Alessandra Read online

  Alessandra

  Ann M Pratley

  Text copyright 2016 Ann Pratley

  All Rights Reserved

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One: Alessandra

  Chapter Two: Edward

  Chapter Three: The Journey

  Chapter Four: The Manor

  Chapter Five: The Meeting

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty One

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty One

  Chapter Forty Two

  Chapter Forty Three

  Chapter Forty Four

  Chapter Forty Five

  Chapter Forty Six

  Chapter Forty Seven

  Chapter Forty Eight

  Chapter Forty Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty One

  Chapter Fifty Two

  Chapter Fifty Three

  Chapter Fifty Four

  Chapter Fifty Five

  Chapter Fifty Six

  Chapter Fifty Seven

  Chapter Fifty Eight

  Chapter Fifty Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty One

  Chapter Sixty Two

  Chapter Sixty Three

  Chapter Sixty Four

  Chapter Sixty Five

  Chapter Sixty Six

  Chapter Sixty Seven

  Chapter Sixty Eight

  Chapter Sixty Nine

  Chapter Seventy

  Chapter Seventy One

  Chapter Seventy Two

  Chapter Seventy Three

  Chapter Seventy Four

  Chapter Seventy Five

  Chapter Seventy Six

  Chapter Seventy Seven

  Chapter Seventy Eight

  Thank you!

  New Release: The Golden Desires

  Introducing: Painful Deliverance

  Introducing: Darkness Of Heart

  Introducing: Friendship Of Desire

  Bonus Extract: Total Freedom

  Upcoming Release: Total New Beginnings

  Bonus Extract: Drab to Sex Goddess in 365 Days

  Introducing: Cruising Through to Fulfilment

  About The Author

  Chapter One: Alessandra

  Alessandra sat on the stone bench out the front of her home, enjoying feeling the sunshine beaming down on her face. Already 18 years of age, she had reached a point in her life where she could appreciate the life that she led, at home with her parents. They were not as well off as some people in the village, but she knew that they also were not in such a dire position as others.

  Her young puppy, Fern, lay at her feet, also basking in the warmth that they both knew was coming to an end. It was autumn and the trees before Alessandra were almost bare of leaves now, the ground nearby covered with colours of orange and yellow.

  Day to day Alessandra spent her time obediently doing whatever chores her mother or father placed on her shoulders, but when she was not sewing, feeding the chickens or helping in other areas of their home, she indulged in reading novels and letting her mind wander to more exotic lives and places.

  She had been fortunate to have been raised with a tutor and a governess, both of whom had taught her skills in language, etiquette and music. What her mother had taught her, through her whole life to date, was what she would need to know when she would one day go off with a husband to a new home.

  When Alessandra thought about marriage, she had always been excited by the idea of it, but now that she had reached 18 years, and almost all of the girls in her immediate area were already married and in homes of their own, she had started to believe that this would not be the chosen path for her after all.

  She wasn't without opportunity to meet young men, and at this very time a year earlier she had found herself quite enraptured with Tom, a young man who had danced with her at many village assemblies over the preceding year or so. She had grown to let herself believe that he had loved her, and would want to marry her, only to then find out that he had gone away and married another.

  To this day she still could not identify how she had read him so wrong, or why he had not told her if he had had no interest in her as a potential suitor. He seemed to have sought her out on the evenings of the balls - to compliment her and make sure that she always had places for him on her dance card. And she was always happy to do so - to her he was the handsomest young man in the district, with easy going manners to make her laugh and feel so much at ease.

  But now, after having realised how she had misread his intentions when he was near her, Alessandra had now built a more solid resolve around her - an armour to make sure that she was not so easily misled again. And she would never again misconstrue any man's feelings towards her.

  Coming from a different 'blend' to other people in their village, having an Italian mother and an English father, she knew in her heart that she was plain and would never turn any man's head through prettiness. The question that played on her mind today was simply that of wondering what her life would now entail, if she truly was not intended for marriage.

  "Alessandra," she heard her mother call from inside the house. "Can you come and help me please?"

  Alessandra jumped up, waking up Fern in the process, who also jumped to attention. They looked at each other.

  "Sun time is over for me, Fern," Alessandra said before walking into her home.

  * * * * *

  She found her mother in the kitchen, looking through the storage of all kinds of jars and boxes.

  "Oh, Alessandra, I think it is a good day for you and I to head out to the garden and harvest as much as we can from what is left in the garden, to get stored for winter. It feels like a cold front is coming so we need to be prepared."

  Alessandra nodded at her mother, wondering again how her mother and father were both so handsome and yet had made her - someone so plain. She quickly put the thought from her head, knowing that such thoughts fell under the umbrella of vanity, something that she had been taught she should not let herself fall victim to.

  * * * * *

  The two of them walked out the back door and into the sprawling area behind the house. At some time it must have been wonderfully well kept, tidy and structured, but now with only the family plus one married couple to help in and around the house, it always seemed like there was never enough time to keep on top of everything that the property demanded.

  Alessandra walked alongside her mother. Beside her she always felt particularly plain and dull, seeing in her mother only beauty, confidence and such a sense of power. Her parents had presented the world with four children. The first two had not survived past infancy, so it was only Alessandra and her older brother Nicholas now, and he was already married and well
settled with his own family underway in their own home.

  As she watched her mother begin to harvest what was left of the late fruit, vegetables and herbs, she started to comprehend that there was more to this time outside together. She waited as her mother seemed to gather her words, and then finally she spoke.

  "Alessandra, you know that we have always told you that one day you will marry," her mother began, making Alessandra's heart skip a beat at the words. "And you know that we do not have such a level of land or income that may have presented you with suitors to choose from as you wished."

  Alessandra nodded, not really knowing the home situation but having guessed that money was not too readily available, given how they lived.

  Her mother stopped and looked at her.

  "We have found a young man who you are to become betrothed to," she said, surprising Alessandra all the more. At the astonished look on her face, her mother continued. "This young man lives on a large family estate near Bath, and it is a good match for you."

  "But why should he want to marry me, knowing that I have nothing to offer him?" Alessandra asked, confused about how this could have come about, given how hopeless the idea of marriage had seemed only minutes earlier.

  Her mother looked at her deeply. "Because you do have something to offer him, Alessandra." She paused, looking uncertain for a moment. "Although we have never advertised it, your father and I have had money put aside for you all these years, for your dowry."

  Now Alessandra felt like she was in shock. "We are not poor?" she asked meekly, still not understanding.

  Her mother took her hand and led her to a stone bench in the sunny corner of the garden wilderness.

  "Your grandparents - my mother and father - were distantly related to royal family in Italy, and very wealthy. When they died they left a considerable amount of money in trust for your dowry. It has never been touched as you had to wait till you were 18 until you could touch it, but now that you are of age, it can be used for the purpose it was intended."

  "So this man who wants to marry me - he wants this money?" she asked her mother, still not able to see what the attraction would be for this other mystery family.

  Her mother looked at her and took her hand.

  "Alessandra, it is every woman's right and duty to marry, set up their own home and start their own family. This family are a farming family and they have much land and tenants, but they do not have a level of ready money that they would like, to keep that estate well cared for. So yes, they wish for this match, due to the size of dowry you will take with you."

  Alessandra considered the situation being presented to her. She had known that this was how marriages were formed, of course - two parties needing something from each other. But as her mother talked, it made her feel like she was simply an item, being put up for sale.

  "But what if they take this money and then they don't want me? Where will that leave me?"

  "You seem more worried about the issue of the money, than the issue of getting married."

  Alessandra took a moment to really think about this news - some man who she did not know, wished to marry her. Only, he didn't really want to marry her because he had never met her - or had he?

  "Have I met this man?" she asked her mother, who shook her head.

  "No, you have never met anyone in this family. They live far away and have only contacted us via post."

  "But then, how does he know that he wants to marry me? He might see me and then run away," Alessandra said, making her mother laugh softly.

  "Oh, Alessandra, he will not want to run away when he sees you! But it is his father and mother who are initiating this, not the young man himself, so I suspect he has as little to do with this decision as you do."

  "Have you already accepted?" she asked her mother, not at all certain how she was feeling about it all.

  Her mother shook her head.

  "No, your father and I agreed that we would talk to you first, and see how you felt about it. We will not force you. With the kind of money that was left to you, you do have the power to make your own choice. But this family seems honourable and well known, and they will introduce you to good social standing. And I understand the estate is vast, which will be something for you to pass on to your own children."

  "But will it be in any way good for you and Father if I do this?"

  Her mother nodded.

  "It will mean security for you. Your father and I won't be around forever and we would like to see you settled, to know you are being taken care of. And you are old enough now to be married, and starting your own family."

  At the thought of that, Alessandra blushed. In the few novels she had read, there had been mention of what happens between husband and wife in the dark of night, and it equally frightened her and intrigued her.

  She looked at her mother and nodded.

  "Mother, if you think this is the right thing for me to do, I will marry this man. But will you be there with me, when I meet him?"

  Her mother nodded.

  "We will all go to their family estate and spend some time there before you are officially betrothed. If you do not wish to marry him, you can tell me or your father why, and we will consider what is to be done then."

  Alessandra leaned in and gave her mother a hug, having thought for a long time that this day had been coming, so now preparing herself for the reality to happen.

  "But what will happen to Fern?" she asked quietly but did not get any response.

  Chapter Two: Edward

  On a broad, wide land a little to the east of the town of Bath, a young man was out riding on his beloved Beauty, a beautiful black horse with an almost dark blue sheen to it.

  As Edward rode up the steep incline and reached the summit of the tall, broad hill on their land, he climbed down and secured Beauty's reins to a nearby tree, before sitting down on the ground and looking out over the estate. From this exact point on their land, all of what they owned could be seen, and it constantly brought out in Edward a source of great pride.

  For more than 200 years their family had lived here, as farmers who provided tenants with opportunities for somewhere to live and to work. Edward had grown up among these tenants and regarded them all as extended family, as they did him, adoringly calling him 'Young Master'.

  Now at 20 years of age, Edward felt like he was on neither side of being a boy, dependent on his parents - or a man, completely independent. Being the only living child his parents had after a number of miscarriages and before his mother was told she should never get pregnant again, all responsibility would be on him one day to manage all of the estate, but for now both parents were alive and active in the management of the land, buildings and tenants.

  He wasn't a sociable person but had been well brought up with good manners, and because of this he did seem to make friends easily, although there were few instances where he could see them. Everyone he knew, he had met through his parents, and being future master of the estate, it had been explained to him very early on that he would not go to school like other children, but instead would be taught everything there was to know about the land before him, which his father regarded as infinitely more valuable than any schooling could.

  With a mother who had been well educated, however, even being confined to the estate, she had made sure he had a tutor who could teach him as well as any teacher in the school system. As a result, not going to school was no loss to him academically and he had grown up well versed in literature, language, music and bookkeeping.

  Today, sitting on the summit, Edward could feel the chill of winter coming on. The grounds were beautiful, with leaves of various colours scattered around, but it would not be long before winter really started to set in, and he knew it would then get frightfully cold. He was thankful that he was fortunate to live in a home that was solid and warm, once all the fires were going, and had enough people around in winter to be able to keep a good supply of firewood coming into the house, ready for use at all times
.

  The only negative thing he occasionally felt about his life was the aspect of sometimes feeling so lonely. There were always many people he could see and talk to, and yet now and then he did feel alone. His father had been telling him for a long time that he needed to get on and meet someone who could give him an heir for the family, but seemed to have left it in Edward's hands to find that 'someone'. And so, nothing had changed so far. He never met anyone new, so no courting had ever taken place. But he could see that his parents were not too old to leave this world yet, so did not worry about there being any rush.

  * * * * *

  After enjoying the tranquillity and beauty of the summit and its views, Edward stood up, starting to feel a chill, and started down the hill again toward the main house. As he approached his home he dismounted and watched as Beauty was led away to the stable by the stable hand. He had grown up with horses and sometimes considered them as good a friend as any man could have. Certainly he had seen, and heard of, horses doing things that saved men's lives, and they were a constant source of wonder to him, despite him having been around them every day of his life.

  Walking into the house, he immediately went up to his room to freshen up and change before going to find his mother.

  As he entered the drawing room he was confronted with his mother looking agitated and talking to his father.

  "Charles, he needs to get married so our line - your line - can continue. Why do you object to this so much?" his mother was saying to his father.

  Both parents looked up as they noticed Edward finally.

  "What are you talking about?" he asked his father, who shook his head in reply.

  "It does not concern you, Edward," his father replied, and Edward could see dismay on his mother's face.

  "Are you sure, Father? Who else needs to get married around here?"

  His father was silent and it seemed like his mother was hesitant to speak up also.

  Edward went and sat beside his mother, who was visibly upset, but also giving off somewhat of an angry vibe at the same time.

  "Father?" he prompted, one more time.

  Finally his father looked at him and spoke.