Miss Hathaway’s Wish
Emily Hathaway makes a special wish this Christmas…
Emily Hathaway wants to marry for love, but after three unsuccessful seasons she’s given up on finding the same happiness her brothers found in their marriages.
Sir Jonah Stanton has returned to England after ten years abroad. A Christmas party at Hathaway Manor provides the perfect opportunity to ease back into English society. But one thing has changed since Jonah’s been away. His friend’s little sister is now a young woman, and he finds himself appreciating her in ways he’d never imagined possible.
As Emily becomes reacquainted with Jonah, she discovers the feelings she’d attributed to friendship run far deeper. Is it possible Jonah might be the man she’s been looking for all along?
Miss Hathaway’s Wish is book 4 in the Hathaway Heirs series and was formerly available in the Winter Wishes box set.
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Excerpt:
They’d reached the house and Emily stopped again. Jonah took a moment to admire the sheer size of the manor, marveling at just how much his friends’ lives had changed in the past few years. Their former home was large, but certainly not anywhere near the scale of the house before him now.
He turned to face Emily, detecting a slight frown on her face that had him wondering as to its cause. “Is something the matter?”
“Oh no,” she said, giving her head a vigorous shake and smiling at him. “I was just thinking how strange it is that I feel as though I know you so well when I don’t. Not really. You’re my brother’s friend, and it’s been ages since I last saw you.”
“It’s been ten years since I moved to India and you were… ten years of age, was it?”
“Heavens, I feel so old now. Mama always goes on about how time goes by more quickly as one ages, and now I understand what she means. It doesn’t feel as though ten years have passed. I was still a child the last time we spoke.”
“I must admit, I find it difficult to imagine you’re all grown up, especially since I can’t see what you look like under that hat and cloak.”
Emily laughed again, no doubt thinking he was jesting, but he was completely serious. She was taller than the last time he’d seen her, but at over six feet in height, he still towered over her. She’d always been outgoing and loved tagging along after her brothers, much to their chagrin. He hadn’t minded since he didn’t have any brothers or sisters and had enjoyed her penchant for trying to make them all laugh. But he found it almost impossible to picture what she’d look like when she removed her cloak and hat. From what he could tell, her personality hadn’t changed much from that outgoing girl he’d once known, although he had to admit she’d developed a sense of wit that he found charming.
“You’ll have to wait a little longer to sate your curiosity,” she said, giving him a small push toward the door.
“What? You’re going to leave me here all alone?”
“Hardly alone,” she said. “My brothers are home. You can become reacquainted with them and meet their wives. Enjoy the quiet before most of the male population of England starts arriving later this afternoon. I’ll be back then to help greet them.”
He raised a brow at that. “Just the male population?”
“Well, my sisters-in-law insist that won’t be the case, but I’m afraid they’re matchmaking.”
He gave a sympathetic wince, knowing he’d soon be facing the same thing next year when the season began. Only he wanted to get married, he told himself.
“At any rate, enjoy the peace until then. I’ll return with Mama and Mrs. Stanton this afternoon and will stay through dinner.”
With a small wave, she turned and walked away. Jonah watched her for a full minute, allowing his curiosity about what she looked like under that cloak to take hold of his imagination.
©2019 Suzanna Medeiros