A Respectable Actress
A
CCLAIM FOR
D
OROTHY
L
OVE
“Dorothy Love writes with such rhythm and grace. Her attention to historical detail
creates the perfect setting for characters we swiftly grow to love and cheer for.
The Bracelet
is a jewel of a story.”
âT
AMERA
A
LEXANDER
,
USA T
ODAY
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
T
O
W
HISPER
H
ER
N
AME
AND
A L
ASTING
I
MPRESSION
“
The Bracelet
by Dorothy Love was a fascinating and exciting antebellum novel that
kept me flipping pages way into the night. I loved the insight into events that triggered
the war, and Love's writing is beautiful and evocative. Highly recommended!”
âC
OLLEEN
C
OBLE
,
AUTHOR OF
S
EAGRASS
P
IER
AND THE
H
OPE
B
EACH SERIES
“
The Bracelet
is the perfect blend of mystery, history, and the quest for love and
truth. A great read for not only lovers of period fiction, but for anyone who hungers
for a well-told story.”
âS
USAN
M
EISSNER
, A
UTHOR OF
A F
ALL OF
M
ARIGOLDS
“With a country on the brink of war and her own future uncertain, Celia Browning's
faith will be tested and her very life put in jeopardy by the mystery of the bracelet.
In a novel inspired by actual events, Dorothy Love artfully recreates the lavish
world of power and prestige in 1850s Savannah with unforgettable characters and the
attention to historical detail her readers have come to expect. Vivid and entrancing
. . . I was swept away!”
âK
RISTY
C
AMBRON
, A
UTHOR OF
T
HE
B
UTTERFLY AND THE
V
IOLIN
AND
A S
PARROW IN
T
EREZIN
“Subtle and suspenseful with exquisite descriptions of antebellum Savannah, Georgia,
and a tender love story to boot, Dorothy Love's
The Bracelet
takes the reader on
a chilling journey into the mysteries surrounding one of Savannah's most prominent
families during the days before the Civil War. Love's careful research and poignant
prose provide a story that will delight fans of historical fiction.”
âE
LIZABETH
M
USSER
,
NOVELIST
,
T
HE
S
WAN
H
OUSE
,
T
HE
S
WEETEST
T
HING
, T
HE
S
ECRETS
OF THE
C
ROSS
T
RILOGY
“Vivid and romantic . . . recommended for fans of
Gone With the Wind
.”
â
L
IBRARY
J
OURNAL
ON
C
AROLINA
G
OLD
“Beautifully portrays an independent Southern woman . . . Pitch perfect . . . A
memorable book.”
âH
ISTORICAL
N
OVELS
R
EVIEW ON
C
AROLINA
G
OLD
“A beautifully written Southern historical that should appeal equally to Christian
and secular readers alike.”
â
R
EADING THE
P
AST
ON
C
AROLINA
G
OLD
“
Every Perfect Gift
is certainly a gift to readers.”
â
P
UBLISHERS
W
EEKLY
“Romance and a strong sense of place recommend Love's delightful Southern-flavored
historical.”
â
L
IBRARY
J
OURNAL
ON
E
VERY
P
ERFECT
G
IFT
“Romance, mystery, and intrigue . . . Love gives readers even more than they expect
. . .”
â
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES
R
EVIEWS ON
E
VERY
P
ERFECT
G
IFT
“Love's amazing historical has all the elements readers expect . . . romance, mystery,
and characters who want more out of their lives.”
â
R
OMANTIC
T
IMES
R
EVIEWS ON
B
EAUTY FOR
A
SHES
“With well-drawn characters and just enough suspense to keep the pages turning, this
winning debut will be a hit . . .”
â
L
IBRARY
J
OURNAL
,
STARRED REVIEW FOR
B
EYOND
A
LL
M
EASURE
O
THER
B
OOKS BY
D
OROTHY
L
OVE
The Bracelet
A Proper Marriage
(e-novella only)
Carolina Gold
T
HE
H
ICKORY
R
IDGE
N
OVELS
Beyond All Measure
Beauty for Ashes
Every Perfect Gift
Copyright © 2015 by Dorothy Love
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-4016-8762-5 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Love, Dorothy, 1949-
A respectable actress / Dorothy Love.
pages ; cm
ISBN 978-1-4016-8759-5 (softcover)
1. Actresses--Fiction. 2. Widowers--Fiction. 3. Murder--Investigation--Fiction. 4. Man-woman relationships--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3562.O8387R47 2015
813'.54--dc23
2015015160
15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
for Natasha Kern
C
ONTENTS
All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts . . .
âW
ILLIAM
S
HAKESPEARE
S
AVANNAH
, D
ECEMBER
20, 1870
G
UNFIRE EXPLODED TO THE RIGHT OF THE STAGE
, A burst of sound that temporarily deafened her. When the ringing in her ears subsided she was aware of screams, of shouts for policemen and for a doctor, of the ensuing chaos as officers arrived and began ushering patrons out of the packed theater. Two burly officers leapt onto the stage, seized her by both arms, and manhandled her into a police wagon parked in the alley, the officers with their weapons at the ready, the horses stamping impatiently in the cold.
Now it was midnight, and the city of Savannah slumbered beneath a veil of winter
moonlight, the deep silence broken only by a rush of wind that rattled the palmettos
and Pride of India trees lining the deserted streets.
Inside the Chatham County Jail, the walls rang with the shouts of drunken sailors
and their painted escorts, the clang of metal bars, and snatches of lewd songs sung
off-key. Jaded-looking policemen armed with nightsticks moved along the dimly lit
corridors, checking the locks and admonishing the prisoners to quiet down.
“Step away from the door.” An officer paused outside India's cell, one hand resting
on his nightstick. As if a 110-pound woman posed any threat to his safety.
Weak with shock and terror, India retreated. Perched on the edge of a stained, musty-smelling
mattress, she rested her head in her hands. What had she done to deserve such grave
misfortune? She didn't belong here. And the last thing she needed was scandal. But
this latest turn of eventsâas dramatic as it was tragicâwould prove irresistible
to the local newspapers. She imagined the typesetter over at the
Savannah Morning
Herald
, rumpled and groggy from having been awakened so suddenly, his composing sticks
clattering as he set a sensational new headline for the morning edition.
The officer checked the lock and moved on. She pressed her fingertips to her throbbing
head and swallowed the tears building in her throat, wishing desperately for someone
to guide and protect her. Someone to take charge of this awful misunderstanding
and set her world to rights again.
In the cell next to hers, two women began a loud, drunken argument made all the more
unbearable by the overwhelming stench of unwashed bodies, spirits, and stale coffee
that hung like fog in the dank, chilly air.