A Duke's Promise: Regency Romance (Secrets of London) by Joyce Alec

Author:Joyce Alec [Alec, Joyce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-28T18:30:00+00:00

10

Try as she might, Sophia simply could not sleep. She had not so much as undressed, sitting by the dying embers of the fire with a book in her hand, although her eyes remained entirely unseeing as she looked at the lines within it.

The hour was late and still Sophia worried, her stomach turning over each time she thought about the house party that the duke was to host. She was terrified that he would ask her to join Sarah at some point and that she would have no choice but to step into the room filled with guests, aware of just how lowly her new position was. What was worse was that she was now concerned that one of the guests might recognize her, aware that she was Viscount Brookridge’s sister, and that question after question would follow – along with a few mocking glances and scornful laughs.

Sighing to herself, Sophia tried to untie the knot of worry that had settled in her stomach but try as she might to calm her fractious mind, it would not leave her. Instead, it grew all the tighter, sending her heart fluttering, as she thought about what was to come.

“This is ridiculous,” she said aloud, getting to her feet and walking to the mantlepiece to fetch a candle. “You just need to talk to the duke.”

It was much easier said than done, however, for the thought of talking to the duke and telling him her worries and fears was not something she had ever done before. She had kept secret as much of her past and her family situation as she could, not wanting to tell him the shameful truth that she had been turned out from her own family’s home.

Patting the locket that now sat around her neck, hidden entirely by the high collar of her dress, Sophia closed her eyes and let the wave of homesickness wash over her. It was not homesickness for her brother, but rather a longing for the life she’d once had with a happy, loving father and a gregarious, kind-natured brother. How much life had changed!

And yet, she had the blessing of Sarah in her life now. She was as loving and as sweet as could be, filling every day of Sophia’s life with happiness. It took away the pain and agony that had been tearing at her heart, making her smile all the more ready and her heart all the more open to joy and delight. It was only the prospect of the houseguests that dimmed those a little.

“Well, come the morrow, I shall speak to him,” Sophia determined aloud, opening the bedroom door, and with a candle in hand, slowly made her way along the dark hallways until she found the library door.

The library was one of her greatest delights in living under the duke’s roof and she could not help but appreciate her good fortune in finding an employer so willing to allow her to read his books freely. The novel she

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.