Read Online A Brazen Lady And The Shunned Duke (Faces of Love Series #3) by Jessie Bennett - Free Book Online Page B

Marchioness’s Heart is a Novel with 380 pages.
    If you have enjoyed reading my books so far, I believe you will be interested in checking out this book.
    I have enclosed below more preview of this book:

    * * *
    I t was just past dawn when Loyalty awoke, her mind already racing with all the things she needed to do that day. The HMS Adventure was due to arrive in port today after a long trip, and she was eager to be there when it arrived, fresh and smiling. Her suitor, Midshipman Nathan Rambles was on board, and she wanted nothing more than to see him, even if it meant waiting until all the officers and the fanfare came off the ship first.
    Loyalty was not normally a morning person, but Nathan was worth waking up early to greet. She rolled over, reaching for the glass of water beside her bed, and then sat. She had been up late the night before finishing all the things that needed to be done. Nathan was home so rarely that she didn’t want work to interrupt them if she could help it. It might be unconventional for a woman to work, but Nathan didn’t mind. Besides, they couldn’t get by on only his income right now, so it made sense for her to continue to work.
    In addition, she liked working. She was honoring her parents, and she was providing for herself should something happen. Things happened to sailors every day; she knew that. It wasn’t that she wished it, of course not. However, Loyalty was prepared for anything.
    Meeting Nathan three years ago had been the moment she was sure that she had a future. He had been standing in the center of the square, just a sailor then, helping his commanding officer with signups for the new recruits. Nathan was already ear marked then as the potential genius that he was, assisting in tasks above his pay grade. He was shy, awkward, his social skills seeming to lend energy to his brilliance. There was something about the way he was thinking, the way he looked, concentrating, that caught her attention. She had fallen in love with him being shy at first, and after many shy, awkward lunches in the square and walks home, Nathan had revealed that he felt the same. The rest was history. She knew she was going to spend the rest of her life with him; she just wasn’t sure when that could realistically begin.
    Loyalty lived a simple life in the center of London. At 18 years old, she should have been married already, with a few children clinging to her skirts. However, typical was not the way her life went. Her parents had always told her that she was different, special, that they had chosen her. They had adopted her when her birth parents had died of plague when she was just a baby. They had not cared at all for the large birthmark that covered half her face and neck; they told her repeatedly that she was beautiful, until she almost believed it. When the other children had made fun of her, her parents turned her mind to other things, such as business and assisting them. Soon, Loyalty found herself barely caring when she looked into a shiny surface; looks weren't everything. Nathan had never so much as mentioned it, seeing a strong and kindred soul in her eyes. Besides, neither of them were royalty, born to glitz and glamour. They were born into hard work and struggle, with dirty fingernails and stained clothes. It was a meeting of the minds, and eventually the heart.
    Although they were poor, Loyalty had never wanted for anything. Her parents both ran their own businesses, as successfully as single-person businesses could be. Her father had run a print shop until his death, a heart attack on the floor one day. Her mother had run a laundry business, able to remove stains even from the whitest of fabrics, and fold sheets with perfect corners. The money from the sale of her father's print shop had kept them afloat for several years, combined with her mother's laundry income. Nevertheless, life was tough in London, with harsh winters, and her mother started to lose her stamina over the years. When