Dare To Love Read Free

attempt to wrap it around his torso.
But to no purpose, the rope loosened and blew behind him, forcing
him to let go of the pole. He tried to snatch the cord another
time, but the persistent gale swept him frontward and his body went
tumbling down the embankment. Grasping and clinging to anything in
order to stay compact, Tommy’s heartbeat escalated when noticing a
wave of green sea rushing towards him in an alarming rate. He
closed his eyes from the visible strike and the breaker swallowed
his weightless body up and whisked him over the ledge to his
ultimate rest.
     
    Tommy had vanished, gone from the ship?!
     
    Oh God, oh no! Gwendolyn let go of the
ratlines and ran towards the sheer. “Tommy!” She yelled out again
and again, but it was no use, the murkiness was way too thick—and
she was forced to her knees. The ship continued to sway in the
opposite direction causing Gwendolyn’s fragile body to collapse
back into the ropes. With all her might, she grabbed hold of the
cords and began her fit of terror. “Where—where are you? Tommy!
No—no—no, you cannot be dead…you just can’t be. Oh God, not my
Tommy, not my beautiful husband…Oh God, please… please do not do
this to me…don’t you dare leave me alone!”
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER ONE
    London, 1808
    Ten Winters Later
     
     
    “It is a shame your fiancé could not make the
trip, Gwendolyn.”
     
    Gwendolyn does not bother to look at her
friend but continues to stare out the window and the scenery
beyond. “Yes it is I miss him so. He wanted to be with me, but it
was necessary for him to attend the rancher’s caucus.”
     
    “Your fiancé is such a wonderful man,”
Phyllis Tallymen noted, looking out the stern window. “Considerate
and hard-working, he will make a wonderful husband and a good
father to Mary.”
     
    “Yes,” Gwendolyn agreed with a joyful smile.
“I insisted she come as well, but you know how stubborn she is in
wanting to stay behind with her best friend,” she replied,
adjusting her bonnet and tying the ribbon. “By the by, I am truly
sorry to have dragged you away from your home Phyllis. Although I
no longer need a chaperone, I am so grateful for your company…I
simply hate to travel alone.”
     
    Phyllis smiled at her young friend; “I would
do anything for you my dear. Your Great-Aunt was my best friend,
and after she passed, I feel it almost necessary to watch over
you.”
     
    “Thank you Phyllis, you are too kind,”
Gwendolyn offered, gazing out the window another time.
     
    “I wish we were coming to London under
happier circumstances though. The reading of a will is so
disheartening.”
     
    “I agree…I too am not looking forward to this
a’ tall,” Gwendolyn decided, feeling cheerless by her Great-Aunt’s
death.
     
    “Anyhow, haven’t been to London since I was a
girl, where are we staying?”
     
    Gwendolyn continued to stare outside. The
hills had suddenly vanished and unrecognizable structures began to
appear. “The Quail Inn,” she said with a sigh. Both tall and
unfathomable, dirty and breath taking, London appeared to be a
metropolis of contemporary convenience. With so many people
hurrying about, there were carriages of every stature and
notoriety; men on horseback, women, children, dogs, livestock
marching upon the streets—a chaos of convolution.
     
    The hack slowed down and came to a complete
stop. “Here at last!” Phyllis exclaimed happily. “Three weeks from
Kettlewell to London – let me out of this fancy contraption before
I vomit again,” she demanded, unlatching the coach door and
swinging it open.
     
    Gwendolyn was first to be let out by the
footman, followed by a queasy Phyllis. Stepping down onto the
gravel, Gwendolyn immediately gazed up and around her. To her
amazement, they had arrived at a garishly painted courthouse,
deeply impressive with French influence and design. Gwendolyn then
instructed the hack to wait for them while they finished their
business