Excerpt of Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham

After letting an involuntary squeal escape, Penny pulled the yellowed papers closer and pressed her lips to them. Then she began to devour the words.

My Darling,

I’ve been away only a fortnight and already I feel a deep ache for you. I dream at night of your beautiful face, and sometimes I reach out and try to touch it. The two of us were meant to never be apart.

Penny stopped reading and sighed as she rolled onto her side, careful not to bump the mahogany frame of the bed under which she lay. She closed her eyes.

In her mind’s eye, she was much older than her ten years, taller, and womanly. She wore a long green dress made of silk and taffeta that matched her eyes perfectly and fit each curve like a glove. The dress swished as she walked, and when she spun around, it flowed like a perfect ocean wave.

A man approached. He was tall and handsome. “My darling,” he said. Then he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the flickering light of the lantern.

She’d discovered the stack of letters the day before while playing hide-­and-­seek with the maid’s children. Since laying eyes on them, she’d thought of nothing but getting to them and reading every word again and again.

After eating dinner the next day, she’d crept away, telling her parents she was tired and wanted to sleep. Instead, she’d rushed to her parents’ room, slid between the carved legs of their four-­poster bed, and pushed herself underneath where she’d found the box of worn papers.

Penny cringed, knowing she’d been deceitful.

“Penny?” Her father’s voice came into the room. “Penny, I know you’re in here somewhere. The staff saw you enter the room. I’m afraid you’ve been caught.”

She blew out the lantern as quickly as she could and pulled her legs in tight. Perhaps if she held her breath and closed her eyes, she’d not be found. She opened her eyes a sliver when she heard a tapping noise. The tip of her father’s boot was visible beneath the bedding.

“How strange it is that my daughter is not in her room and that she was seen entering mine.” Her father’s foot continued to tap against the floorboard. “I wonder what she could be up to. It’s not like my girl to be keeping secrets from me.”

Guilt gnawed at her conscience. Her father was her dearest friend. To lose his trust would be unbearable. She pushed her toes against the floor, propelling her forward so that her head poked out from under the bed. “I’m here.”

Her father lowered himself to the floor and sat beside her. He

pursed his lips. His dark eyes did not look angry though. They remained the same kind, patient eyes she

had known her whole life. “Are you hiding from me or something else? We haven’t bandits around, have we?”

Penny pulled herself the rest of the way from under the bed. “No bandits.” With her head bowed, she handed him the letters. “I took these. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have, but I wanted to read them so badly. I was afraid you’d say no and I’d never see what they said.”

The letters looked so small in his large hands. He took a deep breath. “There are personal things in these letters. I wrote them for your mother’s eyes only. You may not understand it now, but some words are meant only for a man and a wife.” He paused. Then he laughed softly as he brushed at a cobweb that had entwined itself with her hair. “Seems we need to hire you to clean beneath the beds.”

He flipped the letters back and forth in his hands. “I should be angry you took these.”

Penny eased closer to her father. So close she could smell the sweet scent of his shaving soap and touch his suit jacket.

“But I’m not.”

Relieved to not be in trouble, she let out a puff of air. “I dream about love. But what does it really mean to love someone?”

He smiled. “I love your mother.” He tilted his head toward her as though he were sharing a brilliant secret. “If I finish my work early enough, I stop by the candy shop. I buy you a stick of penny candy because you like it and because you’re my lucky Penny. I buy your mother maple candy. It’s her favorite. When I bring it to her, I like to sneak up behind her and tell her to close her eyes. She acts surprised even though she knows I’ve brought her a sweet.”

“That’s love? Candy?” She looked at the stack of letters, wishing she could read them. Surely, they had a simpler explanation.

“Yes. That and so much more. Love’s . . . well, love is candy and walks underneath a starlit sky. It’s babies and . . . it’s trying to make the other person’s life better. It’s many things.”

Her father tapped the tip of her nose, which made her smile. Was that love too?

“You should believe in love. It’s real. It’s all around you, just in different forms. You’ll see as you grow. You’ll realize that not all love looks like the love I have for your mother. Don’t you worry. I’ll be here to teach you all about love.” He stood up with the letters in hand. “I better go tell your mother that you’re not lost. She worries about you.”

Penny rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why.”

“Her worrying—­that’s love too.”

“I’m not sure I like that kind of love. I want dancing and ball gowns and candy love.” She stood and brushed the dust from the front of her dress.

“You’ll look lovely in a ball gown. And there’s nothing wrong with sweets every now and then, but keep your eyes open.” He winked at her. “You don’t want to miss the love that’s perfect for you just because you’re too busy searching for a fairy tale.”

Penny furrowed her brows. She wasn’t sure she liked the practical spin her carefree father was putting on her romantic notions. “I suppose I’ll have to grow up first before I know what it’s like.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Now no more snooping around.”

She agreed.

“And one more thing. Promise me that when you think you’ve found yourself a love match, you’ll tell me all about him.”

Once again, she agreed. “I’ll tell you everything.”