The Apprenticeship of Ebenezer Wells

New Haven, Connecticut, 1821. This historical fiction picks up where The Education of Ebenezer Wells left off. Eb Wells begins his apprenticeship at the law firm of Haines & Haines. Eb and his sister, Malinda, reside together on Elm Street with their uncle, Dr. Ebenezer Cabot. Eb's love interest, Rebecca Harding, now lives in Wethersfield, where she teaches at the academy.

In their first year on the job, Eb and Rebecca flounder. Eb copies too many documents and balks at the tedium of commercial law. To stave off boredom, he tutors his fellow apprentices and writes articles. When he criticizes the American Colonization Society in print, Eb violates the firm's stance of political neutrality-and gets the axe from Haines & Haines. Rebecca also runs aground in her teaching job when her standards for her female students are too high. Her headmaster will not renew her contract.

Meanwhile, love is in the air on Elm Street. Ned Haines, the senior attorney at Haines & Haines, is courting Malinda. While corresponding with Rebecca, Eb finds himself attracted to his sister's companion, Susan Graham. Oblivious to Eb's feelings, Susan falls for Dr. Cabot's dashing new coachman, agreeing to marry him. His friend Charles gives Eb sound advice: Don't tell Rebecca about his crush on Susan. It is water under the bridge. But Eb heedlessly spills the beans to Rebecca-who does not take the news well. And the marriage bar for female teachers continues to loom over their love.

Double debacles. Eb has screwed up his chances with both women and gotten himself fired. Can he recoup his professional reputation? Or return to Rebecca's good graces?

The Apprenticeship of Ebenezer Wells can be read as a standalone, but it is the second book in a tetralogy, The Litchfield Chronicles. For the prequel, read Book 1, The Education of Ebenezer Wells. The sequels are Book 3, The Trial of Ebenezer Wells, and Book 4, The Education of Johanna Wells, which leaps forward to 1838.