Stephen McHattie

At last, Emily has completed her very first novel, and she’s chosen her beloved Teddy Kent to read it. But when Teddy responds with brutal honesty, Emily is devastated—until a real crisis takes her on an extraordinary journey. She revisits the richly inspiring events of her past, and is given a tantalizing glimpse of a possible future where her greatest dream comes true.

Forbidden by Isabel to enter the ôIsland Romance Contestö, Emily writes ôIsabella of the Highlandsö, an innocent love story with Isabel as the protagonist who loves and loses the great poet, Lord Byron. Ilse finds the story and secretly enters it in the contest. The story wins first prize and is printed on the front page of the Charlottetown Patriot. Emily is shocked but Isabel is outraged and hauls Emily and Laura to Charlottetown to renounce...

It’s no secret that Three-toed Alice Miller, Perry’s mother, murdered her husband with an ax ten years ago. Despite teasing from the school children, Perry has long since buried the memory and started a new life. When Aunt Thom arrives in Blair Water, Perry immediately senses trouble. His instinct foreshadows Aunt Thom’s plans to bust Alice Miller out of prison. Emily, Ilse, Teddy and Perry travel with Aunt Thom to an oratory contest in Shrewsbury...

Deeply in love for the first time, Jimmy Murray plans to build Eve a dream house overlooking the ocean. Still, Eve is pregnant. Emily decides it must be ôimmaculate conceptionö and shocks the town by distributing a petition to have Pope Leo XIII recognize Eve as a Saint. A secret rendezvous between Jimmy and Eve is interrupted by the arrival of the Kinch family. There is a struggle and Abner Kinch is killed. But by who? Refusing to give testimony...

Emily and Ilse battle with issues of “Truth” when they involve themselves in Laura’s love life. Laura’s pure love for Dr. Burnley haunts her as wedding preparations are finalized for her and Ian Bowles. Emily and Ilse are beside themselves with joy when they hear that Laura may call off the wedding. Before Laura can break the news to Ian, an unexpected twist of events descends on New Moon leaving everyone scrambling for answers.

A bright and beautiful day at New Moon Farm: Jimmy returns home, and the Murrays rejoice. The atmosphere in the old house is suddenly buoyant. But the family soon learns that they’ve unwittingly become part of a pact with Blair Water’s devil-in-residence: Ian Bowles, who has finagled a share in the farm and is now in a position to control their lives. It’s a problem that needs a solution. Enter Jack Haszard, the young wanderer encountered...

Baby Ollie Murray is abandoned by his father on the Murrays' doorstep . Isabel determines that Ollie will be sent to an orphanage. Horrified by this, Emily, Ilse and Perry decide to reunite Ollie with his mother Maida Flynn. Tucking Ollie in a wheelbarrow, the three embark on a clandestine quest full of high hopes and romantic thoughts about motherhood. Their youthful idealism and their hopes of finding Maida dissolve before Aunt Thom, Perry's...

Emily writes an anonymous gossip column titled, “KICKING THE CAT.” When people in the community act on Emily and Ilse’s advice concerning matters of the heart, misunderstandings pile on top of misinformation. Mr. Carpenter’s arrival creates even greater turmoil when he and Isabel Murray fall in love.

Tragedy strikes New Moon as Aunt Elizabeth is lost at sea. Adding to Emily, Laura and Jimmy's worries is the fact that Elizabeth has borrowed heavily from the family's Scottish relatives to finance New Moon. These unknown relatives are, de facto, the owners of their home.

The Murrays are devastated by the loss of Elizabeth: Jimmy confesses his deep affection for her and Emily realizes that she was their protectress. Trying to escape her fears, Laura is becoming addicted to laudanum. Having offered the Scottish Murrays all her worldly possessions in return for New Moon, Emily receives a letter announcing that the relatives are on their way to PEI to claim what is theirs.