
On a moon‑lit night, newlyweds Luke and Rachel drift on a quiet sea, their voices mingling with the silver‑shimmered water. Their tender conversation reveals a love that feels both timeless and fragile, as Rachel confides a quiet fear that Luke’s calling as a parish priest might pull him away from the intimacy they share. The scene captures the couple’s hopeful promise to return to this secluded spot each year, even as the responsibilities of their new life begin to stir.
Soon after, Rachel journeys back to the countryside aboard a rattling railway carriage, the landscape flashing past while her thoughts linger on the unknown future that awaits them. She imagines a modest vicarage, the challenges of serving a freshly divided parish, and the delicate balance between duty and devotion. The story follows their struggle to weave personal love into the fabric of a demanding vocation, inviting listeners to experience the gentle tension between heart‑beats and holy calling.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (337K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Ipswich: Smiths, Publishers, Suitall, 1926.
Release date
2023-09-04
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
b. 1854
A Victorian-era writer with a strong connection to Ipswich, she published fiction from the 1870s onward and later wrote a memoir of her father, the Rev. Samuel Garratt. Her books range from domestic and religious stories to allegorical fiction such as The Radiant City.
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