A very well structured story that tells of a love triangle
between Lucy Markle, Tom and Will Grail. The story is told from the perspective of Lucy cousin who
details the events that occurred in the small town of Pine Ridge, Pennsylvania
during the early 1900's.
The Markles were THE prominent family of Pine Mills, Pennsylvania. Lucy Markle and Will Grail are childhood sweethearts. In the past,
Lucy had pursued Will, but Will would never commit. Will's cousin Tom, seeing an opportunity, begins courting Lucy and eventually asks her to
marry him. Lucy, not seeing any reaction from Will and not wanting to be an old maid, accepts Tom's offer half-heartedly. Lucy and Tom
become engaged but before they can marry, Tom is called off to fight in World War I.
Tom dies a hero's death in the jungle but his body is never found. Will, also called off to fight, comes back alive
and has his eye on Lucy. Never *in love* with Tom, Lucy begins to canonize Tom's memory and begins to devote her life to
the preservation of his memory. Will's advances toward Lucy are thwarted due to the guilt she feels of possibly disgracing
Tom's memory by marrying. Will tries to woo her unsuccessfully for several years and eventually gives up
trying.
As the years roll by, Lucy inherits the family fortune and becomes the matriarch of the
town, giving money to several worthy causes in Pine Mills. Tom's pictures still adorn her house, but she begins
to notice that her devotion to Tom (now deceased a decade)is becoming awkward. She ages, but his immortal picture
always stays the same. Realizing her devotion has been a waste of her life, she looks at the possibility of a relationship
with Will. The question is: is Will, spurned all these years by the ghost of his cousin, Tom, willing
to reunite with Lucy?
You'll have to read the book to find out the rest. To place and order for "Always Young and Fair," click here to request a book search. Hopefully, this great little novel will come back in print.