A Flawed Jewel (A Marsden Romance Book 1) Read online

  A Flawed Jewel

  Dawn Brower

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Flawed Jewel Copyright © 2015 Dawn Brower

  Cover art by Victoria Miller

  Edited by Jen Bradlee

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  My stepsister, Amanda, encouraged me to write a book, and in less than a day I had a really rough draft, in less than a week a short story ready for submission. If she hadn’t goaded me into it, this book wouldn’t exist.

  Thanks to Melanie for reading my really rough first draft—I know it was a mess of epic proportions in the beginning, to Hailey for her words of wisdom and showing me my many errors in a humorous light, and finally to Victoria for pointing out I was a little too bloodthirsty and for answering my endless questions. If not for all of your encouragement and help, I would have been lost. The three of you helped me more than words can express. Thank you for being my rock when all I want to do is hide under one. I love you girls.

  Mostly I want to dedicate this book to my dad. He always believed I should write a book, but I never believed I had the patience for it. I wish he could have been here to see me finally getting around to doing it. I miss you daddy.

  Chapter One

  March 3, 1861

  “You need to suck in more, Miss Pieretta.”

  Tully, her maid prodded and pulled at the strings of Pieretta’s corset to tighten it as much as possible. One of many torturous things a lady must endure to remain fashionable. It was her job to get Pieretta ready for the biggest voyage of her life. There was nothing Pieretta wanted more than to stay on the plantation where she grew up, but her presence was required at her grandpere’s estate in France. She had no real desire to go anywhere. Everything she knew was in Charleston. She had no choice but to go live in a country she knew nothing about.

  Tully yanked on the laces one last time squeezing Pieretta’s ribs tightly inside her chest. She struggled to breathe. Pieretta squirmed in an effort to loosen the stays. “Miss Pieretta, please, we need to tighten this corset a little more, or you will never fit into that traveling dress you had the seamstress make for you. We all know you’re only stalling so you don’t have to leave the plantation. Your grandpere is expecting you, and you need to be on that ship.”

  “Oh be quiet, Tully. The laces are too tight. Fix them before I can no longer breathe.” Stupid know-it-all maid thought she could order her around. It was bad enough that her entire life was about to change. Now she had to deal with Tully ordering her around. “The dress will fit and still allow air to enter my lungs. Mind your own business and do as you’re told,” Pieretta scolded her.

  As a southern belle, she didn’t have to do anything more than host parties and help her father manage the house. The most traveling she had ever done was to attend picnics and soirees at neighboring plantations. She had never traveled more than fifteen miles away from her home. The idea of sailing all the way to France—Pia hated to admit it, but it terrified her.

  Pieretta had never boarded a ship, now she was expected to sale on a long voyage. She, at least, had seen one or two while they were in the Charleston harbor, but it had never crossed her mind ever to give one a closer look. It was not an experience she ever expected to have.

  Her happiest moments were in Charleston, in the heart of the only home she had ever known.

  Pieretta didn’t want to leave everything behind. It was hard to comprehend why her grandpere insisted she come live with him in France. The fact she didn’t have any living male relatives in Charleston shouldn’t matter. She could look after the plantation and deal with the overseer. Her father made sure she understood every aspect of running the plantation. She had the best education possible. He believed females had a right to learn more than just how to run a household or proper etiquette.

  Oh, Papa, I miss you so much...

  A sting of pain hit her chest. She was reminded again of her father’s death a month ago. Each day without her father was more unbearable than the one before it. Pieretta couldn’t believe she had to live in a world where he no longer existed. His death had been so sudden—had suddenly just quit breathing. It had been so devastating to realize someone could die without any warning.

  Pieretta was all alone in the world.

  She had no brothers or sisters, and her only living relative was her grandpere. So it was with a heavy heart that she prepared to make the journey to live with him in France.

  Her mother died when Pieretta was born, and her father never remarried. He loved her mother too much to ever envision a life with someone else. The only females Pieretta spent time around on a regular basis were servants. Without the benefit of a maternal influence, Pieretta had more masculine ideas about her future. It would have been all right to stay and run the plantation if she had been a man, but as a woman, she had no real say in her life until she reached her majority.

  Until then, her grandpere, Comte Renard Dubois, had the right to tell her how to live her life.

  Because she had never been to France, she didn’t know what to expect once she arrived. Grandpere had told her stories about his estate and how large it was, but she had never had the opportunity to visit. He outlined the many gardens and the different foliage that it encased. Pieretta looked forward to walking amongst the roses and counting the various shades his gardener cultivated.

  She had never seen an actual rose, but her grandpere’s description made them sound like the most beautiful flower on Earth. The blossoms were rumored to be filled with an aromatic scent that tantalized the nose. Rose buds bloomed in a variety of colors from the shade of a blushing bride’s cheeks to the various hues of sunshine bouncing through the windows of her sitting room. Even with the allure of seeing roses for the first time, she still had no desire to travel such a long distance.

  All of her trunks were packed and already aboard the ship. The only thing required of her now was to get herself ready, get in the carriage, and travel to the docks.

  Pieretta wanted to throw a fit and stomp her feet, but that would be out of character for her. While her father often indulged her, Pieretta was not prone to temper tantrums. She did occasionally let her displeasure be known, but most of the time she was able to hold back the temptation to scream. Pieretta took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, preparing herself for whatever the journey might entail.

  She stood up straight as Tully finished tying the corset’s laces. She didn’t want to stand still any longer than necessary and keeping still ensured the bows on her dress were tied evenly.

  In her mind, fighting the inevitable would not help her situation. The servants needed to make sure she made it on the ship. Even though Pieretta didn’t to move to France, she could make the best of the situation. Her life on the plantation had a repetitive quality to it—noth
ing ever changed.

  Instead of harping on the negative, she could look at this forced trip as an adventure.

  “Almost done, Miss Pieretta.”

  “It’s taking forever,” she groaned. Sometimes being female was a nuisance. Surely it didn’t take this long for a man to get dressed.

  “It’ll be all done before you know it and then we will be boarding a ship to France.”

  Did Tully have to give her a reminder of it?

  Tully finished lacing her stays, and the corset hugged every curve of her torso. She walked over and picked up Pieretta’s traveling gown and opened it for Pieretta to step into. Once she was fully within the confines of the dress, Tully pulled it up and began the long process of latching all of the hooks up the side. She opted not to wear any petticoats or a hoop skirt, as it would be ridiculous to wear them in the small confines of the ship. Her traveling costume was made of the finest dyed black wool.

  Black Wool was ever so dull and boring, but Pia didn’t mind wearing it to honor her father. She’d miss him for the rest of her days. When she received the letter from her grandpere, Pieretta visited her favorite seamstress to have a few traveling costumes made for her crossing to France. She had no idea what the current fashion was and figured more gowns could be made upon her arrival at her grandpere’s estate.

  Besides only so much could be done to make a black gown look good...

  She was trying to be practical, and Grandpere wouldn’t mind. He would want his little princess to be happy. After all, one couldn’t be happy if one wasn’t fashionable. Grandpere believed she didn’t have the brains for anything besides frivolous things such as fashion. He did not realize Pieretta had a lot of things on her mind, and fashion wasn’t always at the forefront.

  Soon he’d realize how mistaken he was about her character.

  For instance, her love of mythology consumed her. Some of her favorite books housed stories of the gods and how they had fallen. She read everything from Norse to Greek mythology. Her favorite had always been Thor. Pieretta often wished she could visit Asgard and have the opportunity to meet him and Loki.

  “Tully, please tell me you remembered to pack my favorite books.”

  “Yes, ma’am” Tully nodded. “You have more books packed than you do gowns.”

  “Books are more important.”

  “hmmph” Tully snorted. “I wouldn’t know as I’ve never had the opportunity to learn to read.”

  “Maybe I will teach you on our voyage. Not like we have anything better to occupy our time with.”

  “I don’t know how much use I’d have for learning.” Tully frowned. “Why don’t we just wait and see how the crossing goes. You might find something to entertain yourself with.”

  Pieretta sighed. No one truly understood her—especially her only living relative.

  Grandpere knew next to nothing about what Pieretta actually liked. He assumed she was similar to her mother, Dominique Dubois Carlyle, who only thought of frivolous things such as the latest styles and idle gossip.

  Her grandpere couldn’t be more wrong.

  He usually visited her at least twice a year, staying for a few weeks and then returning home. Her mother was his original princess. Grandpere had doted on her his whole life. When her mother died, he had been heartbroken. When he saw his new granddaughter with her mother’s royal blue eyes and pale blond hair, he had decided that he had a new princess to coddle with affection. It had helped to ease the sting of his loss, finding a near carbon copy of his beloved daughter. He’d found a way to fill the empty hole in his heart with Pieretta.

  Tully finished connecting all of the hooks on Pieretta’s dress. She inspected her work, trailing her fingers over the dress to smooth the lines. Stepping away, Tully motioned for Pieretta to sit down on the chair next to her vanity. “Miss Pieretta, you need to sit down so I can fix your hair.”

  She had no idea what Tully meant by fix her hair. She hadn’t touched it. “What are you going to do to my hair, Tully?” Pieretta asked.

  “Don’t you worry any, Miss Pieretta. I am just going to pull it back a bit so it’s out of your way. You’re not going to want to deal with it on that there ship. It needs to be more manageable.”

  Pieretta sighed and sat in front of her vanity. Unfortunately, she had to deal with Tully even though she was a meddlesome nuisance. Tully had helped raise her, the servant believed she had a right to dictate how Pieretta should live her life. Tully’s many lectures were a normal part of her day. In Pieretta’s mind, Tully was overstepping her duties and trying to take the place of the mother she never knew. The maid was traveling with her only because a young unmarried lady could not travel alone. She was going to be the only person Pieretta would bring with her into this new life.

  “I suppose you’re right,” Pieretta agreed. “It would be rather tiresome to constantly push my hair out of the way.”

  “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

  Pieretta rolled her eyes. “Oh? And exactly how many ships have you sailed on?”

  “I haven’t always been on this plantation,” Tully informed her. “I came over here on a ship when I was a tiny thing. Of course, my hair didn’t have the opportunity to get blown around, but I do remember the howling winds.”

  “Howling winds?” Pieretta gulped. “What do you mean?”

  “There was a nasty bit of storm for half the journey. The winds whipped right through the ship leaving an eerie whistling piercing our ears.”

  That didn’t sound—appealing.

  Tully pulled Pieretta’s braid tighter and wrapped it around her head. Pieretta sighed, fighting tears as Tully continued to plait her hair. It was difficult to keep her emotions from welling up and spilling out of her. If she had one wish, it would be to find a way out of the situation her grandpere had forced her into. Her only option wasn’t really an option in her mind. She could get married, but she didn’t want any person to have that sort of power over her life. Relinquishing control meant fighting for the right to make any decisions for herself. Marriage was the one thing Pieretta had never wanted.

  When she turned twenty-five, she would gain control of the plantation. It would be a long seven years living with her grandpere, but if anyone could do it, she could. Pieretta had to make sure her grandpere knew she was never going to get married. In Pieretta’s mind, any woman had the capability to make her own decisions. It would be a cold day in hell before she allowed a man to have any kind of control over her life or her inheritance. Her father had made sure she was educated far beyond her station, and she had a working knowledge. She was intelligent and intended to use everything she learned to further her ambitions.

  Tully finished fussing with her hair. Her pale blond locks were now securely wound around her head in a practical plait. Pieretta brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. Would she ever be happy again? She had serious doubts that happiness lay in her future. Pieretta stood and flattened her dress, smoothing the lines and wrinkles along the side of her skirt so it fell evenly as she moved. She glanced in the mirror. The dress wasn’t designed to be flattering, but Pieretta believed she could make anything look good. She may be pale and sad, but she was still beautiful. She was curvy in all the right places with a small waist.

  “All right, Tully, I guess now is as good a time as any,” Pieretta said. “Go and have the carriage brought around. I’m ready for an adventure. That’s how I’m choosing to see this change in my life.”

  Eerie winds and all...

  Pieretta stood and looked around her bedroom one last time. Several years would pass before she could return and take control of the plantation. It was important that she store all of the good memories so the years in France would be easier to bear.

  The fight to gain control over her life would be tough, but the things that mattered the most were worth fighting for. Even though at times she felt like she would never be happy again, Pieretta had hoped that she would find a reason to smile. Changes were always hard to ma
ke.

  She wandered over to her bedroom door and pulled it open. She began the long trek down the stairs to the main hallway. At the bottom of the steps, she looked up as Tully made her way down the long staircase. No one ever promised life would be easy, and if Pieretta knew one thing, it was that she could get through any hurdle life put in her way. This was only one bump on a very long road ahead of her, but in the end, she knew she would get what she wanted. After all, Pieretta always did.

  ***

  The docks were not a pleasant place to walk. They were filthy and smelled of unimaginable things. The scent of rotten fish and fresh salt water permeated the air. Pieretta needed to board the ship as quickly as possible, before she stepped in something disgusting.

  The waterfront was booming with activity, and the noise was deafening. It was hard to ascertain the different sounds and locate where they might be coming from. The combination of the odors stung her nose and throat. The smoky air made her eyes water. Pieretta covered her nose with her hand in an effort to block out the stench but was forced to wipe the tears from her eyes as they started to stream down her face. Tully followed behind her as fast as she could. They both wanted off the docks as fast as they could manage it.

  “Miss Pieretta, we need to move faster. I don’t like it on these docks. Some of those men are making me uneasy. They’re looking at us like we’re a special treat they want to lap up.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous Tully, they wouldn’t dare harm us. We’ll be fine. Just the same, there’s our ship. Let’s board quickly and be done with this area.”

  A lump formed in her throat. She gulped it down and refrained from looking at the men Tully referred to. They made her just as uneasy, but she refused to admit it.

  They moved quickly to the gangplank so they could board the clipper. The ship had three large masts each filled to the top with five sails. When they stepped on deck, the first mate and captain greeted them.

  The captain folded one of his hands behind his back with the other one tucked in front just below his chest and bowed to Pieretta. “It’s a pleasure to have you aboard, Miss Carlyle. I am Captain Devere, and this is my first mate, Cam. I know Comte Dubois is anxiously awaiting your arrival in France.”