Such had been her life for the past three years. Nathan was working toward promotion; she was rebuilding the business, and although they loved each other; they weren't quite ready to get married yet. His shore-leave visits were rare, and she felt like they were too focused on their individual lives.
A knock came at the door as she set the kettle on the fire and she smiled, knowing who it was. Loyalty's only other salvation from a world of constant work and loneliness was her closest friend, Jerrico.
When she had first met Jerrico, a handsome King's Guard with bright blue eyes and a shining smile, she’d thought she was in love. He had come to their house weekly when her mother was contracted to do some of the palace laundry. It was their biggest contract, and the bonus was Jerrico's visits. However, even at 12, she’d learned quickly that what she was experiencing with the 16-year-old Jerrico was not romantic love. It was more like a meeting of twin souls. Jerrico and Loyalty were alike in all the ways that mattered, and different in all the ways that they needed to be. She was a calm, normal breath in his chaotic, seemingly glamorous life. He was always sunny to her sometimes pessimistic, and she was healthy to his weakness. Because as beautiful and healthy as Jerrico seemed, he was plagued by a mysterious illness that often left him unable to work for days on end. There were fevers, chills, fainting spells and tremors; things that would have put a normal guard out of work. However, Jerrico was practically guard royalty, his father and his father before him, so his captain let him out of work whenever he showed up looking like death. Loyalty's house was his sick bed, close to the palace, but far enough away for no one to see him recover for a weekend. As her mother did before her when she discovered it, she spent days by the fire listening to his labored breathing and bringing cool compresses. In return, Jerrico brought her anything that he could from the palace to make her life bearable, and ensured that her palace laundry contract was always intact. It was a good trade.
Today was a scheduled visit; so she wasn't concerned when she opened the door to find him carrying three bags of laundry. It was a task for a lower-ranking guard, but he always made sure it was him. Loyalty sometimes found herself wondering, though, if Jerrico did anything besides visit her. He always seemed to get the best duties when he wasn’t with her, and an obscene amount of leave. He was very friendly, with a wonderful smile, and she wondered if he had gotten in good with someone at the palace.
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. Neverthel
ess, 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
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Also by Jessie Bennett
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
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
The Inheritance Saga Series
1. To Capture The Duke’s Heart, http://amzn.to/2bByirX
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.
Regency Romance: To Capture The Duke’s Heart (CLEAN Historical Romance) (The Inheritance Saga) Page 21
