The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund

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The Preacher’s Bride

The Preacher”s Bride is a novel set in early Bedford England. John, the preacher/tinker has just lost his wife to childbed fever. He has a new born son, a 2 year old, 4 year old and 8 year old blind daughter and needs some one to help with them though he doesn’t think so.

Elizabeth is the oldest daughter of seven daughters of the baker. She is planning to marry Samuel, an older man. The Vicar chooses Elizabeth to be housekeeper for John. While the other ladies are preparing the body for burial Elizabeth sets out to find a wet nurse for Thomas. The only one she can find is a lady named Lucy from the poor part of town who looks ragged and smells bad. Lucy lives with Fulkes who is a drunk who beats her so she tries to slip out while he is passed out and go feed Thomas because she needs the money to feed her children.

Samuel does not like the idea of Elizabeth being the housekeeper but agrees to wait till end of summer to marry her. John’s children like Elizabeth and she tries to stay out of John’s way and since he is gone from home a lot preaching it’s not too hard.

By summers end Elizabeth realizes she is falling in love with John. One day there is a knock at the door and a strange man steps inside. He tells her she is to take some of Johns notes he writes and give them to him. She refuses and he beats her. A few weeks later on a Sabbath she is delivering bread and this man stops her on the street. He asks for the papers and beats her with his whip. She beats on a door and a man opens it and allows her inside and he takes the whip away from the man. The man leaves saying that the thatcher will be sorry he helped Elizabeth.

Elizabeth get word a few days later that the thatchers house is burned and his wife died in the fire. Elizabeth asks around and figures out it was the man who beat her that burned the house. One day she and John are called to Lucy’s house. They find Lucy has been beaten to death .

Samuel gives Elizabeth one more day to tell John’s children goodbye but she can’t do it. Elizabeth’s father tells him he can have Catherine instead of Elizabeth if he wants and he chose to do so. When John finds out he decides to marry Elizabeth because he thinks it will protect her from the stranger plus he still needs a housekeeper.

Elizabeth marries John and you should read the book to learn the rest of the happenings in their life.

I enjoyed Preacher’s Bride very much and I think if you enjoy Romance Novels you will like it too.