Finding Bliss
Authors: B L Bierley
| Finding Bliss |
| Penwood Legacy [1] |
| B L Bierley |
| (2012) |
Heiress Lady Bliss Penwood has known for years how things in her life would turn out, but unfortunately no one has ever had the courtesy to believe her. Even though she has provided practically irrefutable proof of her abilities time and again, Bliss has learned to become more and more inured to their ever-present doubt.
At twenty-one, Bliss is determined that what she sees for her future will only become her reality if she follows her own advice and decides to choose a path. She knows the decision is wise when the path of her life opens up before her once a decision is made. Her only problem is her future husband. How should one go about marrying a man who doesn't trust fate? And despite her every effort, Lady Bliss begins to wonder if what she sees in her future is really happiness or just a cruel trick of her mind.
Erich Benchley is a barber-surgeon, just like his father. As one of his father's most eccentric and unusual families, the Penwood's are responsible for recommending Dr. Benchley to their friends, securing him both a healthy clientele, a successful practice and quite a comfortable life. Throughout his youth, Eric had assisted his father on his rounds and met the inimitable Lady Bliss.
Eric grew up knowing that Lady Bliss was "special." But when she shows up at his office in Bristol years later and announces that he will be married soon, he takes it as a personal affront to his happiness and freedom. Even though he'd been privileged to having Bliss's input and direction for most of his life, it takes a while for the news to sink in.
Once he begins seeing more of her, Eric realizes that Lady Bliss is dangerously tempting to him. Rather than trust her, he does everything he can to avoid the temptation. But when alarming events are set into motion, Eric finally begins to realize that he he has more than friendly feelings for quirky, beautiful Bliss. Will he be too late to save what's been there for him all along?
This is the first book of The Penwood Legacy.
Finding Bliss
Book 1 of The Penwood Legacy
By B. L. Bierley
This book is a work of fiction
written solely from the author’s imagination. Any similarity to places, events,
or persons, living or dead— real or imagined, is purely coincidental or
otherwise unintentional. All locations, situations, scenes and scenarios within
this work are purely the invention of the author or are used for literary
reference only.
Finding Bliss
Copyright © 2012 by B. L. Bierley
All rights reserved. No part of
this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission from the author, except in the case of quotations for critical
articles or reviews.
This book is for
all of my romantic friends.
Because
we all need a little bliss now and then!
Chapter
One
Bliss, age five, Cardiff, September
1795
Bliss barely blinked herself awake
before the odd, waking dream stole her sight for a few minutes. At five years
old, the idea of what it could mean was frightening.
Bliss tried to stay calm and rational as she dressed quickly
and hurried away to find her older brother Russ. The only thought in her mind
that morning was to warn Russ!
When she found him, the reception didn’t vary from every
other time she warned him about signs of things to come. As usual, her warning
was not taken as seriously as it deserved. Whenever she issued a warning,
people tended to either ignore her or discount her for being silly.
“Russ, you must stay inside today,” Bliss announced as the
toast platter was passed down the table. And in keeping with the reaction of an
older brother by three years, Russ gave her a pained expression before turning
back to his eggs.
“Mama, tell Russ he has to listen to me,” Bliss turned her
attention to her mother, Lady Luxury Penwood. Bliss’s mother stared blankly at
the news sheet without bothering to look up.
“Bliss, I’m sure you’re just overreacting to a bad dream
again. Russ has his physical exercise master coming today. I’m sure he’ll be
fine,” Luxie replied with absent concern.
“Then Dr. Benchley needs to come and check baby Cori today. She
was coughing when Nurse gave her a bath yesterday evening. She might have a
constumptive lung!” Bliss said prudently.
This got Lady Penwood’s immediate attention. Luxie’s
mothering was something akin to a shrewd farmer minding a flock of precious
sheep. A problem in one usually bred more problems with the entire flock, and
nothing was ever ignored when it came to illness in a family the size of
theirs.
“I believe it’s
consumptive
, darling,” Lord Oliver Penwood
said with a hint of teasing.
Right away Russ recognized his second youngest sister’s
intentions.
“Oh, not again! Mother, you can’t let her get to you like
that! She’s just being a pest as usual!” he intoned through a mouthful of eggs.
But Luxie wouldn’t be easily taken off this topic.
“If she heard Cori coughing she wouldn’t make it up! I’ll
send for Benchley. It’s probably a good idea. I’ve been feeling quite off
myself,” Luxie added, turning her nose up at the bacon her eldest daughter Merryann
was passing in her direction.
“Well, I think it’s important to listen to your sister,
Russ. Women have fascinating intuition, my boy! You could do worse than heed
their advice,” Ollie said in his booming voice.
Ollie leaned over toward where his younger son Mac was
attempting to upset his bowl of oatmeal. Moving the unlikely toy out of his
reach Ollie scooped a bit of the oatmeal up and placed the full spoon into the
three-year-old’s pudgy hand with a stern look. Mac gave a dimpled grin and
accepted the spoon with a sly twinkle in his eye. Bliss turned to her father
and reiterated her request.
“Papa, Russ can’t go near the lake today! It would be a
disaster! He should listen to me, shouldn’t he?”
“My dear Bliss, of course he should. But what is this danger
you see?” Ollie asked in his amusement.
“I’m not quite sure. But I know it’s bad. It’s very bad! I’m
only trying to help, you know,” Bliss said in a huff.
“Of course you are, dear. Perhaps if his master kept him to
regimented land exercise today, would that make it better?” Ollie suggested.
“I suppose. But don’t forget to tell him, Papa! I’m sure
it’s very important!” Bliss added pointedly looking toward her surly older
brother.
Russ darted his tongue out at her, but Bliss didn’t tattle
on him. It was harmless, this attitude her brother held toward her. Bliss knew
in her very soul that she was right.
Deanne Bliss Porter was the third child of a large brood
belonging to the Duke of Penwood. Her talents for knowing something before
anyone else usually caused an uncomfortable tension. Her visions of things to
come seemed to grow in acuity each year. This vision was no different than a
hundred others that assaulted her on a given day.
Normal, ordinary occurrences like spilled ink, a dumped bowl
of oatmeal, a scraped knee, or an unfortunate splinter she didn’t bother with
anymore. Those things couldn’t really harm anyone for long. But when the threat
came in such a bold, serious way—like the possibility of death, Bliss couldn’t
ignore it.
Russ’s mortal danger today couldn’t be ignored either. Bliss’s
vision of her brother’s fate appeared like a gruesome painting of a corpse sunk
in the lake, the body pale and cold. There were always variations of every
vision. Sometimes a different scene would pop up in her mind to tell her that a
previous vision had somehow been altered.
Bliss’s clarity with her visions was still immature, and she
couldn’t trust that the outcomes were firm. So the task to assure the safety of
her family, even when her interference was met with ill-temper and annoyance,
fell heavily on her shoulders. She could handle the burden as long as no one
died!
Before breakfast ended a message
came. Russ’s physical master was detained that day. An unexpected accident made
his attendance that afternoon unlikely. Russ pouted and teased Bliss about her
ignorance.
“See, Bliss! You really don’t know anything! You’re just a
silly girl with too many nightmares. Go learn your sum twos and threes and
leave me alone,” Russ had grumbled at her.
His disappointment at not being able to take his physical
lessons made him cross. Bliss forced herself not to cry at his angry words. The
idea that she was somehow mistaken in her vision didn’t even occur to her. The
feeling of an impending threat still hung around her like a shawl.
Before leaving the table, Bliss reminded her mother about
summoning Dr. Benchley for baby Cori’s cough. At not quite a year old, Cordelia
was currently the baby of the family and the subject of many of her necessary
lies. Cori was unable to deny or confirm anything, so Bliss often used her sister’s
health as an excuse to get the doctor to the house when she felt he might be needed.
Bliss hovered in Russ’s presence the
entire morning. Countering this, Russ complained to his parents that she was
making him uncomfortable. Ollie told his son to amuse his younger sister and
stay within her sights to keep her from worrying.
While Lord and Lady Penwood held none of their children
above the others, Bliss’s quirky behavior drew a subtle amount of indulgence
that the other children weren’t given. Bliss stayed with Russ throughout lunch
and during their hour of free time before afternoon lessons recommenced. Russ
mercilessly dogged her with taunts of her peculiarity.
“You’re just jealous because you don’t get to learn games or
sports the way I do! Why don’t you go play with your dolls and leave me alone? You’re
a bigger baby than Cori and Mac put together! Merryann, play with her! She’s
staring at me all day!”
Bliss accepted Russ’s jabs at her behavior without reaction.
But the niggling feeling of fear still crawled over her skin, despite her older
sister’s hushed soothing after Russ’s ranting.
In the afternoon, Nanny Pearl was
working on lessons of the alphabet when suddenly Bliss let out a blood-curdling
shriek. The vision of Russ in the lake was clearer than any of the other
possibilities now. Without waiting to be excused, Bliss tore from the room and ran
down the stairwell.
Nearly upsetting a laundry maid in the process, Bliss made a
mad dash for the boathouse, terror gripping her insides in a vice. As she
approached the water’s edge, Russ bobbed up from under the water and spotted
her instantly.
“Drat, Bliss! What are you doing out here? You’re supposed
to be taking a lesson with Nanny!” Russ whined. He turned and swam for the
boathouse, ignoring her panicked expression as he did.
“Russ, get out! Please, you must! I’m scared! I want you to
come over here with me right now!” Bliss pleaded with her brother. Russ
remained obstinate.
That’s when Bliss noticed the rope. A vision of what would
happen burst into her subconscious mind. The rope, a broken board, Russ
drowning, her being very wet, the scenes came again and again in her head. It
was as though she was running through a dense forest, the events whirring past
her like trees.