A Brazen Lady And The Shunned Duke (Faces of Love Series #3)
Page 7
Whatever it was, though, she was glad of it. His company when Nathan was away was much appreciated. Besides, Jerrico was the last link to her parents. He remembered her mother and her father when it seemed like no one else did. Jerrico had an amazing memory, and he often found a way to bring up memories she had long forgotten.
“Just drop them anywhere,” she said as he did just that, stepping inside. “You're a little bit early.”
“It's a busy day,” he replied, indicated by the fact that he was already in uniform. “George decided to throw a banquet.”
“Which George?” she asked as she sorted through the bags. She never commented on the fact that Jerrico was so close to the royal family that he didn't bother to give them titles. She had no idea whether he was talking about the king or the prince in any conversation unless she asked.
“The king,” he replied, leaning against the wall with a yawn. When his yawn turned into a cough, she whipped her head around. “I'm fine,” he said and held up his hands defensively. “I just ate on the way, which was too fast.”
“Are you sure?” she looked at him suspiciously.
“I'm sure,” he said, and indeed, he did look fine. With color in his cheeks and a sparkle in his eye, Jerrico attract ladies wherever he went. However as a King's Guard with a secret, he didn't feel that he could offer them a stable life. As far as Loyalty knew, there had never been a serious woman in his life. “Besides, Nathan is due to arrive today, isn't he? Wouldn't it damper the mood if I was here?”
“Are you insulting my virtue, sir?” She raised an eyebrow. She knew he was teasing, but it was hard for the two of them. Without being married, she and Nathan even holding hands in the street put her virtue at risk, and she didn’t want that. Even if it meant standing slightly apart from Nathan, she tried to remain respectable when she could.
“Since you're not a princess, does it matter?” he teased right back and she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, from what I saw Charlotte go through, you are quite lucky that you don't have to worry about any of the things she does. She had all of us in a tizzy because she couldn't find a muff that she had thrown out last month and forgotten about since.”
Loyalty was well versed in Princess Charlotte's ridiculousness. The only child of the Crown Prince, Charlotte was Jerrico's favorite to tease. She was spoiled, stuck up, and enough to drive anyone mad. Since she had passed away in childbirth, it seemed Jerrico spoke of her with a little more fondness. However, he had teased her in life, and he wasn't going to let up now, although it was clear that he missed having someone young around the palace, even if it was just to guard them. Court life in itself was full of gossip and things far less virtuous than Nathan spending the night with Loyalty before they were officially married, and she reminded Jerrico of that, making him laugh.
His eyes sparkled as he glanced at her. “And since you are not a princess, the only thing that matters in that respect is whether I can steal him away for an hour tonight for a drink.”
“No, you cannot,” she replied as she moved the bags closer to the fire, where she would eventually dunk the clothing into boiling water. “Not on the first night he's home and I don't care how close you two are. Although,” she straightened and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “I am glad that you are, though. Friends, I mean. My two worlds have collided happily.”
“Of course we are,” Jerrico bestowed her with another smile. “We both love you, don't we? Now,” he took out a sack of coins, her payment for the laundry, and handed it over. “Don't spend it all in one place. I should get back. I'll be by tomorrow then, if you like?”
“I can cook dinner, if you can behave,” she replied, putting the coins into her apron pocket. She was grateful for the prompt payment, although she didn't let on how grateful she actually was. Without it, the only thing she would have had to feed Nathan was thin cabbage soup and crusts from last night. The palace contract seemed to be the only thing keeping her going.
“I can't promise that, but I will be back,” Jerrico said, taking her hand and kissing it. “Milady.”
“Go away,” she said, and he laughed, heading out the door and leaving her to her thoughts. He obeyed, heading off to work. It wouldn't surprise her one day if Jerrico was Captain of the Guards, and if Nathan's brilliance made him captain of a ship.
Two captains and a laundress weren’t exactly the types of stories that bards sang about, but it was going to have to be enough for her.
She knew his ship wasn't due in until midday, so it meant that she had some time to start the laundry, and hang some of it to dry. Not that Nathan would have minded if she had some work to do while he was here--he usually had mounds of paperwork to do. Nathan was being fast tracked for a strategic officer’s position, and he usually spent hours planning attacks and poring over old battle reports. She took an interest where she could, but things like that often seemed miles away. She knew that he faced danger on the seas, and she knew that there was death, but it wasn't at her front door. As connected as she felt to him, his job was a world away from their nights together.
Stoking the fire to get the water to boil faster, Loyalty briefly considered what hat she would wear. To avoid stares in public, she often wore a wide brimmed hat with a veil to cover her birthmark. It got raised eyebrows, but it was nothing compared to the stares she received on account of her appearance.
The hours flew by, despite how excited she was to meet him, and soon it was time to leave. She had a smile on her face as she left, excited to see her love again. She wasn't a princess; she didn't live in a palace or have riches and servants. Nevertheless, despite all of that, she was happy, she didn't want for anything. In the moment, everything seemed perfect.
Everything was about to change.
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Acknowledgement
Thank you for taking your time and energy to read “A Brazen Lady And The Shunned Duke”. Without your continuous support, I would not have written this book.
Wherever you are, I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. I also want to thank my wonderful Facebook fans, my advance copy reviewers and beta readers in advance for making this series a success
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Also by Jessie Bennett
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Faces of Love Series
1. Thawing A Duke’s Heart (4.5 Stars - 21 Reviews), http://amzn.to/290xKuC
2. The Lady’s Torn Heart (4.2 Stars - 18 Reviews) , http://amzn.to/299i5Ej
3. A Brazen Lady And The Shunned Duke (4.5 Stars - 15 Reviews), http://amzn.to/2a1xKJn
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The Chronicles of Loyalty Series
The Secret Princess, http://amzn.to/2aVyfZ0
Revealing A Marchioness’s Heart (4.6 Stars - 18 Reviews), http://amzn.to/2akj6OP
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The Inheritance Saga Series
1. To Capture The Duke’s Heart,
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Publisher’s Notes
This book is copyright © 2016 by JESSIE BENNETT.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author/publisher. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.