Excerpt from the Book
“Doesn’t matter. I am the Baron of Gut Apfelhof—the Gut Herr. They’ll respect my decision.” Vati walked back to his desk.
Curt stared at Vati. Sweat gathered beneath his collar. “Respect for respect’s sake. You’ll sacrifice a measure of their trust.”
“Your comments dishonor me, son.”
It took every ounce of self-control Curt mustered to keep from shaking his white-knuckled fist in Vati’s face. He calmed his fiery thoughts and gentled his voice to a more courteous tone. “Everyone cares deeply about their neighbors here. I always believed you cared deeply about your own family, too. I say no.”
“And I didn’t ask.”
“Of course.” Curt clipped his words. “The rules.”
With one hand, Vati rubbed his brow. The fingertips of the other tapped incessantly on the desktop. “And if this involves a certain other man’s interest in Clara, I’m capable of handling the matter.”
“Daniel serves us well. Clara treasures your love and approval. She values your traditions. Don’t you believe her future happiness is more important than your sacred customs?”
“We follow the rules of nobility here. Must I remind you again that marriages between servants and nobility are forbidden? We serve the state. The state entrusts the church with collecting taxes and ensuring compliance with rules for the privileged class. Our titles and the future of Gut Apfelhof depend on our obedience. Georg is my choice for Clara.”
“Daniel, Clara, and I grew up together in our rural Gut Apfelhof. We attended Lehrer’s classes together and became best childhood friends. Why do the rules change in adulthood?”
While twisting one fist in the palm of the other, Vati took a deep breath and exhaled hard. “Nothing’s changed. It’s our way, Curt. Simply how things are done. And there’s more. If you knew, you and your sister would understand.”
Curt dropped his arms to his side. He cocked his head toward Vati. “Help me understand then.”
As Vati whisked his arm across the top of his Grossvater’s ornate rolltop desk, his prized beer stein shattered into smithereens. Pens, journals, and chess pieces flew about the room. Black ink spilled onto the gold and ivory Persian carpet.
Gazing toward the floor, Vati glowered over the mess. “Do not challenge my authority!”
“I will find you proof of Georg’s rancorous activities. The future of Gut Apfelhof may not be as bright as you picture it. I promise to follow his every move, especially with Clara.”
Curt exited the room as Vati sank into his well-worn leather chair. Vati spoke to himself, but his words reached Curt’s ears.
“Yesterday my decision and the announcement hurt Clara badly. Now this argument with Curt. A few days ago, I complimented him on his keen business insights. Oh Lord, when did this room full of my dreams for my children become a place of nightmares?” Vati groaned. “But this arrangement is necessary.”
Curt quietly pushed the door closed and left Vati wallowing in his storm. He made a vow as he left the room. Curt would learn the truth of the more. He would fight for the desires of Clara’s heart.
Want to know more about the book?
Thunderous applause extinguishes her dream and ignites her worst nightmare.
Clara Reinhold’s father publicly pledges her hand to Georg Wolff. His character and arrogance match the stench of his odious cigars, but his lineage offers a suitable alliance for the station of a baron’s daughter.
A charades clue years earlier turned friendship into a promise of forbidden marriage between Clara and family carriage driver, Daniel Becker.
If she refuses Georg and follows her heart, her father disowns her and she loses everything – her loving family, dear friends, and the only home she’s known.
As a tangled web of scandal and deceit unwinds, hidden motives and illicit activities emerge among an unsuspecting ring of players changing everything but nobility’s rules.
How will justice be served?
How will Clara and Daniel overcome obstacles to claim a future beyond that of a charade?
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About the Author
Lynn U. Watson is a novelist, devotional writer, occasional quilter, reflexologist, and great-great-granddaughter of a baron from Southwest Germany. She combines her passions and her heritage Stepping Through Time Stitching Stories of Faith. Lynn and husband, Steve, make their home in Bartlett, TN, where Jasmine, the resident feline, considers herself Princess of the Palace.
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