Lady Of Esterbrooke

W Phillips Ann

Description

The Lady of Esterbrooke is a novel about a young couple and their journey through life. It begins with her life on Esterbrooke Plantation where she meets the love of her life and takes them through old age. They grow in their faith and love as the years go by, and they learn to cherish each other. They raise their children to respect their faith and to love animals. Marla and Lance are our main characters. He and his family are from Spain, and they own the plantation. Marla's dad is the caretaker of the plantation. This story carries them through the courtship, the children, and into old age together. Their faith and the fact that they put Christ first in their marriage keeps them strong. They love the horses, cats, and donkeys that are on the plantation. And they love watching their children share their values as they grow into adulthood.

Informations

• Publié par: Book Venture Publishing LLC
• Date de parution: 16 mai 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781641666947
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE LADY OF ESTERBROOKE

Loves Journey Through Time

Ann W. Phillips
Copyright © 2018 by Ann W. Phillips.
All rights reserved. N o part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
BookVenture Publishing LLC 1000 Country Lane Ste 300 Ishpeming MI 49849 www.bookventure.com Hotline: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Control Number 2018938422 ISBN-13: Softcover 978-1-64166-692-3 Pdf 978-1-64166-693-0 ePub 978-1-64166-694-7 Kindle 978-1-64166-695-4
Rev. date: 03/01/2018
I would like to dedicate this book to all of my friends and family that supported me during this process. I would like to give thanks especially my brother George for reading it as I wrote it and giving me tips. I would also like to thank my friend Michael Harris for his input into the Lance chara cter
Chapter 1
Slowly the lazy southern sun climbed up into the sky. As Marla turned over she thought of all the things she had to do for the day. Saturdays were days that she enjoyed working around the house and going for a ride on one of the plantation horses. As she sat up, her shoulder length black hair curled around her face. Sometimes she wished she had straight hair that was a little more controllable than her thick wayward curls. Other than her hair, Marla felt like she had made out alright in the other areas of her appearance. She was five foot seven inches tall and had dark blue eyes set in an oval face. She could stand to gain a few more pounds, but she would worry about that later. Jumping out of bed, she headed for the shower. It was time to start her day.
Marla was just finishing her coffee when she heard her father putting on his shoes in the living room. She knew he was under a strain today since the owners of the plantation were due to arrive Monday for a couple of weeks. The main house would have to be put in order for their arrival. Her father was the manager of the plantation, Esterbrooke, and it was his duty to see that everything was in order for their stay.
He had hired the same staff that the Bridwell’s had used for the last few trips, so he felt relieved to have that area under control. Joseph Johnson was a year round employee at Esterbrooke, but his wife joined him in the position of head cook when the Bridwells came for a stay. Joseph had been the gardener for the previous owners. They had recommended him so highly that he stayed on with the Bridwells as a general handyman when they bought the plantation five years ago. Joseph was tall and lanky but his wife. was a little on the plump side. They were in their mid fifties and they both had ready smiles for everyone. They were also very hard working and effic ient.
John McIntire looked at his daughter as she brought his coffee to him and realized just how much he depended on her since the death of his wife. He and Frances had been extremely close during their marriage, and had enjoyed every day they had with their daughter and with each other. John was a tall man, six foot four inches, and his hair was starting to turn gray all over his head at one time. He was still an attractive man for his fifty-nine y ears.
Marla served her father’s breakfast and poured herself another cup of coffee as she grabbed a piece of toast. “Well Dad, I guess today will be a real go getter for you.”
“I think I can manage with a little help from the crew.” John joked. “I’m still not ready to climb into that rocking chair you keep mentioning yet.”
“Well, you know you are not getting any younger, even though Mrs. Lloyd from the next plantation sure seems to take the slump out of your walk when she comes by with one of her pies.”
They both laughed at the mention of Mrs. Lloyd. She seemed to have set her sights on John and was trying everything in her power to win him over. She usually stopped by on Saturdays with a token of her abilities in the kitchen department. She usually managed to arrive just when it was time for the crew to knock off insuring that John would be at home. Marla didn’t mind having her visit. Mrs. Lloyd was in her mid fifties with snow white hair that she wore very stylish. She seemed to know what clothes t wear to make her slightly plump frame seem slimmer than it was. She was pleasant to talk to, even though she kept reminding Marla how much they needed someone to look after them since both her and her father had to work such long h ours.
As Marla thought of work, she realized the time and mentioned to her dad that she was going for a ride before she started her Saturday chores. She told him that she was going to work around the yard if he didn’t have anything in particular for her to do. It was just to pretty a day to spend ind oors.
“I guess I’ll be home around one or so for lunch. A sandwich will be fine.” John said.
“Thanks, Dad. That will give me time to get a few things done around here.” said Marla. “Are we going into town tonight for supper, or do you want me to fix something before we go grocery shop ping?”
“We can pick up something in town. While you do the shopping I have to see Mr. Hamlin about some seed I ordered. We will be planting that field down by the old rice fields next week if all goes well.” her dad stated before he went out the door.
Marla stacked up the dishes and went to put her hair up before she went outside. Her father had been the manager of this plantation for so long that she would hate to think of living anywhere else. They lived in the house next to the fields and within view of the main house. Their house was an old plantation house with a fireplace in each room. There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the smaller of which she laid claims to, a large living room and dining room that were separated by large double doors. The kitchen had been built at the back of the large back porch, but when they moved here her father had closed off part of the porch and made his wife a pantry and a new kitchen. He used the old kitchen as an office and work room. The house was built off the ground and had a wide front porch that went all the way around the front of the h ouse.
Marla had tried to plant flowers to make it attractive, but Joseph had to come to her rescue. A green thumb was not one of her qualities. Mona, Joseph’s wife, made sure that Joseph kept up the work around their yard also, even though this was not part of his job. He was always smiling as he assured Marla that he was pleased to help her out. He took great pride in his flowers and always saw that she had fresh flowers of some kind for their t able.
Marla liked Joseph and Mona and turned to them when she was in need. They treated her like she was a daughter instead of friend and always had time for her no matter how simple her problems were.
As she made her way to the stables the horses started nickering. They knew that she always had a treat or two when she came to the barn. Marla decided to take Ebony out for a run. Ebony was a small built black mare that was full of spirit. Today Marla felt like a good workout and knew that Ebony would give her just that.
“Hello there Jumper.” Marla said to the old bay gelding that pushed his way to the front at the fence. “Sorry, but I feel like a good run for my money today. Maybe next time old fella.” As she spoke she patted his head and gave him a lump of sugar. As if he understood what she had said, he walked over to the other corner of the stables and started munching hay from the hay rack. Ebony pushed her way up to Marla and stuck her head out for a handout. Marla gave her a lump of sugar and took hold of her halter. After putting her in her stall, she gave the other two horses their treats. One was a large sorrel named Lady with a blaze down her face and the other was a thoroughbred that had just arrived a few weeks ago. He was owned by the son of the owners, and seemed to be full of spirit even though Marla had never tried to ride him. He had just gotten to the point of asking for his share of her attention. He was a dappled grey with a white star on his fore head.
Marla slipped the bridle onto Ebony and led her out to the fence before giving her another sugar lump. Opting not to use a saddle, Marla jumped up and onto Ebony’s back. Ebony was ready to go and so was Marla. She gave Ebony her head and they started to fly down the road leading to the boathouse. The horse and girl seemed to glide over the ground as one without a care or worry. The one and a half mile of road was eaten up way too soon for either of them. Marla hated to see the boathouse appearing so fast. She and Ebony were not disappointed by the ride. Marla felt exhilarated and ready to catch her breath. Marla climbed down and dropped the reins so that Ebony could graze while she checked out the boathouse. It seemed strange with the big boat sitting in the water inside the boathouse. She was used to seeing it suspended in the air. Marla gave in to temptation and climbed onto the boat. She could just imagine feeling the wind blowing through her hair as the boat raced through the water. She also knew that the owners were not likely to ask the employees out for a Sunday ride. She tried to imagine what the new owners were like. She had been away at college when they were here to check out the property they had bought and the employee situation, so she had missed meeting them. She kne