A Parcel for Prudence: Virtues and Valor Series, #4

By Hallee Bridgeman

MURIEL TOLSON grew up with all of the luxuries life could offer. As the daughter of a duke, she married the second son of an earl and lived in style on his family's estate. When her husband ships off to fight the Nazis in Africa, Muriel heeds his request to use her intelligence and language skills to help with the war effort. She approaches the British secret services and soon finds herself recruited into an experimental all female cohort dubbed the Virtues, a collection of seven extraordinary women with highly specialized skills.

Assigned the code name of PRUDENCE, her natural French allows her to infiltrate Occupied France where she works as a courier; carrying messages, money, and sometimes people through the secret resistance network aiding the allies to accomplish very dangerous missions behind enemy lines.

When Nazis capture the agent code named TEMPERANCE, the team shucks previously laid plans and fast-forwards operational timelines. Is the team ready for this daring mission, or will the Third Reich thwart their plans before they can even get started?

A PARCEL FOR PRUDENCE is part four of eight serialized novellas entitled the Virtues and Valor series.

Seven valorous women — different nationalities, ethnicities, and social backgrounds — come together as a team called the Virtues.

In 1941 Great Britain a special war department assembles an experimental and exclusively female cohort of combat operatives. Four willing spies, a wireless radio operator, an ingenious code breaker, and a fearless pilot are each hand-picked, recruited, and trained to initiate a daring mission in Occupied France. As plans are laid to engineer the largest prison break of Allied POWs in history, the Nazis capture the Virtues' radio operator. It will take the cohesive teamwork of the rest of the women to save her life before Berlin breaks her and brings the force of the Third Reich to bear.

Some find love, some find vengeance, and some discover the kind of strength that lives in the human heart when all they can do is rely on each other and their shared belief. Courage, faith, and valor intersect but, in the end, one pays the ultimate price.

Continuing the Virtues and Valor series by Hallee Bridgeman. Eight serialized novellas, each inspired by real people and actual events, reveal the incredible story of amazing heroines facing the ultimate test of bravery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olivia Kimbrell Press
• Release date: Dec 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781939603487

Hallee Bridgeman

Hallee Bridgeman is a best-selling Christian author who writes action-packed romantic suspense focusing on realistic characters who face real world problems. Her work has been described as everything from refreshing to heart-stopping exciting and edgy. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee finally settled in central Kentucky with her family so that she could enjoy the beautiful changing of the seasons. She enjoys the roller-coaster ride thrills that life with a National Guard husband, a teenaged daughter, and two elementary aged sons delivers. A prolific writer, when she's not penning novels, you will find her in the kitchen, which she considers the 'heart of the home'. Her passion for cooking spurred her to launch a whole food, real food "Parody" cookbook series. In addition to nutritious, Biblically grounded recipes, readers will find that each cookbook also confronts some controversial aspect of secular pop culture. Hallee is a member of the Published Author Network (PAN) of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) where she serves as a long time board member in the Faith, Hope, & Love chapter. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the American Christian Writers (ACW) as well as being a member of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Hallee loves coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her. She prays her work here on earth is a blessing to you and would love to hear from you.

Book preview

A PARCEL FOR PRUDENCE, A NOVELLA

A Parcel for Prudence, a Novella: Virtues and Valor series, Part 4

Virtues and Valor Series, Part 4

a Novella by

Published by

Olivia Kimbrell Press™

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A Parcel for Prudence, Virtues and Valor series part 4

First edition. Copyright © 2014 by Hallee Bridgeman. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or recording – without express written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations in printed or broadcasted critical articles and reviews. Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, places, locales or to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

PUBLISHED BY: Olivia Kimbrell Press™*, P.O. Box 470, Fort Knox, KY 40121

The Olivia Kimbrell Press™ colophon and open book logo are trademarks of Olivia Kimbrell Press™.

*Olivia Kimbrell Press™ is a publisher offering true to life, meaningful fiction from a Christian worldview intended to uplift the heart and engage the mind.

Some scripture quotations courtesy of the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Some scripture quotations courtesy of the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas-Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Original Cover Art and Graphics by Amanda Gail Studio

Library Cataloging Data

U. S. Library of Congress Control Number: 2014953678

Bridgeman, Hallee (Hallee A. Bridgeman) 1972-

A Parcel for Prudence, Virtues and Valor series part 4 / Hallee Bridgeman

100 p. 23cm x 15cm (9in x 6 in.)

Summary: A PARCEL FOR PRUDENCE is part four of seven serialized novellas entitled the Virtues and Valor series.

ISBN: 978-1-939603-48-7 (ebook)

1. Christian fiction 2. World War II 3. war stories 4. spies 5. historical fiction 6. espionage

PS3568.B7534 T487 2014

[Fic.] 813.6 (DDC 23)

Dedication

Dedication

For those women who fought beside the men…

THIS series is dedicated to the amazing women who have worked, planned, strategized, served, led, and fought alongside men throughout human history. This novella is specifically dedicated to Cécile Pearl Witherington. To read more about this true heroine, read the Inspired by Real Events section at the end of Prudence’s story.

I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,

And find out knowledge and discretion.

Proverbs 8:12 (NKJV)

***

Prologue

Prologue

Haysworth Estate, Great Britain: 1938

BRIGHT sunlight flooded into the room. Muriel buried her head under the pillow, but the chipper voice of Jane, her new lady's maid, kept her from sinking back into sleep.

Good morning, m’lady, Jane singsonged. Busy day today. His Lordship has requested that I wake you and ensure you are all set to go.

His Lordship? Why would her father-in-law summon her so early? Muriel pushed herself into a sitting position as Jane set the tray of hot chocolate and toast in front of her. She smiled at the pink rose in the small vase on the tray, knowing that her husband picked it during his morning stroll through the rose gardens. He always sent a different color for the day of the week. Pink meant that today was a beautiful Wednesday morning here on the country estate of the Earl of Bostwich.

Get me ready for what or where, exactly? she asked as she poured a cup of steaming chocolate.

Your father, His Grace, is arriving on the ten o’clock train. His Lordship has asked that you be there to meet the train, m’lady.

Excitement made her heart beat a little faster. Papa’s coming? She lifted aside the tray and pushed herself out of the bed. Is mama with him?

I’m sure I don’t know, m’lady. She went to the wardrobe and threw it open. Now, what shall you wear today?

Thirty minutes later, adorned in blue silk dress with white polka-dots, she glided down the grand staircase into the massive marbled foyer. She had tucked her gloves into the white leather purse that hung from her wrist. A uniformed maid, carrying a stack of sheets, rushed past her with a mumbled, ’Mornin’, m’lady.

There she is, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! She smiled around the pins as her husband, Joseph, second son of the Earl of Bostwich, stepped out of the library. His brown striped suit made him look positively dashing, and she felt her heart grow as she fell in love with him all over again. She couldn’t imagine how God had blessed her so abundantly as to have given her Joseph to love.

Muriel grinned and slipped the hat pins out of her mouth just in the nick of time. Joseph reached her and swung her into his arms. He kissed her, rather inappropriately considering the number of staff who might spy the public display, full on the mouth. How’s my beautiful lady?

Excited to hear that daddy’s coming, she answered, stepping back from him to fasten the hat more securely. What a surprise. Do you know if mama is coming too?

How else could she celebrate your birthday, but to come in person?

Slapping her hands to her cheeks, she laughed, It is my birthday! How could I have forgotten?

Well, her husband said with a gleam in his eye as he slipped his arm around her waist, you’ve been in that honeymoon glow. Your mind’s still a bit foggy with bliss.

Gasping with laughter, she slapped his chest with the glove she’d just pulled out of her purse. You hush. And by the by, I, in no way, think my tail is bushy.

Joseph simply smiled and waggled his eyebrows. He looked poised to tease her further, but the words remained unsaid.

There you are m’dear, the Earl announced, stepping into the foyer while sparing a glance at his pocket watch. He slipped an unlit cigar between his teeth as he returned the watch to the pocket of his ample waist coat. Tut tut. Mustn’t be late picking up the duke, must we?

Heavens, no. Daddy would never stand for that. She felt giddy with happiness. Her husband’s eyes burned with a mischievous twinkle and she wondered what on earth might be occupying his thoughts. He hadn’t even turned to spare a glimpse for his father. His eyes remained entirely on her. She asked him, Are you staying here, darling?

What? And lose the opportunity to spend the next hour in the company of the most beautiful girl on this island? Perish the thought. He held out his arm, and she slipped her hand over his biceps with a smile on her face.

The Earl nodded his approval. The car should be around front shortly. I assume my youngest son would prefer to rattle around in that obscenely fast sports car with you?

Joseph finally looked in his father’s direction. Come now, father. That isn’t even in question. In fact, I shall go and bring it round right away. With that he was off to the stables which now served as home for two fully equipped Lagonda 1930 2-liter Weymann