Preface

I am a huge history buff and even more of a romantic. I hope you enjoy my attempt at both with some humor thrown in!

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to my family and friends. I love you all!

Prologue

The cold rain spattered off Thomas Cooper’s hat and trickled down his neck. Cursing, he pulled his coat tighter around him as he stared down at the small house in the hollow. If he hadn’t known better he would have taken it for being abandoned.

With the pall of winter settling in and the icy rain beating down from the darkening sky, the house was gloomy and cold. No fire could be seen shinning through the windows. Not even a candle was lit.

A dark shadow moved behind the house and he could make out the outline of a rather thin cow. A lean-to was there, offering the poor animal little shelter from the weather. Shaking his head, he sighed. This was all his fault.

It had been a number of years since he had gone away. The exact number he wasn’t sure of. Most of them were spent in a bottle. Some things he wished he could remember; others he wished he could forget. Like his last visit to this house, his home.