End of the Engagement

By Meredith Acker

A prequel short story to the Miss Pierce's Protegees series, set thirty years before. Contains a secret engagement -- and betrayal! This is a 5,000-word short story that leads directly into book 1 of the series, PLANNING ON PASSION.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meredith Acker
• Release date: May 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311738646

Meredith Acker

A southern transplant to New York, Meredith fell in love with an Italian boy from Long Island, and now she’s stuck here. They live in Brooklyn, where she is shadowed by a faithful and affectionate girl cat. She works in midtown in a big fancy office by day, then comes home and writes stories about other people kissing.

Book preview

End of the Engagement

A Prequel Short Story

By Meredith Acker

End of the Engagement: (c) 2016 by Meredith Acker

Cover design (c) Meredith Acker

Digital Edition 1.0

All rights reserved.

Published by Acker Books; distributed by Smashwords.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Miss Pierce's Protégées

Short Story Prequel: End of the Engagement

Book 1: Planning on Passion

Book 2: Depths of Desire (June 2016)

Book 3: Ardent After All (Forthcoming 2016)

Novella 3.5: Seduction by a Stranger (Forthcoming 2016)

Book 4: Lessons in Love (Forthcoming 2016)

Table of Contents

Title Page

Series Page

End of the Engagement

Thanks for Reading!

Excerpt

Other Works by Meredith Acker

About Meredith

New York City, 1860.

Harriet closed the door quietly behind her as she slipped away into the dark street. Only a few years ago, sneaking out like this would have been impossible—the family’s servants would have questioned her actions or stopped her with only a look. Fleetingly she thought that she would never have anticipated this happy consequence of her family’s loss of fortune; now they had only a day maid, and no one noticed her absence.

She met William in a dark bar, hood pulled tightly around her face. The other patrons studied her shamelessly, and Harriet fidgeted, hoping William would arrive soon.

When he finally arrived, she wanted to kiss his face in relief… or maybe, she admitted to herself, the urge was due to something other than relief. She did lay her hands on the table, palms facing him, and was relieved when he reached out and grasped them, his expression softening at the sight of her.

Miss Pierce, he said softly. Her heart fluttered a little at the way he seemed to savor her name. "Did you have any difficulty in getting