Lynne Francis - Ella’s Journey - The perfect wartime romance to fall in love with this summer

‘So, you will do it for me?’ Grace’s voice was hushed and urgent.

Dressed in her high-necked white nightgown, she was gazing at Ella’s reflection in the mirror while she brushed out her hair before bed. Ella was bemused. Grace’s proposal had taken her by surprise.

Edith, Grace’s eldest sister, was engaged to be married, and as a result she’d moved up a notch in the world, her visits to fashion houses and jewellers having taken on an air of even greater importance now that she was preparing for her wedding and her future. Grace was envious of the status her sister had acquired and had taken it into her head that she had to be next. She considered Ailsa, her older sister, currently visiting relatives in Edinburgh, to be no great beauty and thought she was unlikely to captivate a suitor anytime soon. Grace, however, had her sights very firmly set on Edgar Broughton, the son of a baronet, handsome and debonair. Despite her best efforts, Grace had as yet failed to do more than engage him in light and polite conversation at the various social events of the season. To her chagrin, she had been unable to even elicit the promise of a dance from him at the recent ball at her aunt’s house in London’s Manchester Square.

However, Edgar Broughton and his father were due to visit the Ward household, staying overnight in York on the way to their family seat in Northumberland for Christmas. Grace had decided that this was her best chance of winning Edgar Broughton’s heart, and she wanted Ella’s help to do so.

Ella regretted that, early in her first year of employment at Grange House, before she had learnt the importance of keeping her distance, she had mentioned something of her background to Grace. Mistaking their similarity in age as a possible affinity, she had told Grace about her mother Sarah’s prowess as a herbalist, and how her custom had dwindled over recent years. She hadn’t chosen to elaborate on why, but she had let slip that the family were reliant on what little money Ella could send them to survive. Grace’s attention had been caught.

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