Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
King James Version Bible, 1 Corinthians
Julia Clemence has known ever since she was a child that she loved Simon Mancroft-Martley. The two of them had
grown up with their properties bordering. Although Simon was older than she, they had a vast amount in common. Her
heart broke the day that Simon announced that he had purchased a commission to the war. With a chaste, brotherly
kiss he bid her farewell. Not a day went by that he didn’t fill her thoughts; she made the journey each day to St.
Stephen’s to say a prayer for his safe return. Then after four years and nine months the news her heart had hoped
to hear came, Simon was coming home. But his arrival was bittersweet for he had been wounded in battle.
Simon Mancroft-Martley had returned to his homeland a changed man. Nearly five years had passed since he had
seen the faces of those that he loved. When he left he had been a proud soldier, determined to fight for a cause
that he believed in. War was not the glamour he had envisioned; the horrors that he had seen still haunted his
nightly dreams. His empty left sleeve would always serve as a constant reminder of what sacrifice he had made.
To help gain the courage to face his family he stopped at St. Stephens’s to say a quick prayer.
While praying for the strength he would need to face his family he hears a sound that signals that he is not
alone. Raising his head slowly, his eyes focus on a ray of sunshine in Julia Clemence. In her eyes he sees the
love she has always harbored for him. With his one strong arm he gains strength from her hug; it as though he
feels whole once more. But alas the moment of bliss fades away as reality sets in and he remembers that he is
crippled. Refusing to encourage her feelings he breaks away from her. The hurt and abandonment he sees in her
eyes strikes him to the core of his being. He knows that he must stay firm to refuse her advances. One so young
and fair didn’t need to be chained to a man who was not whole. Will he be strong enough to let her go or will she
be able to break through the barriers around his heart?
Lesley-Anne McLeod has penned a magnificent Regency Romance. This short story touched my heart and soul. The
characters are so well developed you can almost feel their pain as they struggle to find one another. This Regency
is a true testimony to the power of love. Very highly recommended.