A Lady’s Search of Love and Redemption (Preview)

Chapter One

“Mary did not believe the family curse. She thought it did not exist. Mary thought that the world would only keep spinning for her, until she found the husband of her dreams. And so the young girl, just a few days from 20, rejected match after match after match that her parents made for her. Her 20th birthday came and went, and Mary thought nothing of it.”

Beatrice watched Florentia, her young cousin, lean forward, as her Grandmother Deborah read from the book that she knew so well. Beatrice was thrilled have Florentia visit. The two girls were practically sisters, and Beatrice did not feel that she got enough time with her young cousin. However, what she didn’t enjoy about her visits was that Deborah insisted on reading from the family book every time the girls were together. Beatrice had heard this story half a hundred times before, and yet Deborah kept reading it.

“Mary continued to reject match after match. A month after she became twenty years old, she woke up feeling flushed. Mary just assumed it was the heat of the summer day, and said nothing of it to her parents. But as the days went on, Mary struggled to feel like herself again. A month after her 20th birthday, Mary did not come down for supper. Confused, her parents went up to her room. There, to their horror, they found young Mary dead. Mary had died of the family curse; another victim who did not understand that she must be married when she was 20 or disaster would come. Mary did not heed the warning that had come from generations before her; of fires and floods, illnesses and bad luck. Mary did not believe, and so she succumbed to the curse that was put upon the bloodline.”

Beatrice fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was a book supposedly written by members of their own family. The book apparently was added to every time the curse was activated, and the young girl’s name and her story was recorded in the hopes that she would be the last one to die. Golden haired Beatrice, though, wasn’t interested in the stories she had heard before.

“Grandmother,” she said, kindly. She was rarely rude, although she was described as having a strong character. Whenever Beatrice was bored, she usually let her mind drift to the pictures she could be painting. Beatrice preferred to be painting rather than doing anything else, and when she couldn’t do that, she tried to find entertainment in another way that was proper to the only daughter of an earl. In this case, she was extremely glad that 18-year-old Florentia, and her mother, Ruth, had come to visit. She loved her cousin very much, even if she did find her a little bit naive. Beatrice thought that Florentia was the closest thing that she would have to be being a sister, and she cherished her views, except when it came to the book. With the book, it seemed that Florentia was eager to listen to every word and abide by it. She didn’t know why it bothered her younger cousin so much. If anything it should be Beatrice who was afraid, as she was a year older. “Perhaps you could read from one of the other chapters?”

“No,” Deborah said. “I will not. This is the chapter that you need to listen to.”

“But…” Beatrice started. “Maybe just one of the others? We have heard this one so many times before.”

“And yet you have not listened to its lesson,” Deborah said. “You have not got married yet.”

“I know,” Beatrice said. “But according to that book, I still have time.”

Her grandmother fixed her with a stare.

“Beatrice,” she said. “You are 19. You do not have much time left.”

“But I do,” Beatrice said. “For I am only 19 and a half, and Mary had until a month after her 20th birthday. That is plenty of time.”

“That’s not plenty of time,” Florentia cried. “Especially if you have to meet a man, and then convince him to marry you.”

“Convince him to marry me?” Beatrice shot an eyebrow up. She was just teasing her younger cousin and she tried to be gentle about it, for she knew Florentia did not often pick up on the fast that she was speaking in jest. “Oh, I must convince him, must I?”

Florentia blushed.

“You know what I mean,” she replied.

“Of course,” Beatrice gave her a little nudge. “What about you? Is there no man who catches your fancy?”

“Not yet,” Florentia said, and looked back up at their grandmother. “Who was Mary to you, Grandmother? How was she related to you?”

“She was my grandmother’s sister,” she said. “And of course, I never met her. I only heard my grandmother speak of her, and how much she missed her and wished that she’d listened to the family curse.”

“Grandmother,” Beatrice said. “How is it that we came to be cursed?”

“I can’t speak of it, child,” Deborah replied.

“Perhaps if you read about it in the book?” Beatrice asked. “Maybe one of the other chapters mentions it?”

“It does not,” Deborah answered. “Besides, how we came to be cursed is not your concern. The fact is that we are cursed, and we must do everything we can prevent it.”

Beatrice sighed. All she wanted her grandmother to do was read another part; perhaps a part that she hadn’t read before. However, it seemed that Deborah was fixated on this one story today.

“Now, ladies,” Deborah said. “You must understand that being married is something the family depends on. After all, you wouldn’t want your mothers to have put all this work into raising you, only to have you pass away tragically because you didn’t abide by the family curse, would you?”

Florentia looked terrified at that.

“No, Grandmother,” she said.

“What if the family curse has been lifted?” Beatrice decided to ask. “What if the family curse is no more, and it’s been no more for generations, and yet we’ve been forcing women to marry?”

Deborah raised her eyebrow.

“Do you want to take the chance?” she asked.

“No,” Beatrice said, even though she thought she might want to. “But Grandmother, I cannot think of anything worse than just marrying someone because I am 20. What if he is a horrible man?”

Her Grandmother looked appalled.

“Do you not trust your family?”

“Of course I do,” Beatrice said.

“Then you must trust us and the match that we make for you,” Deborah replied. “We would never in our lives give you an unsuitable match.”

“But what if you do not know he is unsuitable?” Beatrice asked. “For example, what if he reveals his true colours only later on in the marriage?”

“Who are you speaking of?” Florentia asked

“Oh, no one,” Beatrice answered. She could think of a few of her friends who were in such situations.

“Did I ever tell you the story of the Duchess Cecily?” Deborah asked. “She was generations ago, but she was the same age as you. The Duchess had wild ideas in her head, to find a match that would allow her to live out her wild ways. She lived in the countryside because she had been cast out of court at 18.”

“Cast out of court?” Florentia put her hand to her mouth. “And she was in our family?”

“She was a very, very distant relative,” Deborah said. “And as I mentioned, it was generations ago. But yes, she was cast out of court and sent to live in her family’s country estate. She thought the curse was not real. She did tell everyone, though, that if it was real, perhaps she should live out her last days.”

“And so?” Florentia asked.

“And so, she threw wild balls almost every month. She invited everyone she came into contract with, and those at her party were…from all sorts,” Deborah wrinkled her nose. Beatrice knew that she was supposed to be horrified, but instead, she was picturing these parties.

“Where did she meet these people?” she asked.

“Her country estates were near the water,” she said. “So she met British officers, and privateers. And even pirates. It was a pirate she fell in love with. A pirate who swore he would join the military for her; live a life that was loyal to the Queen rather than carrying on with his fiendish ways.”

“Well, that actually sounds lovely,” Beatrice said.

“Oh yes,” Deborah replied. “And even better than that, this pirate was the second son of a duke, so it would have been acceptable for her to marry him…if he wasn’t a pirate.”

“What happened?” Florentia asked, on the edge of her sea.

“Well, the pirate was called away on business,” Deborah said. “And so their wedding was delayed. She turned 20 and he, aware of the family curse, came home as soon as he could. They married quickly…perhaps they were in love, but perhaps she simply came to believe in the curse after all.”

“Oh?” Florentia asked. “So what happened?”

“A minute after they said their vows, as they were walking back down the aisle…the young duchess collapsed on the church floor. She was gone.”

Despite the fact that Deborah had used gentle language, Florentia seemed terrified. She reached for Beatrice’s hand. Beatrice, however, was a little more skeptical

“She passed away then and there on the church floor?” she asked Deborah. “What a terrible thing. But I’ve never heard such a story before.”

“No, of course you haven’t,” Deborah said. “That is not a story I could tell you girls when you were young. This is only a story that I can tell you now that you are older, and understand the ways of the world.”

“It sounds absolutely terrifying,” Florentia said. “And imagine, being in love and yet not being able to live your life together. The poor man. What happened to again?”

“He returned to his pirate ways,” Deborah said. “For without his true love, he had no reason to obey the law. They said he died at sea.”

Florentia clutched her chest and looked to Beatrice.

“Can you imagine?” she asked. “How dreadful.”

“It does sound dreadful,” Beatrice said. “Where was this church?”

“Oh, somewhere near here,” Deborah said. “I cannot remember. It is a story that I have tried to keep hidden from you girls for many years, as I did not want to install such fear into you. And I am not trying to install fear into you now. But you have only a season left, Beatrice, do you understand that? The world will not wait for you to decide on a husband that is perfect for you.’

“But aren’t all husbands supposed to be perfect?” Beatrice asked. “After all, isn’t that the point of marriage?”

Deborah laughed and shook her head.

“My girl,” she said. “You have been reading too many fairy tale books. Husbands are not supposed to be perfect.”

“Oh?” she asked. “But….I want them to be likeable, at least. I want them to at least be…someone I can picture spending the rest of my life in the same building with.”

Deborah laughed at that.

“That is a tall order, my girl,” she said.

“But grandmother,” Beatrice asked. “I barely remember Grandfather, but did you not at least like him?”

Deborah paused, and it clear she had not expected that question.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t like him,” she said. “When we got married, I was just 17, and I did not know him. My parents had decided he would be a good match for me, and I accepted their wisdom.”

“Oh,” Beatrice replied. “And then what happened?”

“I grew to like him,” she said. “And I grew to find tiny things about him amusing. I grew also to find his quirks and learn how to tolerate them. When I was young, certain things about him made me feel as if I would explode with anger. As we grew old, though, those things did not matter. By the time I was an old woman of 40, I had been with him longer than I had been apart from him.”

“What things?” Beatrice wanted to know. If she did truly accept this family curse, she wanted to know exactly what she had to learn to tolerate.

“Well…” Deborah said thoroughly “When I was 17, the idea that he would be late for every meal made me want to storm away from the table. I put so much effort into dressing for dinner, and he would come in 10 minutes late almost every day. I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t learn to be on time. It seemed that all he was doing before meals was writing letters, and surely he could put those away. I took it as a personal insult.”

“Oh,” Beatrice said. “I imagine that would bother me quite a bit as well.”

“As we got older, though,” Deborah said. “I came to realise that it wasn’t his fault. He would get lost in his work, and he would try to finish as much of it as possible so he could focus on the conversation at dinner. He did truly try to be on time, and he got better at it. I did learn a valuable lesson through that.”

“That it didn’t matter?” Beatrice asked and Deborah shook her head.

“No,” Deborah said. “That he never knew it bothered me until I mentioned it to him. And once I did mention it, he realised that I was hurt and he never intended for me to be hurt. That was how I knew love could blossom. He did not want me to be hurt, and it became his priority to ensure that I wasn’t.”

“So you did love him!” Florentia cried.

“I did,” Deborah said. “Especially near the end. And while I was a good age to be married, I wished I had married him even younger, so that we could have spent more time together.”

Florentia clutched her heart.

“That is so lovely,” she said, and turned to Beatrice. “Do you think John will ever be that way for me?”

Beatrice’s mouth hung open. She thought Florentia was never going to mention John in front of their grandmother.

Deborah picked up on the conversation right away and shook her head.

“Oh my dear,” she replied “You cannot marry John.”

“I can’t?” Florentia looked confused. “Why can’t I? I mean, he has not proposed, but he is kind and he lives close to me and…”

“John is the 5th son of a baron,” she replied. “That is not a match suitable for you.”

“But that is still nobility,” Florentia protested. “And we have known each other for such a long time. He would make a good husband.”

“No,” Deborah replied “You do not get to pick your own matches. If you did, the world would be overrun with unsuitable marriages.”

“I actually quite like John,” Beatrice said, trying to defend her cousin. “You cannot blame her, Grandmother. Florentia hardly knows another man she isn’t related to. There is no harm in dreaming.”

“Of course there is,” Deborah said. “Girls who walk around with their heads in the clouds are not looked upon as favourable matches.”

“But I’m not doing that when John is around,” Florentia said, clearly missing the point.

“Florentia,” Deborah fixed her with a stare. “Do you not trust your parents?”

“Of course I do,” she replied.

“And do you not believe that, elsewhere in the world, there is a match that is more suitable for you than John?”

Florentia seemed to be frantically searching for an argument.

“In the whole of England?” she asked. “Well, perhaps but…”

“And do you not trust your parents to find you that match?” she asked her.

“Well…” Florentia looked a bit ashamed and hung her head. Beatrice felt bad for her cousin.

“Do you not believe that God would perhaps put a husband in our path for us?” she asked her Grandmother. “Or anyone’s path?”

“You trust God to give your parents that wisdom,” Deborah said. “I trusted my parents and they trusted their parents before them and it did not lead them astray.”

“Well, yes…” Florentia replied. “But…”

“No,” Deborah said, and looked down at the book again. “I do not believe this is a matter of protest, my dear. I believe that you need to hear another story, and perhaps you will understand the importance of finding a husband this season.”

Beatrice knew that she could not sit there any longer. She loved her Grandmother dearly, and she was happy to indulge her. She was even willing to wait long enough to see if her Grandmother opened the book to a page that wasn’t well thumbed through. But when Deborah opened the book to a page Beatrice could recite by heart, the golden haired girl could not listen any longer. Deborah was seated on the sofa, whereas the girls were huddling at her feet, as they had done when they were children. The vast living room held many books and artifacts from their family’s past.

“Oh my!” she let out a fake gasp and reached for Florentia’s hand. Her cousin gave her an odd look.

“What is it?” she asked. “Beatrice, are you well?”

“I am very well,” Beatrice assured her. “I’ve just forgotten that we have important things to do in town.”

“We….do?” Florentia asked, and Beatrice fixed her with a stare.

“Yes,” she said. “You know. I’ve mentioned them to you before.”

Beatrice was concerned that Florentia would not understand what she was trying to do. However, her cousin picked up on the look in her eyes and stood up at once.

“Oh yes,” she said. “I’ve forgotten entirely. I’m so sorry, Grandmother. We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.”

With that, the two girls rushed out of the room, leaving Deborah with the book open in her lap.

Ruth and Matilda, the girls’ mothers, and sisters themselves, had been sitting on the far side of the living room, working on needlepoint and talking. When they saw their daughters rush from the room, they turned to Deborah with a puzzled look. Neither had been particularly listening, because they had each heard the stories in the book many times before. Both of the women believed in the curse, and had married before their 20th birthdays. Each of them was delighted to have first born daughters, and have them be so close.

In this case, however, they were not thrilled to have both their daughters behave in an equally puzzling manner.

“What’s happened?” Ruth, Florentia’s mother, asked Deborah. Deborah closed the book with a sigh.

“It seems Beatrice and Florentia have suddenly remembered that they have important things to do in town,” she said. Once the book was safety on the side table, she hobbled over to her daughters, and sat beside them.

“What important things?” Matilda asked and Deborah shrugged

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I only know that they were so important that they both had to rush out of here.”

Matilda shook her head.

“Sometimes,” she said. “I cannot tell whether Beatrice is really paying attention or just mocking us in her own way.”

“I sometimes cannot tell the same of Florentia,” Ruth said, with a half-smile. “She seems so shy and so gentle but she has a mischievous streak to her.”

“As the two of you did, at that age,” Deborah said, with a smile. Matilda shook her head in disbelief.

“Never,” she cried. “Tell us we were never that flighty.”

“I could tell you that,” Deborah said. “But it would not be true.”

“Oh Mother,” Ruth shook her head. “I feel like I should apologise for our entire childhood.”

“It’s alright,” Deborah said. “For both of you at least believed in the family curse and married properly”

“Florentia believes in the curse,” Ruth said. “She is often frightened about it and asks me whether I think she should simply get married to avoid it.”

“To John?” Deborah asked and Ruth nodded.

“He’s a nice enough boy,” she said. “And when they dance at balls together, they are marvellous, and always in sync. But I just do not believe he’s the best match we can make for her.”

“I tend to agree,” Deborah said. “I believe that there are much better matches out there than the 5th son of Baron.”

“At least she has a prospect,” Matilda put in. “Anytime I put a match in front of Beatrice, she disappears off to paint a landscape and loses track of time. I do not mind her painting, for she is very talented. However, the fact that she cannot seem to return in time to meet such a man is starting to wear thin on my patience.”

“I believe that Beatrice will realise how important finding an adequate husband this season in,” Deborah said. “For I have heard the impending curse can weigh heavily on one the closer they get to 20.”

“Then perhaps she will learn to at least come home from her painting exhibitions on time,” Matilda said, with a smile.

“She does not go alone?” Ruth asked, and Matilda shook her head.

“Oh no,” she said. “She always takes one of her friends, or a maid to hold her brushes. She is not being improper about anything. She just…does not seem to remember that there is a suitor waiting for her. I think I will ban her from such activities when there is a suitor waiting.”

“Which is a shame,” Ruth said and Matilda nodded in agreement.

“I take no pride in punishing my daughter,” she said. “But as you both know, her 20th birthday will be here before we know it.”

“Do you think,” Deborah said. “She will actually agree to marry? I would hate for anything to happen to her.”

“I believe she will,” Matilda said. “The fact you must know about Beatrice is that she does not like to do anything unless it is on her own terms. If it is her idea, she will be quick to leap at it. So, all we must do is hope that there is a man in her path who she thinks she has found on her own.”

“Or at least who intrigues her enough to not send her off to paint landscapes,” Ruth said with a smile.

“Or at least that,” Matilda said. “I believe there is someone for her. She is such a pretty girl, and kind, as well. She has a good heart.”

“I know she does,” Deborah replied. “And I know that many men would be happy to marry her. Florentia, as well.”

“I hope it does not break her heart too much,” Ruth said. “When I give her my final answer about John.”

“You have not done so?” Matilda asked and Ruth shook her head. The sunlight was shining in through the window and Ruth’s hair, which was starting to turn silver, almost glowed as she moved.

“I know that I should,” she said. “But she enjoys his company so much. However, he is getting older as well, and he should know that he must seek out other women.”

“Perhaps I could write a letter?” Deborah said. “As the matriarch, it is my responsibility to make sure the family is held together. And the future of the family does depend on these two girls getting married.”

“Perhaps,” Ruth said. “I wouldn’t mind that at all. Be kind to him, though, Deborah.”

“Of course,” Deborah said. “I will also leave the possibility of a reconciliation open, in case Florentia is close to her 20th birthday and has no other prospects I’d rather she marry the 5th son of a Baron than not marry at all and not…”

The living room in which they were sitting had seen many family conversations of a similar nature. Ruth knew that her mother had had the same conversation with her and her sister. They, however, had not been quite as disobedient as Beatrice.

“Please don’t say it,” Ruth pleaded with her. “I cannot picture a life without my Florentia.”

“Nothing will happen to either of these girls,” Deborah promised. “They will outlive this curse by walking down the aisle before it is too late.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Matilda said, with a smile. “I know if anyone can save the situation at this late stage, you can.”

“Of course,” Deborah said, with a half-smile. “It will just take reading the book to them a few more times.”

Chapter Two

“I cannot believe that we got out of there,” Beatrice was giggling as she walked down the path, arm in arm with her cousin. She was overjoyed to have Florentia’s company, but she was also overjoyed to not be told another story. “I thought Grandmother would force us to stay.”

“I thought she might force us to stay as well,” Florentia said. “I did not think she would give up so easily. Normally, she reads us half the book.”

“Yes,” Beatrice said. “But do you ever wonder what is in the other half?”

“The other half?” Florentia asked. “The chapters that she does not read?”

“Exactly,” Beatrice replied. “I had glanced at the pages that she skips. They are not blank.”

“Maybe there is a curse for males in our family?” Florentia asked. “A curse that we are not to know about?”

“Why wouldn’t we know about it?” Beatrice asked. “After all, they know about our curse.”

“I know,” Florentia said. “But perhaps there are different rules.”

“Or perhaps the papers of that book are half filled with women who survived the curse,” Beatrice said. “Women who did not marry and still went on to live long and happy lives.”

“I don’t think so,” Florentia said. “I think the curse is pretty clear.”

Beatrice eyed her cousin lightly.

“Well, you shouldn’t worry,” she said. “You have John.”

Florentia blushed scarlet at that.

“I do not have John,” she said. “We are simply friends.”

“It seems you are much more than friends,” Beatrice said. “I am not accusing you of acting improperly; do not mistake me, cousin. I simply mean that it seems you are much more than friends, because you have been in love with him for so long. He cannot be blind to your affection.”

“I do not believe he is,” Florentia replied, quite shyly. “But because we grew up together, I am afraid that he only sees me as his neighbour, or like a sister. After all, we have only ever known each other. You are lucky, Beatrice, you live in quite a big place. I would give anything to have a market to walk through, or strangers to see every day.”

“So you have never told him of your affections?” Beatrice asked and her younger cousin shook her head.

“I have not,” she replied.

“Do you not want to?”

“Of course I do,” Florentia said. “But I do not want to seem improper or forward.”

“No, of course not,” Beatrice said. “I just worry for you, is all, cousin. I do not want you to marry simply to beat this curse.”

“I believe Mother will come around eventually,” Florentia said. “After all, she loves Father very much.”

“But was that love there the whole time? Beatrice asked. “Or did it grow, like Grandmother’s love for Grandfather?”

“I don’t know,” Florentia admitted. “I have never asked. But I know that there is a great deal of love between my parents, and I wish to have the same.”

“You will have the same,” Beatrice assured her. “Any man would be a fool not to marry you.”

“Well, I think any man would be a fool not to marry you first,” Florentia said. “After all, you are the older one. You deserve to be married first.”

“Oh,” Beatrice said, with a shrug. “I do not mind breaking with that tradition in the slightest. If you receive a proposal you are happy with before I do, I would not mind being the maid of honour at your ceremony.”

Florentia squealed with happiness.

“That is just what I would desire,” she replied. “And how I’ve always pictured my wedding, from when I was a child.”

“Well, then I hope it is so,” Beatrice said.

“I overheard my mother talking to yours,” Florentia replied. “And I heard that you have had many suitors visit over the past year.”

“That is true,” Beatrice said. “I did not meet half of them, though.”

“Why?” Florentia asked. “Did you take a stand? Were you so bold?”

“Oh no,” Beatrice replied. “I’m just often on a painting trip, even for an afternoon, and so I lose track of time. I do not mean to wound or insult mother.”

“Just like Grandfather,” Florentia pointed out. “Being late for dinner.”

It hadn’t occurred to Beatrice that she was like her grandfather, as she had never heard the story before. Now that she had heard the story, though, she realised their similarities.

“I suppose I shouldn’t do that,” she said to Florentia. “It must hurt mother quite a bit. I should at least try to meet them.”

“Well, it seems one of Grandmother’s stories has had influence after all,” Florentia said with a smile.

“It seems it has,” Beatrice said as they strolled closer to the market. The noise level on the path increased, with more people passing by, and the two girls had to lean closer together to hear each other. “I wish she would tell more stories about Grandfather. It’s hard to not think of Grandmother and Grandfather as just elderly people. I find it fascinating to hear stories of when they were younger.”

“I do too,” Florentia said. “However, she seems very focused on the future, and not the past.”

“Aye,” Beatrice said. “I have noticed that. I appreciate her being so concerned for our well-being. However, if she had just another topic or two of conversation, I would be less apprehensive when she asks whether we could talk or not.”

“I agree,” Florentia said. “Every time she asks me to sit down with her, I dread the book coming out.”

“I could recite those stories in my sleep,” Beatrice said with a giggle. She spied the market up ahead, and she wanted to walk right into it. Already, the path was very crowded and there were many people and carriages going by. The two girls were on the side of the dusty road that had mostly people, and the carriages seemed to understand that they needed to drive on the left. It was still noisy though. Florentia seemed a little bit overwhelmed, whereas Beatrice thrived off the energy. “And I cannot believe that our mothers and grandmother still believe in it.”

Florentia paused and Beatrice turned to her. She was afraid that her cousin might be overwhelmed by the energy in the market. Florentia, however, had a different look in her eyes.

“Beatrice,” she asked. “Have you ever thought on whether this curse could be real or not?”

Beatrice reached for her younger cousin’s hands. She felt that they were ice cold, and she took them between her own, to look into her eyes.

“Darling cousin,” she said. “I would never lie to you. You know that?”

“I do,” Florentia said. “I know that.”

“Well then, listen to me now, and believe me,” Beatrice replied. “This curse is not real.”

“But how do you know?” Florentia cried. “Surely generations of women cannot be wrong.”

“No,” Beatrice said. “Generations of women in are family are not wrong about the fact that they see instances that force them to believe a curse. However, those instances are just coincidences. That, or they are misinterpreted. This is just a superstitious way of looking at the past, and it’s being passed on. That’s all.”

“But what about Mary?” Florentia asked. “And all the others who have died?”

“Coincidences,” she said. “Grandmother herself said the Duchess lived a wild life. It’s not surprising that she died.”

“And Mary?”

“Mary, earlier in the story, was described as fragile,” Beatrice said. “Married or not, she probably would have not made it much past her 20th birthday anyways.”

“But…” Florentia paused and then realised she couldn’t think of any other instances. “Have you never believed in it?”

Beatrice sighed.

“I’ll admit,” she said. “When I was younger, I was terrified by it. But Florentia, when I was younger, I was terrified by monsters under the bed.”

“I know,” Florentia said, and managed a smile. “I remember when I used to stay over, and we’d sleep in the same bed for warmth. You always told me to keep my feet tucked under the covers, because of some monster creature that lived under the bed.”

“Exactly,” Beatrice said. “And I believed that we should not go downstairs on Christmas Eve, in case Father Christmas appeared and took our gifts back. These are things that adults just don’t believe in anymore.”

“Plenty of adults we know believe in this curse,” Florentia argued and Beatrice sighed.

“I understand what you are saying,” she said. “And it can be hard not to believe it when your mother does. But we have to think for ourselves, Florentia.”

“And what do you think?” Her younger cousin asked, eager to know.

“I think that we cannot let some story of a curse rush us into marrying someone that we do not truly love.”

“But you heard Grandmother,” Florentia argued. “We must trust our parents to choose our matches for us.”

“Florentia,” Beatrice said. “We are not grand princesses, to inherit the throne. Yes, we are noble blood, but we must at least love our husbands. Truly love them, not love them because they came along at the right time.”

“I am afraid to find that out,” Florentia said. Beatrice decided to try another tactic entirely

“Do you love John?” she asked her cousin. Florentia shyly nodded.

“Please do not tell anyone,” she said. “I am afraid if that gets out, I will be separated from him. I would rather have his friendship than not have him in my life at all.”

“Of course,” Beatrice said. “And so, would you rather marry John than anyone else?”

Florentia nodded again.

“Even if it meant waiting until just past your 20th birthday to do so?”

“Why am I waiting?” Florentia asked. “If, in this hypothetical world, John asks permission and can propose to me, why should we wait?”

Beatrice sighed. She was afraid that Florentia did not understand her metaphor, and so she needed to push her a little bit harder.

“You are waiting for reasons beyond your control,” she replied.

“Like the Duchess?” Florentia asked, and Beatrice agreed with her.

“Like the Duchess,” she said. “So, you are given a choice. You can marry John and spend the rest of your life with him, but you must wait until three months past your 20th birthday to do so, or you must marry someone you have never met and who is 40 years old, but he will marry you today.”

Florentia looked frozen in thought.

“I…” she paused, and stuttered. “I would find John,” she said at last. “And marry him before I turned 20, wherever he had to go off to.”

“No…” Beatrice sighed. Florentia clearly wasn’t getting the point. “You can’t do that in this scenario. You must make a choice.”

“But it’s a hard choice,” Florentia cried. Beatrice decided to sweeten the deal a little bit

“In addition,” she said. “I am only able to be your maid of honour for your marriage to John, which is just past your 20th birthday. I cannot be your maid of honour for your marriage today. So now you must choose – your perfect husband and your dream wedding at 3 months past 20, or your marriage today to ensure you are safe from a curse.”

Florentia seemed to think a long time about that. Eventually, she spoke.

“John,” she said, at last. “I think I would rather have the curse get me than not be with him in some way.”

“There,” Beatrice finally let go of her hands and stepped back with a smile. “You see? You don’t believe in the curse.”

“No, I do…” Florentia started, confused and upset again.

Beatrice was about to start her argument all over again, when she suddenly felt her heart speed up. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she felt her stomach sink.

For the first moment, she had no idea what was going on. But then, she heard shouting and a frantic rattling and stomping coming from just down the road.

Beatrice turned her head in the direction of the noise, and to her horror, saw a carriage coming towards them at breakneck speed. She could barely register what was happening. There were people screaming, and all she could see was horses’ hooves coming up to her face. They were just inches away, and with another pounding of the ground, they would hit her.

This can’t be right, she thought briefly I’m not even 20 yet.

Just as she was about to scream, she felt a great force fall upon her. She thought it was the horse, but she realised quickly that it hurt a lot less than she imagined a horse would.

She fell to the ground, and felt Florentia fall beside her. She felt her cheek make impact with the dirt, and she felt like she had accidentally eaten some of it.

She reached out to Florentia, trying to soften to fall that had happened, although it was too late. She was seeing stars and for one brief moment, she thought she might swoon.

She fought to stay conscious, and the world eventually came back into focus.

“Are you alright?” asked a man she didn’t recognise. She opened her eyes a bit more and realised there was a face next to hers.

She was reasonably sure that she was seeing clearly, and yet she didn’t think it was possible that she was. The face in front of her was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. It didn’t seem possible that someone could be so attractive and yet lying in the dirt beside her.

He had brown hair and brown eyes that seemed to sparkle, despite the fact that they had both been through something horrific. He seemed a few years older than her, with a well-shaven face and hair that came just above his eyebrows. He sat up and reached for her hand.

“My apologies I had to push you that hard,” he said. “I did not have much time. Are you both alright?”

Beatrice accepted his hand, just to straighten up, and then turned to Florentia.

“I am alright,” she said, and looked to her cousin with concern. “Are you alright?”

Florentia seemed stunned, but she did not seem hurt. She accepted Beatrice’s hand to sit up, and the three of them sat in the dirt for a few moments. The carriage had stopped, and it looked like it had overturned, which worried Beatrice. There were people everywhere, trying to help but also frantic. The noise level was rising, and yet, it seemed like there were only three of them in the world when she looked into the kind man’s face.

“Yes,” Florentia said, with her voice shaking slightly. “Yes, I believe I am alright. Thank you.”

“Again, I apologise for the force,” he said, as he stood up. He tested his own legs and then reached his hand out to pull them both up. Beatrice took his hand first and they both helped Florentia up. Although she could barely tear her eyes away from the handsome man, she turned to her cousin and gave her a hug.

“Are you really alright?” she asked Florentia. The younger girl was shaking, but she seemed to be recovering more by the minute.

“I really am,” she said.

“I did not wound you, did I?” the man asked. Beatrice turned to him with a smile.

“I do not think so,” she said. “Although, even if you had, you just saved our lives and that is beyond any etiquette I can think of.”

He smiled, and so did Beatrice. Florentia was still shaking, but even she managed a little smile at that.

“Speaking of etiquette,” he said. “How rude of me. I have yet to even introduce myself. My name is Anthony, and I am new to the area.”

“I am Beatrice,” she said “And this is Florentia.”

“Are you sisters?” he asked and both girls smiled.

“No,” Beatrice said. “We are cousins. Many people mistake us for sisters, though.”

“Is it because we look so alike?” Florentia asked, and Anthony shrugged.

“It is,” he said. “But it is also because the two of you appear so close and so concerned for one another. I thought such a bond could only come from siblings.”

“Florentia is the closest thing I have to a sister,” Beatrice said. “For I am an only child. She does live far away from here though, so we are overly delighted when we see each other.”

She did not know why she was giving out so much information to this stranger. Normally, she would never be so personal with someone she had just met, let alone a man. However, there was something comforting about this Anthony, something that she felt like she could trust. When she looked at him she felt something odd, like she had met him before.

She was sure that she hadn’t, of course. She couldn’t think of when she would have met such a handsome man and then forgotten he existed until this moment.

“Well, that’s wonderful,” Anthony said. “Although I am sorry, Miss Florentia, that you are visiting on such a day.”

“I am sorry that you have recently moved here only to experience this,” Beatrice said. “I can assure you, this does not normally happen.”

“I understand,” Anthony said. “Do not worry. It does not dampen my opinion of the area. In fact, meeting you two has been worth such a terrifying experience.”

Both girls blushed, just as another man approached. He looked slightly older, and they could tell there was a resemblance between Anthony and this man.

“Is everything alright?” the man asked.

“Everything is quite alright,” Anthony said. “Ladies, may I introduce my older brother, Elias. Elias, this is Beatrice and Florentia. We have all just survived a terrifying experience, but it seems there is no harm done.”

“I am glad to hear that,” Elias said, as he tipped his hat to the ladies. “I am sorry that I must say this, but we really must hurry, Anthony, as we have business to do.”

“Of course,” Anthony said, and turned back to the women. “Thank you so much for allowing me to rescue you, ladies.”

“Thank you for rescuing us,” Beatrice said, and Anthony and his brother turned to go.

“I believe that we should go as well,” Florentia said. “I do not think I would enjoy the market after such an experience.”

“That is completely understandable,” Beatrice said. “Also, we are covered with dirt. I cannot think of what the shopkeepers would think of us.”

As they turned away, Beatrice felt the urge to turn her head back towards the other end of the market, where Anthony and Elias were walking.

It appeared that the urge was mutual, because Anthony had turned his head back at the exact same time to look at Beatrice. She smiled at him and the smile was returned, before both of them faced the directions of their walks.

“He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?” Florentia said, after a moment, and Beatrice giggled.

“I agree,” she said. “I was just thinking that, but did not know if I should say it with you so shaken up.”

“Were you not shaken up as well?” Florentia asked her and Beatrice nodded.

“Aye, of course I was,” she replied. “But the terror left me as soon as I realised we were safe. And of course, talking to Anthony did not hurt. Do you know, have we ever seen him before?”

“I do not think so,” Florentia said. “I feel I would have remembered such a man. Perhaps he was in the distance at some ball we had attended?”

“Perhaps,” Beatrice said. “He did not mention where he had moved from, but I have a feeling, from his manner of dress, that he is a gentleman.”

“Oh, he is certainly a gentleman,” Florentia replied. “He dressed well, as did his brother. Which do you think was handsomer?”

“Anthony,” Beatrice answered, quickly. Florentia simply smiled and Beatrice reacted in shock.

“You didn’t think so?” she asked.

“I don’t think I could choose,” Florentia answered. “They were equally handsome in different ways. I wonder what kind of business they were off to?”

“They did mention business,” Beatrice mused, as they walked. Both of them were a little more alert on the walk home, and they weren’t paying quite so much attention to each other as the road around them. Beatrice knew the likelihood of such an incident happening again was low, but she still wanted to be on her guard, just in case. “Do you think we will ever see them again?”

“Perhaps if we visit market again,” Florentia said, with a smile. As they walked a little farther, her smile faded. “Do you know what I thought when I saw the carriage come towards us?”

“That is was the family curse?” Beatrice asked, and Florentia turned to her, in shock.

“Yes,” she said. “That was my exact thought.”

“I had to admit, it was my thought too,” Beatrice said. “Even though I don’t believe in the curse. All I could think about was that I wasn’t 20 yet.”

“Does it motivate you more to at least meet the suitors your mother has brought to your house?” Florentia asked, and Beatrice sighed.

“Perhaps,” she said. “Or perhaps it motivates me to just pay more attention when I walk. Those poor people in the carriage. Do you think they are alright?”

“I think so,” Florentia said. “I noticed many of them getting up the same way we did. I think they will be very shaken, but no one looked as if they needed a doctor. It was a carriage full of robust men, perhaps on their way to a business meeting themselves.”

“I am glad they seemed alright,” Beatrice said. “I wonder what spooked the horses?”

“Perhaps they were cursed?” Florentia asked, and Beatrice swatted at her with laughter.

“No,” she said. “It’s more likely that they saw a mouse or something.”

They had to pass a little pond on their way into the house, and both women paused to look down at their reflections.

“Oh my,” Beatrice said. “We look a fright.”

“We do,” Florentia said, raising her hand to fix her hair. “I do not believe poor Anthony will be thinking much of us.”

“I hope he does,” Beatrice said, as she tried to rub the dirt off her face. “He did look back at me when we were walking away.”

“He did?” Florentia said with excitement. “Perhaps I should have looked back as well, to see if his brother might look. Wouldn’t that be exciting, Beatrice, if we could marry brothers?”

“You think we might marry brothers?” Beatrice asked. “Then we would truly be sisters.”

“Yes, I changed my mind,” Florentia said. “That is my dream wedding.”

Beatrice smiled at that.

“Does John have a brother?” she asked.

“He has 4!” Florentia said, with a smile. “So you could have your pick.”

The bustling market was far behind them now, on the dusty road. Beatrice felt a lot safer knowing that she was close to home. She normally wasn’t bothered by chaos, but the market’s crowded streets today had no doubt contributed to the accident.
The two girls laughed and linked arms as they headed into the house. It had been a harrowing day, but Beatrice was certain they would be alright. After all, they were together, and they were uninjured. At the very least, if she never married, she could at least delight in the fact that she had met and been rescued by the most handsome man in all of England.

She attempted to fix her hair and wipe the dirt from her face again before she went inside. She didn’t want to alarm her mother, especially when she wanted to apologise for behaving so badly towards her with the suitors. Beatrice still didn’t believe in the curse, but she had been saved from almost certain death today. At the very least, she wanted to use it as a chance to turn over a new leaf.

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“A Lady’s Search of Love and Redemption” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Beatrice has lived her entire life under the threat of a horrible curse that has haunted her family for generations; a curse that promises to bring misfortune upon her family’s future, if she doesn’t marry before the age of 20. It was easy enough to ignore this curse while growing up as it belonged to the distant future, but time is suddenly counting down fast and her 20th birthday is closer than ever. Beatrice is utterly conflicted as she hasn’t discovered true love yet and would much prefer to be a spinster, alive or dead, than entrapped in a loveless marriage… How could she overlook her family’s fear and her own responsibility for their safety though?

Anthony’s attention is immediately caught by Beatrice’s striking presence, even though this was the last reason he was out in town for. It was a blessing of pure luck, as he swiftly saved her life by shoving her out of the way of an approaching carriage. However, the rest of his life hasn’t been gifted with as much luck, as the rumours that surround his family name are even worse than the ones of Beatrice’s. Despite him being the only one knowing the real truth behind the rumours, society seems to have already condemned him to shame. Will the sincerity of his growing feelings manage to wash away the concerns that wrap his tainted reputation.

Both Beatrice and Anthony carry their own large portion of misfortune and have faced a lot of prejudice by society. Their feelings for each other might be undeniable, but they still have to face a lot of doubt with their own selves, as well as by those around them. Will their love prove strong enough to fill their hearts with faith and certainty or will their preconceptions be too much to bear? If only society managed to overlook the unjustified prejudice towards them… The obstacles are many, but on the other end lies the redemption of true love. Will Beatrice and Anthony’s crave to be redeemed by love’s freedom be strong enough to overcome the endless hurdles in the end?

“A Lady’s Search of Love and Redemption” is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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