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    The Promise of Steel
    The Promise of Steel
    The Promise of Steel
    Ebook37 pages22 minutes

    The Promise of Steel

    By Lilith Duvalier

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    About this ebook

    After years of watching uniformed men bring bad news to her neighbors' doorsteps, and fearing the day they might come to hers, Harriet’s husband Joshua has been returned to her. He’s not whole, still haunted by the trenches and recovering from mental and physical injuries, but he’s home.

    To help ease the lingering effects of shellshock, Harriet brings Joshua to her sister’s seaside cottage. The trip doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect on his ravaged soul—until Harriet finally coaxes her husband into divulging a close-guarded secret and proposes a thoroughly unorthodox solution.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEvernight Publishing
    Release dateJun 27, 2013
    ISBN9781771304443
    The Promise of Steel

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      Book preview

      The Promise of Steel - Lilith Duvalier

      Published by Evernight Publishing at Smashwords

      www.evernightpublishing.com

      Copyright© 2013 Lilith Duvalier

      ISBN: 978-1-77130-444-3

      Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

      Editor: JS Cook

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

      WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

      This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

      DEDICATION

      Firstly, I would like to thank Gertrude Littlefinger for helping me get the you-know-what out of the you-know-where before you-know-who gained power. The world would be a scarier place without you. And Coco Versailles--your hat at the suffragette march was a humdinger! What you accomplish with ribbons down your back inspires us all. Effie Metcalf- for all the sticky jams you’ve helped me out of. And of course- Mildred Two-Bits Mercant for running the short grift and always avoiding the hoosegow.

      THE PROMISE OF STEEL

      The Promise Series

      Lilith Duvalier

      Copyright © 2013

      Harriet knew that she was lucky.

      She had seen the stone-faced men in their olive green uniforms come to her neighbor’s front doors. She had seen the women left sobbing in their wakes.

      Her dear friend Winnie had received news of her husband’s death early in the war. He’d been killed years ago. Back when people had thought their brave lads would all be home in time for Christmas.

      It had seemed impossible at the time, unfair even. Not even a body to bury. Winnie looking so young in her black dress.

      But more awful news had come home from the front. More tears had been shed over empty graves.

      Winnie had become a nurse and now she told terribly resigned stories about the men under her care. Men whose wives had left them behind. Men so wrapped up in the nightmares that plagued them they didn’t notice the people around them. Men with holes in their faces.Men with holes in their minds.

      But her Joshua had come home to her.

      He had only lost his right leg.

      He had only lost his smile.

      Harriet was lucky.

      ****

      Joshua sat on the porch of Harriet’s sister’s oceanside cottage, squinting into the sunlight. Hewas enjoying the sunshine and the quiet, but felt like his happiness just wasn’t evident enough. He knew he had lost the innocent, easy joy he

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