A Proud Woman by Sarah F. Noel EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Sarah F. Noel
- Language: English
- Genre: Historical Mystery
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- Size: 2 MB
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Tabitha had been standing in front of the mirror for a full five minutes,
transfixed by her own image. To the undiscerning eye, not much had
changed, only that she had moved from full to half-mourning. Her rich
chestnut hair coiffured as conservatively but stylishly as usual. Her maid
Ginny would allow nothing less. Her jewellery was minimal, tasteful, and
clearly extremely expensive. Her now-deceased husband had deeply cared
that she was always a visual representation of his power and influence. But
what did seem different were her eyes. Over the two years of her hellish
marriage, she had become used to seeing dead, emotionless eyes staring
back at her, eyes that spoke to a crushed soul. But today, for the first time
since the night of her marriage to Jonathan Chesterton, the Earl of
Pembroke, those eyes had some life in them.
Jonathan’s death should have ended her suffering, but it didn’t. The
police investigation and the attendant sensationalist publicity consumed the
six months following the death. And, of course, there was the faux horror
by the upper echelons of society who were secretly lapping up every bit of
gossip and enjoying the spectacle of the disgrace of one of the formerly
untouchable families. In the end, Tabitha was still untouchable enough, and
the death had been ruled death by misadventure. After all, when the police
inspector had examined Jonathan’s body lying at the bottom of the marble
staircase, the unnatural angle of his neck making clear that his neck was
broken, the smell of whiskey emanating off him was undeniable.
Since the ruling, she had barely left the house. Of course, society had
generally shunned her, and that was more than fine with Tabitha. She had
always found high society’s etiquette and unspoken rules suffocating. Long
before her coming out at 18, her mother had bemoaned how Tabitha could
possibly be a product of her womb and upbringing.
But even though Tabitha had strained against her mother’s and society’s
expectations for her, she ultimately complied. Because what else could a
young girl do? But now, she didn’t need to shun society; it had shunned her.
Even her mother could barely bring herself to visit when she was still in
London before leaving for the family country seat a month before. And so
Tabitha had been left alone in the palatial Mayfair home that Jonathan’s
great-grandfather had built to impress society with his wealth and might.
Alone except for the large staff. Tabitha sensed that despite most of the staff
having worked for Jonathan and his family long before Tabitha had married
him, they didn’t miss their master and had a fondness and profound
sympathy for their new mistress.
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