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      Julia Williams 3 Book Bundle

      Julia Williams

      CONTENTS

       Title Page

       The Summer Season

       Strictly Love

       The Bridesmaid Pact

       About the Author

       By the same author

       Copyright

       About the Publisher

The Summer Season cover

      Julia Williams

      The Summer Season

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      To the memory of

      Alfred Thomas Clark 1890–1918

       Ernest Ophir Clark 1896–1916

       And Jemima Clark 1863–1944 who must have been so brave

      Contents

      Edward

      Edward and Lily

      Part One: Summer’s Lease

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Edward and Lily

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Edward and Lily

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Edward and Lily

      Part Two: Spring Fever

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Edward and Lily

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Edward and Lily

      Chapter Twenty-One

      Chapter Twenty-Two

      Chapter Twenty-Three

      Chapter Twenty-Four

      Edward and Lily

      Part Three: Summer’s Promise

      Chapter Twenty-Five

      Chapter Twenty-Six

      Chapter Twenty-Seven

      Chapter Twenty-Eight

      Edward and Lily

      Chapter Twenty-Nine

      Chapter Thirty

      Chapter Thirty-One

      Chapter Thirty-Two

      Edward and Lily

      Chapter Thirty-Three

      Chapter Thirty-Four

      Chapter Thirty-Five

      Chapter Thirty-Six

      Epilogue

      Edward

      Edward

      Flower Meanings

      Acknowledgements

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      Edward

      Edward dreams of Lily. She comes to him in the garden, holding a bunch of pansies. It is summer and she wears a sun hat, which falls down her back.

      ‘Here, for you,’ she proffers, ‘to ease your heart.’ She laughs, and her long, dark curls fly loose down her back in the summer breeze. It is always summer, with the Lily of his dreams.

      He reaches out to touch her, to feel her, to know that she is once more real and dear to him, as she ever was. As he does so, she scatters petals to the wind, and her touch on his hand is as light and insubstantial as the breeze. As soon as he grasps her, she is gone away from him, to a place he knows he cannot reach.

      Edward dreams of Lily, and awakes to a cold hearth, a lonely old age and tears forming on his face. One day soon, he knows he will join her. Why can’t it be today?

      Edward and Lily

      1890–1892

      In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love …

      Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ‘Locksley Hall’

      ‘Edward, you never said you were coming!’ His mother rose to greet him as Edward came into the garden; she was sitting entertaining as was her wont. He hadn’t let her know and he had walked up from the station so as to surprise her. Now he was caught, left-footed, wanting to have her to himself, unwilling to share her with these strangers spilling out of the rose arbour on the veranda, which overlooked the garden, nonchalantly sipping tea, in the wilting summer heat.

      ‘I wanted to surprise you,’ he said. Her delight at seeing him was infectious, and he couldn’t keep up his feelings of discontent for long. He was here, back where he belonged at Lovelace Cottage, a larger residence than its name suggested, nestling in roughly an acre of land on the Sussex, Downs where they bordered Surrey. The air always seemed better here, purer, away from the fetid smells of London where he was studying.

      ‘Come, sit,’ she said, linking her arm in his, ‘you must eat, I insist.’

      ‘Sorry to break up your party, ladies.’ Edward bowed slightly, tipping his hat. He vaguely recognized some of his mother’s companions, worthy women of the parish all, but there were one or two new to him; he had after all been away for several months.

      ‘You haven’t met Mrs Clark, have you?’ his mother made the introduction. ‘She’s our new vicar’s wife. And we’re very pleased to have her. The church flowers have never looked more beautiful.’

      ‘Oh, that’s Lily’s doing, not mine,’ said Mrs Clark. ‘My daughter has a way with flowers. Always had, ever since she was a little girl. She works magic in the garden at the rectory I tell you.’

      ‘Then she has something in common with Edward,’ said his mother. ‘You know he studies Botany, don’t you?’

      Botany

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