AND YOU THOUGHT A ROLEX WAS GREAT...by Marisa Masterson

 Patek Phillipe. Have you ever heard of the company? I hadn't but it was exactly the watch I was looking to include in my next novel.

I wanted a watch that royalty would covet and a wealthy lady of distinction might proudly display on the lapel of the jacket covering her walking dress. Research turned up this brand name. An old brand, actually, that is still in business today.

This company gained acclaim soon after it started in the 1830s because of the owner's design for a keyless watch. Yes, keyless. Watches and clocks required keys to wind them. This company premiered the design to wind using the fob. By 1851, Queen Victoria purchased one and proudly wore it.

In my novel, Sookie's Silence, the wealthy matchmaker wears a Patek Phillippe watch pinned to her mauve walking dress.

The elegantly dressed woman who rose from the room’s single chair stepped around the ripped sofa and held out an inviting hand, palm up. Her clothing and manners brought a longing to Sookie. The woman somehow reminded her of the mother she lost only months before.

The stranger’s clothing fit the elegant air of the woman. A mauve jacket trimmed with gray covered a walking dress of the same color and material. She had a lovely piece of blue jewelry pinned to the lapel. A Patek Phillippe keyless watch, if Sookie was any judge of it.

Sookie's Silence releases in April and readers are able to pre-order now so you won't miss out on the release...

Mildred Crenshaw's latest match in the Westward Home and Hearts Mail-Order Brides series--

The accident that kills her parents leaves Sookie Donaldson mute. She grasps at the chance to be a mail-order bride. The only catch is that she must also be able to teach school.
Since Sookie taught school for a number of years that is no problem. Hopefully in Nebraska, people will welcome any trained teacher--even one who cannot speak. She fits all the requirements outlined by Milly Crenshaw, the matchmaker. The man in Nebraska is a perfect match. She hopes.
Will her surly groom send her back on the first train east when he realizes Sookie is silent? And who is the man who shadows her every movement in her new hometown?
Suddenly, Sookie's silence stands in her way of both happiness and safety.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T6N9TJF