Time (Cheser)

Old Agnes MacKendall has a vision of Janelle Graysons infant daughter, Moria, as a young woman, far from home in a dangerous place. Janelle and her husband, Richard, must prepare their little girl for whatevers ahead. Its a future charged with risk that could spell certain doom. So begins Morias TimeBook 2 of the TIME Series. At six-years old, Moria starts to learn about her heritage. Like her mother, Moria is a MacKendall. The women of this Scots clan have many skills, including natural medicinewhich is Morias gift. At fourteen, Moria meets Elizabeth Blackwell who befriends and mentors her, guiding her toward her goal of becoming a doctor. Later, while visiting family in England, Moria meets Florence Nightingale. The family also meets Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Miss Nightingale summons Moria to London, where she works for a while at a charity hospital and meets Dr. Simon Hensley. Miss Nightingale takes 38 nurses, including Moria, to the Crimean War. Dr. Hensley, in love with Moria, follows her, much to her chagrin, and she rebuffs him. At home for a visit, Moria reconnects with her twin sister, Adelle, and Walter, who convinces Moria that Dr. Hensley isnt the enemy. Moria and Dr. Hensley work things out. Simon and Moria return to London after the war. At Devonwood, the Grayson family estate, Morias Grandmother convinces Moria she can marry Simon. He proposes; she accepts. After the wedding, Simon and Moria visit medical schools for interviews. Moria is rejected, simply because shes woman. Finally, a school in Pennsylvania accepts her. Does Moria continue to impose her needs on Simon? How long will Simon put his life on hold? Do they really want to open a practice? There are too many questions, and too few answers.

Adelle is back! After a year of recovery from her ill-fated romance with Theo (see Morias Time), and thinking about her future, Adelle returns to London, still intent on marrying a duke with a carefully thought out plan. First, she needs a companion to help her, and hires Lady Deanna. Together, they take London's social elite by storm with the dramatic introduction of Adele's alter ego, Lady Mysterious. At first it seems Lord Grenfell, and then Lord Hastings, may take the bait, but then, being Lady Mysterious proves to be too dangerous. Realizing the price shed pay if caught and exposed, she abandons her plan. Instead, she enlists the aid of her Uncle Sinjin, the Duke of Devonwood, to open doors for her. At Lord Pearson's ball, the host shuns her, but his son, Walter, finds the American farmer's daughter entrancing. Theo, conscripted into the Royal Navy and exiled to Australia, returns to London. Convinced the Grayson family caused his being inducted into the navy, and now a destitute and desperate deserter, he plans his revenge on the Duke of Devonwood and his brother, Adelle's father. After jumping ship in Istanbul, the formerly pompous youth, now transformed into a dangerous, hardened man, cons his way home, and stalks the family while learning to use a gun. Adding burglar and murderer to his resume, he realizes the error of his ways and flees. The family hopes he's gone for good. After a double wedding with Moria and Simon, Walter and Adelle, with the support of their families, devote their lives to children their own, and many London orphans. Along the way, Adelle learns about love: the love of her family, of Walter, and of many other people in her life. It changes her in ways she could never have imagined. Now there doth remain faith, hope, love these three; and the greatest of these is love.