Sarah Anne's Faithful Friends (Unshakable Faith Book 4) Read online

  Sarah Anne’s Faithful Friends

  Book 4 of the Unshakable Faith Series

  By

  Cathy Lynn Bryant

  Jessica Marie Dorman

  Bryant & Dorman

  Books†

  Copyright © 2016 by Cathy Lynn Bryant with contributor Jessica Marie Dorman

  Bryant Dorman Books†

  Bangor, Maine 04401

  bryantdormanbooks.com

  Cover model Jessica Marie Dorman

  Interior photo model Jessica Marie Dorman

  Printed in the United States of America

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the authors.

  All Scripture references are from the KJV

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016912353

  ISBN: 13: 978-0692562987

  First Edition:

  The book is comprised of historical figures intermingled with fictional characters.

  Authors Cathy Lynn Bryant and Jessica Dorman have again captivated their readers with their newest novel titled Sarah Anne's Faithful Friends. The Authors seamlessly reunite their readers with Sarah Anne as if we have only briefly parted, taking us back to sweet, simpler traditions of times past. Sarah Anne's internal battle with tragic circumstances from her past explodes with haunting reminders throughout the story. How she comes to a resolution will keep you turning the pages of this delightful twist of a tale. This beautifully written novel will ignite a newfound perspective of a faithful God, as well as the love of family and treasured friends, as we observe Grace and Forgiveness in this young woman. Welcome back Sarah Anne. We have missed you.

  Author, L.A. Muse

  http://www.orphancrusade.com/

  Prologue

  The year 1735, Amesbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

  It had been nearly a year since that tragic day. Sarah Anne could scarcely believe Alexander was gone. What took but a moment, would change her life forever. From that time on, the distraught young woman had been busying herself to the point of exhaustion, hoping to put the awful event behind her; but the memory remained as vivid as ever.

  Chapter 1

  Early spring, the year 1735, Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony

  Upon the arrival of Sarah Anne Swyndhurst and Mr. Hoyt, Daniel Thompson ushered them into the house. Once he had made his guests comfortable in the rather spacious parlor, Daniel went to his bedchamber where his wife was currently resting to inform her that her father and Sarah had safely arrived. The family had been expecting Mr. Hoyt and hoped he would persuade Sarah to come, too. While looking closely at his beloved wife, Daniel sensed that something was troubling her.

  “What is it, Joanna?” he inquired with concern.

  “Daniel, I am at a loss as to what to say to Sarah. How can someone so young have had to suffer so much? Until her birthday next month, she is not yet five and twenty.” At this point, Joanna had tears welling up in her eyes.

  At ten years Sarah’s senior, from the time they had first become acquainted, Joanna had always been a little protective of her friend. Sarah’s father, Joseph Goodwin, had passed not long before his daughter’s marriage to Alexander Swyndhurst. Now that Alexander was gone as well, Joanna felt her protective instincts for Sarah even more acutely.

  Besides having their faith and a great love of children in common, both women had fathers whose Christian name was Joseph. Since Sarah’s father was no longer living, Joanna was very glad that her own father had all but adopted the young woman as his own.

  Daniel approached the bed and made himself comfortable next to his wife. “You are right. She seems to have suffered one tragedy after another—having been twice captured by Matthew Raymond and all that entailed. But for her to lose her beloved husband—that was the worst of all.”

  “Indeed, and she was right there watching as the wagon—” Joanna could not bring herself to say the words. “How her heart must yet be breaking—they loved each other so dearly. And because of that despicable Matthew Raymond, they lost several months together when she came to us, believing her husband would no longer want her after what had happened. If only we had known Alexander at the time, we certainly would not have agreed to keep her whereabouts a secret from him.”

  Grabbing his wife’s hand, Daniel responded, “When she comes in to see you, allow her demeanor to guide the conversation. Regardless of whether or not she wishes to talk of Alexander, it is my belief that being here, assisting with the boys and taking care of you whilst you rest shall do her the most good.”

  “I pray you are right, Daniel. However, I am also concerned that the birth of our child may remind Sarah of the loss of her own son, and that owing to her injuries from her fall, she will likely never have another child of her own—that is, if she again weds. She mentioned in a recent missive that the Strout children are no longer even with her after their mother’s remarriage.”

  “Yes, well, as for the Strout children, I always believed it was asking a bit much of Sarah to keep them, in particular after Alexander’s passing. I was indeed astonished to hear Alice Strout had taken them to Ipswich, for I felt certain she had abandoned them to Sarah’s care forever. And as evidenced by her love and concern for those children and our boys, she shall certainly be overjoyed when she meets our new little one.”

  “I hope you are right. If you wish, you may send Father and Sarah in now. I believe I am ready,” Joanna said while adjusting her bedcoverings over her legs and swelled middle, and pulling her long brown hair over her shoulder so it could be re-tied with the ribbon that had slipped out while she was resting. She watched as her husband moved toward the door, and sighed. She had never grown tired of his kind nature and, to her, his looks had not diminished a bit, even with the few silver strands now weaving through his blonde hair. And given her tall stature, he was one of the few men to whom she had to look up.

  Within a few minutes, Sarah and Mr. Hoyt appeared at Joanna’s bedside. As they made themselves comfortable on the chairs Daniel had provided, which were situated on either side of the bed, Joanna’s father reached over and took hold of his daughter’s hand.

  “Joanna, it is wonderful to see you looking so well. My dear, is all of this necessary? The bed rest, I mean?”

  While squeezing her father’s hand with one hand and placing her other upon Sarah’s, which was resting next to hers on the opposite side of the bed, Joanna responded. “You may remember, Father, I had a rather difficult time of it with Joseph. Daniel merely wishes to avoid any complications.”

  Mr. Hoyt leaned forward and then silently prayed all would turn out well with both Joanna and the baby when the time came for her to deliver.

  A few minutes had passed when Sarah noticed Joanna staring at her with a troubled look; therefore, to set her friend’s mind at ease, she stated, “Joanna, your countenance appears to be one of concern. There truly is no need to be anxious over me. Now that I am here with you and your family, all will be well. Getting away from Amesbury was just what I needed. Staying in the home where there are so many memories of Alexander has made it difficult to stop myself from thinking about him, not to mention his things are about the place in nearly every room.”

  Joanna smiled at her younger friend. “Sarah, you never were one to conceal your thoughts. I appreciate your frankness. You may regret coming here at this time, though, for Daniel is sure to put you to work.”

  If Joanna
had been privy to Sarah’s thoughts at that moment, she would have known that this was Sarah’s hope—to be kept busy so as to distract herself from her thoughts. The images of Alexander and that fateful day were still so frequent and vivid, and try as she might, she had met with little success at pushing them from her mind.

  After a time, Sarah and Mr. Hoyt noticed Joanna appeared fatigued. They soon left the room, allowing her to rest.

  When Sarah was directed to the same lovely bedchamber she had previously occupied, she found her belongings next to the bed. She then glanced around at the familiar surroundings. The bed still had the lovely lace pillows and colorful quilt upon it. What she had always loved most about the room was the window from which she could see the sparkling stream just beyond her favorite bench. Making her way over to look out, her eyes quickly fixed on the bench under the shade tree. The memories of an earlier visit came flooding in, bringing with them a torrent of varied emotions. Her last visit had been during a very turbulent time in her life. Turning back from the window, her eyes went to the settee on the opposite wall. She decided it was time to sit and pray for a while.

  Later, when the boys came in from doing their chores, they were delighted to see Sarah. They had grown to love her when she had last stayed with them. Though it had been some time since they had seen her, in their view she looked nearly the same, with her long hair the color of chestnuts. Her tiny frame, however, at present, appeared somewhat smaller to the young men.

  Sarah’s deep blue eyes beheld both of the young Mr. Thompsons standing before her. How much they had changed. The last time she had seen them, Daniel was just shy of eleven, and Joseph was not yet nine. At now twelve and ten, the boys had grown immensely. Sarah noticed the boys still resembled their mother, with similar hair and eyes to hers. As she continued to study them, she realized the eldest had to tilt his head down a little to look at her, and Joseph was now nearly her height. Daniel, Jr., was also quick to correct her when she called him Daniel. It seems he had decided he wished to be known as Dan, so as not to be confused with his father. As for Joseph, happy to have been named after his grandfather, he did not feel the need to shorten or alter his name. Sarah was glad for she loved the name Joseph, as it reminded her of her own dear father.

  After hugging them both, Sarah sighed. She was right; this was precisely what she needed. Before long, the boys convinced her to come out of doors with them. Because of the way she had taken part in their activities on her last visit, they often seemed to have forgotten she was actually a grown woman and not merely a chum.

  While Sarah was out in the yard with Dan and Joseph, their father and Mr. Hoyt watched out the window. The boys had tied something over Sarah’s eyes and at present were spinning her around. Daniel and his father-in-law had a good laugh over this.

  “I see nothing much has changed between Sarah and the boys,” chuckled Daniel. “It is as if she never left.”

  Out in the yard, as Sarah whirled round and round, she called out, “All right! I am getting dizzy now, boys.”

  Dan grabbed hold of her arms to steady her. He then backed away and said, “Sarah, now see if you can catch us.”

  In this game, the boys were not to be more than an arm’s length away. Sarah had to try and capture one of them, which was no easy task, given that she was currently blindfolded. The boys both laughed as she stumbled around. She soon began to chuckle as well. The game went on for several minutes before Sarah finally caught hold of one of their arms. Pulling the covering from her eyes, she found that she had captured Joseph. It was now his turn. The game continued for a while. Sarah hated to disappoint her young friends, but she was feeling quite spent. When she had given them a few more minutes, she finally voiced her need for a rest.

  In the kitchen, Mr. Hoyt told Daniel that Sarah was probably tired from their trip. They had arrived only a few hours before. Hearing his father-in-law’s words, Daniel made his way over to the door to beckon to his sons.

  Chapter 2

  Early the next morning, Sarah arose feeling rested for the first time in weeks. After a long afternoon the previous day of spending time out of doors with the boys and seeing to Joanna’s regular duties, she had been completely worn out. As she thought about how much she had already enjoyed her time with the Thompsons, she was glad she had decided to come. She had not felt so needed in a very long time.

  Coming into the kitchen, Sarah found four sets of all male eyes on her; however, she was not the least bit intimidated by any of these particular gentlemen. They had always treated her like one of the family. “Good morning, everyone,” she said smiling brightly.

  Daniel and Mr. Hoyt were delighted to see that Sarah appeared joyful. Daniel returned the greeting, “And good morning to you, Sarah. Did you have a restful sleep?”

  “Oh, my…did I ever! I have not rested so comfortably in, well—” She had no desire to revisit the reason she hadn’t been sleeping. She was determined to press on and focus on the Thompsons and enjoying her time with them.

  After observing the pensive look upon Sarah’s face following her shortened response, while holding out a chair for her, Daniel called her over to the table. Out of respect, the Thompson boys and Mr. Hoyt also stood and waited for her to be seated.

  Daniel had already breakfasted with Joanna but had decided to join them anyway. He had always placed great importance on taking meals together with his sons; that is, when his doctoring did not get in the way. At times he was called away and couldn’t take his meals with his family. He so disliked that part of the life of a physician.

  After tidying up the kitchen, Sarah went in to visit with Joanna. As the friends talked, Joanna revealed her fears with regard to the birth of her third child. Until now, she had not disclosed to Sarah how difficult Joseph’s birth had been.

  With understanding, Sarah reached over and grabbed hold of her friend’s hand. She, more than most, knew about difficult births, for she had lost her one and only child very soon after his birth. “Joanna, you have Daniel here to see you through this, and I shall be right by your side.”

  Joanna was reluctant to talk about this with Sarah for fear of reviving her friend’s heartrending memories of her child, but she felt she needed to talk to someone. She had no desire to distress her husband. “I am ready to go if the Lord calls me home, Sarah. My only concern is for my family.”

  “Joanna, you are not thinking clearly. Daniel has no such worries, of that I am certain. Now you must push such thoughts from your mind. Let us talk of happier things, such as what you intend to call the baby when he or she arrives.”

  Joanna knew she should not be borrowing trouble. “You are so right, Sarah. Pay no attention to my babbling.” Reaching over to the little table beside her bed, Joanna retrieved a list she had written of potential names for the baby. Her first two children had been easy. She had always known she wished to name a child after Daniel, and when the second one arrived, she was delighted for him to be her father’s namesake. But this third one was a bit difficult. She had one brother, but it seemed he was always bent on getting into trouble. She had no wish to name a son after him. To her, passing down a name was similar to bestowing a blessing, which she hoped would bring about a desire in the child to carry on the godly character of the one after whom he was named. Consequently, she could not bring herself to consider her brother George.

  At present, she had no desire to reveal her thoughts about George to Sarah. She disliked speaking evil of anyone, especially her own brother. She hoped that this time the baby would be a girl, for it would solve the problem of what to name the child. She had a number of feminine names listed.

  “Daniel and I have come up with several possibilities. Take a look and tell me what you think,” she said as she handed the list to Sarah.

  Sarah read each name and then remarked, “Joanna, this list is in want of any names for a male child. I thought at the very least the list would contain your brother’s name. Did you not tell me his name is George?”

>   Even with the current state of her relationship with her brother, Joanna loved him deeply. She recalled then how happy she had been when her parents brought George home shortly after his birth. A great deal had changed between them since that time. It seemed that whenever they were together now, they had a tendency to argue; thus, to Joanna’s great disappointment, her brother rarely visited. I so wish things were different, she thought.

  Feeling a little discomfited that her friend might find fault with her for not considering her brother’s name, Joanna replied, “As you see, I am quite hopeful this time it shall be a girl.” Then, attempting to change the subject, she asked, “Have you seen the quilt I made for the baby?”

  Although her friend had indicated that the reason for the absence of her brother’s name was because she hoped for a girl, Sarah felt she had initiated an unwanted topic of conversation. Not wanting to press the issue, she allowed her friend to direct the discussion away from what to name the child. “No, Joanna. I have not. Shall I fetch it for you? I would dearly love to see it.”

  Catching a glimpse of the strange look upon Sarah’s face, Joanna realized her friend had perceived her quick change of topic. With a flushed face for making Sarah uncomfortable, Joanna directed Sarah’s attention to the corner of the room. “I believe I left it over there on the chair.”

  Sarah went to retrieve the little quilt. With eyes wide as she lifted it, she exclaimed, “Oh, Joanna, it is simply lovely!”

  A smile stretched across Joanna’s face at her friend’s approval of her work. “Do you really think so, Sarah? I have never been mistaken for an accomplished seamstress.”