The Lady’s Torn Heart (Faces of Love Series #2)

C
opyright
©
2016 by JESSIE BENNETT & CREATIVE CLEAN HISTORICAL ROMANCE FICTION PUBLISHING HOUSE LLC.

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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.

F
ind Out More
…

A
bout The Author

Jessie Bennett is an obsessed romantic freak. She loves historical romance stories. Recently, she discovered another interest within the historical romance, which is Regency Romance stories. She wants to use her ideas, knowledge and interest of the regency era to spin out characters that readers wants to read. She aspires to be the next Jane Austen that combine grace, love, and simplicity to delight readers to find their happy endings.

She lives in Norfolk county, England most of the her time. When she's not writing, you will find her walking down the countryside with her husband and her beloved dog.

“….
“
A
lady's
imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment”~
Jane Austen
(December 16, 1775 - July 18, 1817)

C
an
a Duke with a broken heart find the missing piece in the smile of beautiful Lady Julia Summers, who is struggling to take the right path in life?

Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Fitzsimmons is a kind, patient man, although the aura of sadness about him is clearly felt by all. When Lady Julia learns his tragic secret, she cannot help but desire to comfort him, although she fears that she can offer him nothing except friendship since her heart seems to belong to Lord James Patterson. Her friendship means more to him than life itself, coming as a balm to his troubled heart when he needs it, but he desires more from her when he realizes his true feelings for her.

When his heart’s desire is to win the heart of the woman he loves, it is only through the betrayal of another that he has a chance to make his feelings known to her.

Will the handsome Lieutenant-Colonel finally have happiness in his life with the beautiful woman of his dreams, or will her attachment to a rogue with no means of supporting her thwart his dreams of happily ever after?

I
hesitated
. “Yes,” I said finally.

“
B
ut you don't want
to leave James,” she finished for me.

I
blushed at my transparency
.

“
I
think
it might be a good idea,” Gaffton chimed in firmly. It would give you both some time to get some perspective.”

“
I
agree
,” I said. “I thought about going for that reason. But then I wonder if that would be fair to Fitzwilliam.”

* * *

I
fussed
with the wrinkles in my dress as I finally approached Mary’s home. She had been Duchess of Gaffton for the past two years. I had rarely seen her during that time. It was understandable, for not only was she a new wife, but also a new mistress to a home bigger than I think any of us Withington daughters could have expected for ourselves.

I was anxious to see her again. Mary had been my closest sister, and her leaving had been a hard reminder to me that soon we would all go our separate ways. I had convinced my mother to allow me to spend the season with her in the country rather than go to the townhouse with the rest of the family. She wasn’t happy about it. It was a season wasted in her mind.

Mary needed me now, though. She was only weeks away from the birth of her first child. She could use the companionship, and in all honesty, I could use the time away from our mother.

Finally, the coach pulled up to the front of Mary’s vast estate. It was an older home with ivy climbing its gray stone walls. It was beautiful in my eyes. There was all the servants and Mary out to meet me. It was a little harder than expected to get out of the coach. I hadn’t realized that sitting for so long had stiffened my joints.

I had no sooner left the coach before finding myself wrapped in my sister's arms. Tears brimmed in our eyes as we embraced each other. It had been far too long.

“Mary, look at you!” I exclaimed, pulling away from her.

I couldn’t tell what the bigger change was in her appearance, the fine, costly dress or her round belly. Mary had never been one for fine things, but I guess being a Duchess did that to you. I rubbed her belly affectionately.

“Hello, sweet little one. I am hoping you will be a Juliette.”

“Don’t have your heart set on it,” a male voice called from behind Mary. I stood to see the Duke of Gaffton coming down the front steps with Clarisse huffing at his heels.

Mary rolled her eyes. “Gaffton is sure that it’s going to be a boy.”

Gaffton took my hand and kissed it affectionately.

“Pleasure to see you again, Your Grace,” I said with a small curtsey.

“Aw, dash it all. We are all family here.” He put his arm lovingly around his wife. “And it is going to be a boy, I just know it.” He winked down at her.

In the short time I had known Gaffton before their marriage, he had been stiff and formal; he was a different man now. The union had settled well with him.

“Come now, Julia,” Mary waved me into the house. “Let us have a seat in the drawing room and you can tell me all about your trip.”

“There is not much to tell. I sat for a really long time.”

“Are you sure you don't want to lie down and rest?” Gaffton asked of his wife in concern. “You have been fussing about all day to get the house ready and arrange the dinner party tonight. I think a rest would do you good. I am sure Julia wouldn’t mind. She might even want to go straight to her room herself.”

Mary waved him off. “This one has really been getting on my nerves,” she said to me. “He fusses over me nonstop. Thinks I am breakable or something.” She turned back to her husband. “I am not tired in the least, my love.”

He gave a huff of indignation.

“I promise, Your Grace,” I said as he raised an eyebrow at me. “I mean, Gaffton, I promise she will do nothing but sit in the drawing room. I won't even let her pour the tea. I have come to make things easier, not harder. Just think of me as additional helpful hands.”

“Don’t you dare take his side,” Mary accused me.

“I’m not taking sides. I’ll just be a good compromise for the both of you.”

I followed them into the house. Gaffton waved toward several rooms, giving me a basic tour of the place. I watched as servants quietly took my belongings upstairs to my room. Finally, Gaffton excused himself to some work. He left us at the drawing room doors. He gave me a final welcoming bid and his wife a sweet kiss on the head before making his way to his office. Clarisse started to follow him. He stopped her and told her to stay with her mistress. Clarisse complied and came back to sit next to Mary. I was shocked by how well the little dog listened to him. She never listened to any of us at our family home.

Mary and I took our seats in her lush drawing room and tea was immediately served. I was a little taken aback at how smoothly things ran around her.

“How have you settled into your new life?” I asked as I poured the tea.

Mary was reclining on a loveseat. I even noticed she kicked her slippers off for comfort.

“They are swelling terribly,” she said as she rubbed her ankles. “They say it is normal at this point in the pregnancy. Just awfully annoying. I suppose I have settled in well. It has been a big adjustment, though. Luckily, Gaffton isn’t crazy about society. I would be happy to stay in our little country home for the rest of our lives, and I think he would too.”

“And little Juliette? How has she been faring?”

Mary rubbed her swollen belly for a minute. “Very active,” she replied with a smile.

“It suits you well,” I complimented.

“Hopefully, motherhood will too.” I could hear the nervousness in her voice.

“I know you will be superb at it,” I encouraged her.