attitude despite life’s challenges? Take the time to write them an encouraging note today.
3. In chapter 9, Wren (Lauren) Hunt tells Emily, “Only by losing everything could I gain the one thing I would’ve overlooked. Need.” Why would she see need as a gain instead of a detriment?
• Read Psalm 34:18 and Romans 8:28
• What tragic circumstance has happened in your life that may be considered a blessing in disguise?
4. In chapter 11, when Nicholas Brentwood makes a visit to the morgue, he reflects that “God should so bless everyone with a visit to the dead house.” Why in the world would looking at corpses be a blessing?
• Read Psalm 90:12 and Psalm 39:4–6
• When is the last time you took a moment to meditate on the brevity of life?
5. In chapter 24, Mrs. Hunt is credited with the sage advice that extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures. What unexpected situation have you faced that called for drastic measures?
• Read Exodus 14:5–31
• What does this story say about the character of God?
6. Which character in Brentwood’s Ward did you relate to the most and why?
7. Historically, the English people were skittish about having an organized police force. They felt it impinged upon their privacy. At what point does a government-run organization cross the line into privacy invasion?
About the Author
Michelle Griep has been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes—except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager. She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. An Anglophile at heart, she runs away to England every chance she gets, under the guise of research. Really, though, she’s eating excessive amounts of scones while rambling around a castle. Michelle is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and MCWG (Minnesota Christian Writers Guild). Keep up with her adventures at her blog “Writer off the Leash” or visit michellegriep.com.
Also Available from Shiloh Run Press…
Brentwood’s Ward
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