Beth Collins regarded her best friend with an exasperated expression from across her kitchen table where they were having tea.She knew Emma meant well,but sometimes it got to be a bit much. For once,could she just give it a rest? “I mean,I know the divorce was hard on you,”Emma continued,”but really,it’s been eight months.Your life must go on.”Beth smiled tiredly.”When I’m ready Em,I’m sure I’ll start dating again.What's the hurry?”  “You’re not getting any younger.34 is practically ancient in today’s world.”Beth gave up trying to change Emma’s opinion as her friend rambled on.Yes,the divorce had been hard on her,but surely it was her prerogative to take as much time as she needed to heal. When Edgar walked out on her,her whole world had shattered.10 years of marriage had gone down the drain with no warning whatsoever. Husbands leaving their wives for younger women was a staple of soap operas and the wealthy.Never in a mi

The storm broke just as Beth arrived home from her meeting with Ethan Hollingsworth.   She just made it in her front door when the rain came down with an intensity she had not experienced in ages. Great,she thought to herself,flicking the light switch and finding that the power was out.  Although it was still the middle of the afternoon,for some reason her house was uncharacteristically dark and it annoyed her to no end.      She made her way up the stairs to her bedroom and threw herself on the bed,laughing to herself as she remembered how Ethan had made her feel.    He was such a gentleman and yet there was something about him that she found very mysterious.     It had been so easy for him to get her to open up about her life,yet he revealed very little of himself.She knew he was Polly’s son,he was a lawyer and that he cared greatly for the environment,being involved in many ec

 “Bethany, my dear, how lovely to see you!” Mrs Feeney held her in a tight embrace as they entered her warm and comfortable cottage in the countryside.She’d moved here 8 years ago after her husband had passed on.After his death, Emma had made her the kind offer of staying with her in the city, but Mrs Feeney had decided to continue with the dream she had shared with her late husband, of eventually retiring to the country.By doing that she was honouring his memory as best she knew how.Beth smiled, feeling the most amazing sense of peace in the familiar embrace. Mrs Feeney was the only one who ever used her full name. “I’m so pleased to be here Mrs Feeney,”she said as the embrace ended.”It’s been so long since our last visit.”“Too long,” Mrs Feeney replied.“I’m an old woman you know.Sometimes I forget that you young people don’t write letters anymore.It's all these e-mails and text messages, none of which hold any interest f

From his bedroom window, Ethan watched Beth emerge from the car he had sent for her, a vision of elegance in a simple white dress, showing her figure to perfection.Her beauty was breathtaking to say the least and yet again he was overwhelmed by the rush of emotion she was able to awaken in him by her mere presence alone.For so long he had denied himself the pleasure of sharing his life with a woman, especially one as enchanting as Beth Collins, but now, no matter how difficult it would be, he found himself wanting that more than anything in his life.Beth was the woman he could build a future with, of that he was certain.From her radiant beauty, to her dignified demeanor, to the way she carried herself so proudly and with such strength, all of these things fascinated him and sent all reason flying out the door.He made his way downstairs to meet her in the hall.Seeing her standing there, it took everything he had within him to stop himself from sweeping her in his

“A lady no less,”Beth teased.”I’m impressed Mr Hollingsworth!”Ethan laughed,once again putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.His warmth and his closeness almost made Beth forget about the portrait until he spoke of it again.“My mother hated this portrait.While I was growing up,she always told me how much it unsettled her.In fact the whole manor disturbed her in some way.After my father died,I returned from abroad to open my practice and she simply packed up and traveled the world.She never stayed here much.She had a small place she rented in the city.”Beth pondered his words for a moment.It was difficult to imagine Polly being unsettled about anything,least of all a portrait in her own home where she had spent her entire married life and raised her son.“Why do you think she had this aversion?”Beth asked.”I never thought of her as the kind of woman to be upset by anything.”“Well,my mother was a very sensitive woman Beth.She firmly