A Bloom of a Blacksmith

An orphaned flower girl. A shy blacksmith. Employers with an ulterior motive and all the time in the world.

Living together as husband and wife for several thousand years might seem unrealistic for most couples, but for Stella and Darius, a long life has allowed them to enjoy numerous interests and indulge in various avocations, doing so in a number of countries. They have paid witness to cataclysmic events, wars, political upheavals, and pandemics, surviving all of them due to their immortality.

There was a time they might have been considered gods, but mortals these days would not tolerate such a claim. It's far better to simply blend into a society and stay until their lack of aging becomes noticeable. As the largest city in the world in 1832, London offers an excellent place in which to settle for a decade or two. Unable to resist the urge to become involved in other people's lives—especially those who are in search of a spouse—they are the Immortal Matchmakers of Mayfair.

A shy blacksmith of twenty-five, Angus Thompson is convinced the steam-powered vehicle he is helping an eccentric inventor to develop will revolutionize transportation. Life in London is proving lonely, though, and his living situation is growing intolerable. How does a man find a woman to marry in the capital? His question to his new employer seems to send Darius into a quandary—and his wife Stella on a mission to find him a match. When he's enlisted to help move a young woman's belongings to the apartment above Stella's bookshop, he experiences a revelation—unexpected attraction and love at first sight.

Stunned by the sudden death of her brother, flower girl Iris O'Connor finds herself not only without a protector, but also without means—her funds are no longer available to her. When she is found by Stella weeping outside a bank, she has no choice but to accept the position the woman with a strange accent offers her—to work as a clerk in her bookshop in exchange for a place to live. She can't help but think there might be more to Stella's plans for her, though—plans that involve a certain blacksmith.

Much can happen in only a week, even more when meddling matchmakers are involved.

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