When my publisher asked me to write a series of Julia Grey novellas, I hopped on the idea. I suggested we theme them to traditional English holidays, and last year saw the debut of SILENT NIGHT—a Christmas story complete with all the trappings of a proper Victorian holiday, wassail, carols, and a Yule log so big it takes the entire March family to haul it inside!
For the second novella, I could not resist the opportunity to finally tell the story of Nicholas and Julia’s wedding. Mentioned briefly in SILENT ON THE MOOR, their wedding was a chaotic affair that took place on Midsummer Day, perhaps the most English of all holidays! With Julia’s extended, and eccentric, family out in full force, the occasion was ripe with possibilities for mischief. But then I decided to throw in a few ghosts from Nicholas’ past, an elderly aristocrat with a penchant for pinching bottoms, and a villain whose antics may prevent the wedding from happening at all.
More than anything, this novella celebrates the role of the unforeseen in Nicholas and Julia’s life together. Julia’s family motto might well be “Audeo” (“I dare”), but together she and her new husband would be far better off choosing “Expect the unexpected.” Perhaps some clever wedding guest had it embroidered on a tablecloth? I like to think so.
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