“How so?”
“If God has been with me all this time,” smiled Jocelyn, “and if he loved me enough not to stop trying to get his goodness through to me, surely he will do the same for our Amanda.”
Still holding her husband’s hand, she turned to gaze up at the powerful grey walls of Heathersleigh Hall, then sank into his offered embrace.
“I just know it, Charles,” she murmured. “The Lord is good. And he will never rest until Amanda’s eyes are opened to his goodness . . . just as mine have finally been.”
Epilogue
Victory does not always lie in the happy conclusion to every chapter of life. Eternal endings are more significant than temporal ones. And the whole story of the family Rutherford has not yet been told in this volume. Indeed, many threads of that story have only begun.
Happiness comes from a heart of gratitude and thankfulness. Victory lies in the recognition that God is good. And with that deep and joyful knowledge this chapter of the tale of Heathersleigh draws to a close.
Meanwhile, the legacy of the prodigal lived on.
In forsaking her birthright, the daughter of Charles and Jocelyn Rutherford now sought that illusive thing called freedom, which she imagined the great center of civilization would bring her.
Faithful continued to be the prayers on this daughter’s behalf. Seeming happiness would be hers for a season, yet her smiles and laughter would have little joy to sustain them . . . and the chastening that followed would be severe.
For alas, Amanda Rutherford was a plant that had sprouted a multitude of wild shoots, a plant in need of stringent discipline if she was to grow and bear fruit. Winter’s harsh blasts must accomplish their cleansing and invigorating work, freezing roots and branches to prepare them for a new springtime of growth. The divine pruning hook must then probe to the depths, removing these untamed vines so that the beauty envisioned in the eye of the Gardener might blossom forth in its glory.
Throughout this sojourn of independence, however, Amanda was not alone, for around her proud shoulders was wrapped a cloak of prayerful familial love. Unseen by her unseeing eyes and undetected by her unfeeling heart, this covering kept her safe and protected until the appointed time should come at last for a more vigorous rustling of the Spirit’s stormy and wakeful winds.
Meanwhile, the events that would engulf the European family of nations in its greatest conflict sped toward their climax. Sleepers remained in their places of slumber while drawing silent invisible nets around those they would eventually use to advance their cause of revolution.
And still the secret of Heathersleigh Hall lay hidden in the cottage that had once been part of the Rutherford estate, sealed away in the book that holds all the questions and mysteries, answers and revelations, of the world. And there it would remain for yet a season.
But nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed.
About the Author
Michael Phillips is a bestselling author with more than seventy of his own titles. In addition, he has served as editor/redactor of nearly thirty more books. He is known as the man responsible for the reawakened interest in George MacDonald of the last thirty years. In addition to the MacDonald titles adapted/edited for today’s reader, his publishing efforts in bringing back full-length quality facsimile editions also spawned renewed interest in MacDonald’s original work. Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland, but make their home near Sacramento, California. Visit Michael’s website at www.macdonaldphillips.com.
Fiction by Michael Phillips
www.macdonaldphillips.com
THE RUSSIANS*
The Crown and the Crucible • A House Divided • Travail and Triumph
THE STONEWYCKE TRILOGY*
The Heather Hills of Stonewycke • Flight from Stonewycke Lady of Stonewycke
THE STONEWYCKE LEGACY*
Stranger at Stonewycke • Shadows Over Stonewycke Treasure of Stonewycke
THE SECRETS OF HEATHERSLEIGH HALL
Wild Grows the Heather in Devon • Wayward Winds
Heathersleigh Homecoming • A New Dawn Over Devon
SHENANDOAH SISTERS
Angels Watching Over Me • A Day to Pick Your Own Cotton
The Color of Your Skin Ain’t the Color of Your Heart Together Is All We Need
CAROLINA COUSINS
A Perilous Proposal • The Soldier’s Lady
Never Too Late • Miss Katie’s Rosewood
CALEDONIA
Legend of the Celtic Stone • An Ancient Strife
THE HIGHLAND COLLECTION*
Jamie MacLeod: Highland Lass • Robbie Taggart: Highland Sailor
THE JOURNALS OF CORRIE BELLE HOLLISTER
My Father’s World* • Daughter of Grace* • On the Trail of the Truth*
A Place in the Sun* • Sea to Shining Sea • Into the Long Dark Night
Land of the Brave and the Free • A Home for the Heart
*with Judith Pella
Wild Grows the Heather in Devon Page 48