Summary:
A Christmas Engagement #2
Sequel to A Christmas Engagement
By the spring of 1806 in rural England, Charles Denham's happiness should be complete. He has reconciled with his best friend and long-term lover Avery after a breach caused by Charles’ grief at the sudden death of his father, which left Charles shouldering family responsibilities.
Avery has made allowances for Charles’ misguided actions, and their relationship is back on an even keel. But Charles can’t forgive himself for his past behaviour towards the man he loves so dearly. He feels that some grand gesture is required to assure Avery he will never take him for granted again. Yet the more Charles considers this, his good intentions become increasingly confused.
Might Avery find a way to secure their future together?
I'll admit, when I decided to read Lasting Vow now I had forgotten that it wasn't set at Christmas as the first one, Christmas Engagement was but as soon as I realized my "mistake" it was already too late to set it aside until Xmas in July was over, I was invested.
Charles and Avery are just as lovely and in love now or even more so as they were a few months prior. Charles however is dealing with a heavy layer of guilt and grief, both from his father passing and how he treated Avery after said loss. Avery tries to soften the guilt but Charles' inner thoughts won't be tamed. On one hand I loved seeing the author "complete" Charles' grief and the choices it led him to make but on the other hand my heart aches for him and wishes he would truly listen to Avery. I guess it's just one of those journeys a character must follow through in his own time. It's a journey the author does beautifully.
Charles' younger brother taking his own journey in the "social scene" adds a wonderful layer of fun for the reader as well as Avery and a bit of a headache for Charles. I'm an only child but despite the historical, social standing, and foreign country setting, I could see many of my friends & their siblings chemistry in this little side story. Who says a story where one of the MCs is dealing with a heavy weight of emotion can't be fun and humorous?😉
Riding along on the men's journey is a true delight, heart-hurting at times but very much heartwarming. If this is where their story ends it is an amazing uplifting experience and if they decide to let the author in on more of their adventure I'll be first in line to read.
Charles spent the next ten days reacquainting himself with London and their circle of regular companions. These friends dated from their university days, consisting of permanent city dwellers and visiting country gentlemen like themselves.
The resumption of long-term connections required no intensive maintenance. A few more thoughtful fellows sympathetically asked after Charles’ mother or clapped him on the shoulder saying, “It’s good to see you back in town.”
Charles accepted invitations to dine out or other kinds of organised entertainment as though the climactic events of the past several months fell outside his London existence. Reality could only be kept at bay for so long, but it was still a soothing cocoon.
At home in Rupert Street, Charles fell into similar settled habits with Avery, both intimately and domestically. It’s like I’ve never been away, he mused. He became re-accustomed to waking to see Avery’s head on the pillow, or his smiling face across the breakfast table. On both occasions, he did not hesitate to offer a kiss. Although, if they were both still abed, kisses led to a rousing start to the day.
Occasionally, Charles remembered they hadn’t yet embarked on the discussion that he had judged so all-important when in Gloucestershire. That reminder pricked his conscience occasionally, but there never seemed to be a suitable time. When Charles readied himself to speak, they were expected elsewhere, or a friend dropped by on the off chance they were at home.
As always, Charles was lulled into contentment in Avery’s proximity. Whether they rose early to be on horseback with hired steeds on Rotten Row to blow off the cobwebs long before the fashionable hour or lingered over a sociable glass of wine at a tavern, having Avery at his side propped up Charles’ battered self-belief.
The longer he hesitated, the more he questioned whether discretion might be the better course. Charles didn’t want to misstep and raise the issue of their past disharmony and disrupt their newfound happiness. It’ll happen when it happens, he reassured himself.
His mother wrote frequently to assure Charles that the farm had not gone to rack and ruin. Her letters were full of news of Charles’ siblings together with a few trifling requests found in London shops as if that justified Charles’ leave of absence.
She enlarged upon the odd point of concern in household organisation that Charles could easily solve by letter. That his mother was at pains to emphasise his usefulness caused Charles some heart-searching. He resolved to be of better cheer when he returned home, or at least give the appearance of equilibrium. These bouts of self-doubt were all the more difficult to come to terms with as they were a recent occurrence. Charles had never recognised he was prone to melancholy while his father was alive.
At breakfast one morning, he even received a scrawl from Albie, as caretaker of the estate business in Charles’ absence. Unlike Mrs. Denham’s careful reassurance, Albie was far more interested in listing his expectations for his upcoming stay in London. The breadth of his scope made Charles’ eyebrows rise. He passed the letter over to Avery, who exclaimed, “Good grief! Does he want to pack this into less than a week? Or is he expecting to stay for an entire year?”
Saturday Series Spotlight
Ellie Thomas lives by the sea. She comes from a teaching background and goes for long seaside walks where she daydreams about history. She is a voracious reader especially about anything historical. She mainly writes historical romance.
Ellie also writes historical erotic romance under the pen name L. E. Thomas.
SMASHWORDS / JMS BOOKS / B&N
A Lasting Vow #2
A Christmas Engagement #1
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