Book excerpt: This sequel to I take thee, Serenity focuses on two intertwined love stories. One is the continuing story of Peter and Serenity Holland, married at the end of the earlier book, as they face the difficult stresses of building two careers while also trying to meet the needs of Ross, their little boy. The other love story is as delightful and springlike as anything in fiction, yet its two lovers are both in their seventies. Oliver Otis, a seventy-eight year old widower, has been a wise mentor to Peter and Serenity and hopes they will carry on at Firbank after he is gone. Now he falls headlong in love with a woman with the remarkable name of Loveday Mead, who has come to the little Quaker village of Kendal in some material about her mother's family. Both stories lead through many difficulties that stem from the pressures and prejudices of our modern life. And both are brought to their satisfying conclusions through the influence of the Quaker way.