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    A Change of Heart
    A Change of Heart
    A Change of Heart
    Ebook79 pages1 hour

    A Change of Heart

    By Lynn Kerstan

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    About this ebook

    A traditional Regency novella about a marriage of convenience that quickly proves to be quite otherwise. On their wedding trip, Lady Elaine and Philip, Lord Halsey, were blissfully happy, and now their first child is on its way. But neither is prepared for the sacrifices and challenges ahead. Elaine, who must relinquish her dream of a London Debut Season, is resentful and frightened by the changes in her body, while her devoted but befuddled husband can’t seem do anything to please her. A story about a new marriage, the making of a family, and the triumph of love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLynn Kerstan
    Release dateSep 12, 2012
    ISBN9781301876136
    A Change of Heart
    Author

    Lynn Kerstan

    Lynn Kerstan, former college professor, folksinger, professional bridge player, and nun, is the award-winning author of nine Regency romances, seven historical romances, and several novellas. A dedicated traveler and lover of history, she writes romantic adventures set in early 19th-Century England, where intrepid women and elegant, dangerous men are to be found, For many years a teacher of English literature and writing at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and the University of San Diego, Kerstan now conducts popular-fiction workshops for writers groups and conferences. When off-duty, she lives an exemplary life in Coronado, California, where she plots her stories while riding her boogie board, walking on the beach, and watching Navy SEALs jog by.

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      Book preview

      A Change of Heart - Lynn Kerstan

      A Change of Heart

      Traditional Regency Novella about a marriage of convenience that quickly proves to be quite otherwise. On their wedding trip, the newlyweds are blissfully happy, and soon a new family member is on its way. But neither was raised in a loving home, and they are unprepared for the challenges ahead. Elaine, forced to relinquish her dream of escaping the tedious countryside long enough to experience a London Season, is resentful, while the devoted but befuddled Lord Halsey can’t seem do anything to please her. A story about a new marriage, the making of a family, and the triumph of love.

      A Change of Heart

      by

      Lynn Kerstan

      A Change of Heart

      Copyright 2012 by Lynn Kerstan

      Published 2012 by Lynn Kerstan

      Cover Art by FanstasiaFrogDesigns

      Formatted by Ironhorse Formatting

      www.LynnKerstan.com

      Smashwords Edition

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      Table Of Contents

      A Change of Heart

      Bonus Excerpt: The Runaway Bride

      About The Author

      A Change of Heart

      The crash reverberated through the house, rattling the china and resonating in Philip’s aching head. He gritted his teeth and waited for the second door to slam, reconfirming his wife’s displeasure.

      Elaine was moving more slowly than usual, although her pregnancy had not begun to show except in those details which might be apparent to a lover. He could only imagine what those were.

      When the second clap echoed from upstairs, Philip knew she’d reached her room and was settling in for a good sulk. He pushed away the remnants of his breakfast and poured the last bit of lukewarm coffee into his cup.

      What was it, precisely, that set her off this time? For his life he could find no pattern in the offenses he gave without intention.

      Could it have been the marmalade? He’d buttered her a piece of toast and slathered it with thick orange preserves, only to have his offering fly past his head, land smack up on the silk wallpaper, and slide unhurriedly to the carpet.

      She preferred honey, he was roundly informed. How could he fail to remember? Hadn’t she begged him to employ a beekeeper to supply the fresh honey she craved?

      He sighed. In fact, Elaine had preferred honey—until last week. Then she announced a decided inclination for the tart marmalade he favored. So many of her tastes changed, by the minute it seemed, that he had long since despaired of keeping track of them.

      Communication had dwindled to rare pleasantries and frequent spats. They no longer slept together, not since she twigged to the consequences of admitting him to her bed … which was, to his way of thinking, rather like closing the barn door after the horse escaped.

      More likely she was punishing him for the crime of making love to his wife without taking precautions. It had never occurred to him to do so, nor had she asked. But perhaps he ought to have suggested it. Apparently Elaine held him solely responsible for her unwelcome pregnancy.

      She had banished him. Not to his own room, which adjoined hers, but to a small bedchamber at the end of the passageway. By her report, he made noises in the night which disturbed her sleep—noises so loud they could be detected through thick walls and solid oak doors. Like the old story of the princess and the pea, he reflected without humor.

      He had sympathized with Elaine’s plight before conducting a test with the aid of his valet and a footman, who sacrificed several nights of sleep to assess his nocturnal habits. His Lordship did not precisely snore, they were agreed. On occasion he emitted a soft, rumbling sound, but it was scarcely audible even when they approached the bed and bent down to listen.

      He did not tell Elaine. There was no point. If she wanted to keep him at a distance, she’d only find another excuse.

      Under the circumstances, it had become impossible to determine when she was up and about, or if she required his presence. One morning she expressed annoyance at his failure to take breakfast with her, so the next day he dutifully waited in the breakfast room for nearly three hours, his stomach soured by the smell of kippers and kidneys and sausages wafting from the sideboard, only to learn she had requested a tray in her room.

      After that, he enlisted the neutral—meaning male—servants to spy for him. They were the only ones he trusted, because women tended to band together when

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