Student of letters, Micah Yardley wants one thing: to meet the poet Jefferson Dering. After hearing his idol speak at Harvard, Micah travels to Jefferson’s home in nearby Wroxham, entertaining visions of discussing poetry over dinner and drinks. What he experiences exceeds anything he ever anticipated.<br><br>Jefferson finds Micah mesmerizing and passionate, everything he has ever wanted. But after getting caught in a compromising position with another young man a decade earlier, he exiled himself from Boston and from affairs of the heart. Jefferson represses his longing for Micah, but his tumultuous emotions cannot be contained.<br><br>Micah denies the truth of his desire for Jefferson. Jefferson refuses to act on his passion for Micah. But all it takes is a single kiss in Wroxham's haunted church to change the course of their lives ... and ignite the flame that could fulfill a generations-old promise.

A Hidden Beauty

“I shouldn’t have suggested it. You have a life here. You don’t need a near stranger telling you to give it up.”


“No, Micah, it’s not that. You might have been right to suggest it. But I have…I have a history in Boston. That’s all.” Jefferson stepped closer and touched Micah’s shoulder gently. “I don’t expect you to know that.”


Sincerity shone in Jefferson’s piercing eyes, rooting him far more effectively than the hand resting on his shoulder. The hand was having the opposite effect, actually, churning Micah’s stomach until it tightened into a tiny ball, making him struggle with the urge to reach up and do the same. He didn’t understand its origin. Jefferson welcomed his friendship. He shouldn’t feel so nervous around the man by this point.


“You’re very generous,” Micah said softly. “Though this now leaves us the conundrum of how to discourage your complacency here in Wroxham.”


Chapter 15