((FULL VERSION AVAILABLE ON KINDLE, 9/9/14!)) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack's a preacher's handsome son and Jill's a drunkard's daughter... Jill is a melancholy girl, strange to most; cursed to others. Her home is an isolated village where old superstitions are the key to normality. She is shunned by the townspeople because she is different–because she was born with an unusual birthmark. No one will associate with Jill outside her family, and even they treat her as something that ought to be condemned. And then there is Jack. Jack is the blessed sort–the son of Minister Hilton. He accompanies Jill to the well every day to draw water for the sanctuary. They are not friends, yet he is the only one who has ever been kind to her. There is something about Jack that Jill cannot seem to wrap her mind around. He is different from the rest of them but she can’t say how. She tries to keep herself from wondering about him, telling herself that his secrets can’t matter to her. They can never be close. But as time passes and the town grows more hostile toward her, any kind of friend– even an unacknowledged one–could prove valuable.

Holly's new, young teacher has a dark past, and a dangerous future. She soon finds herself charmed by his ways, and gets thrown into the chaos. Who knew having an ex-gangster for a teacher could be so troublesome? As Holly and Mr. Heywood grow closer, more questions about his past come upon Holly, as does danger. What is Mr. Heywood keeping from Holly? And why is it so bad? But most importantly, if she falls for him, could their relationship survive? After all... it would be a proscriptive relationship.