Prince Damian rejects the girl chosen by his mother without meeting her and without knowing the girl can hear every word of his rejection. Years later he finally meets her again and falls for her without knowing she is the same person. Cecilia's story continues in Betrayal. Cover credits: xoMilkyway

To the unknowing eye, the exotic young woman making her way through the English countryside is just another poor girl, hungry and looking for work. But Elena Del Fuego is much more than that. She is the youngest daughter of the King of Spain and she is running from an arranged marriage he forced upon her. Elena learned of the betrothal when she was ten years old, and found out that it was to happen on her eighteenth birthday to a Portuguese Prince twenty years her senior. She had eight years to plan her perfect escape. Her escape takes her to Derbyshire where she finds work as a housemaid at a grand estate called Ascot. While Elena had always planned to keep her head down, she cannot help but notice the handsome heir to the dukedom, David Wilde. But life is not like a fairy tale. The handsome heir cannot marry the maid and turn her into a princess, for Elena is already that. She is a princess with two nations chasing her, two nations determined to keep Elena and David apart and to take Elena home.

Isaac reread the letter shocked at its contents. Dear Mr. Wade, You’ve no doubt heard of Lorraine’s betrayal by now. I want you to know I am deeply sorry for her thoughtlessness, having grown up with Lorraine I am well aware of the pain she can put people through without a second thought. I am writing to propose that you and I wed. It’ll save my family’s reputation and embarrassment. Now I realize my father most likely said you had to, but you do not. If you do not want to marry me I understand. I will be getting ready in the next room it is to your right… I propose if you want to go through with this knock twice on the wall… if you don’t knock once- I will deal with my family just as I always have if your choice is to knock once. Again I am sincerely sorry for the pain my sister has caused you. I am sure that this is just as shocking to you as it is to me. Respectfully, Rose He remembered Rose well from the one time he had met her, she was good friends with his cousin Ginny. He remembered her telling every one of her travels. She was so unlike her sister and he was amazed the two were related. Lorraine had left him a letter as well, if one could even call it that- it was only one line- I do not love you and I am sorry. Those nine words written in her hand had cut like a knife and to find out that she had left him for another hurt all the more. He looked up at his older brother Gideon and handed him the two letters. Rose was sincere and he didn’t want the Watson’s laughed out of Denver, they were high society and it was one of the things her family cared about most.

***COMPLETED*** (First Draft) Gideon looked at the parchment the small woman held before him, an incredible picture of Max stared back at him under it simple handwriting read MAXIMUS JAMES. It only said his name nothing else but he knew she was looking for the child he had just adopted. He looked at the woman who bore great likeness to Max; her eyes were the same big brown eyes Maximus had. Her hair was the color of sand falling about her shoulders in slight waves; her lips were pink with the top lip larger than the bottom. Her nose sat slightly lower than some but fit her face perfectly. And she wore an outdated white dress that was far too large making Gideon wonder when the last time she ate was. "I'm sorry who did you say you were?" "Cordelia James, Maximus' mother" She said in a quiet voice, as if she had been expected to be quiet her whole life "Have you seen him?" She asked her big brown eyes danced with hope as they looked into his. "Yes. I adopted Max only weeks ago..."

***COMPLETED*** "I need to talk to you." she said in a small voice shutting the door behind her. Her hair fell from her bun in red ringlets around her face; her eyes searched his making his heart race in a very uncharacteristic way. he'd had been with women since his wife died- mostly saloon girls but none of them made him feel as nervous as the one in front of him. "You need to spend less time full as a tick in the saloon and more time with your daughters." She said looking right at him, that wasn't what he'd expected her to say at all "I know what you're going through Mr. Clayton loss is hard but your daughters need you-" "Loss? What do you know of Loss Miss Wade you are merely a child." He snapped not wanting to hear everything he'd done wrong. What gave her the right to talk to him like that anyway? They had just met. She nodded slightly turning to leave as she absently played with a ring on her finger She turned back towards him "I was Engaged to a wonderful man Mr. Clayton His name was Fergus O'Reilly and he was everything to me... he died on the eve of our wedding. Now this ring" she said putting her hand up and gesturing to the emerald ring "Is nothing but a broken promise of the life we were meant to share.... But you, you have Wilhelmina and Lorelei. You have a part of your wife always. You have something I would give anything for. All I have are my memories." The woman had kept her voice calm, but to him it felt as though he had been slapped in the face. No one had ever spoken to him like that before. "Miss Wade I suggest you bite your tongue if you wish to stay on as the governess." "Alright fire me, but who will watch your children? Because you certainly won't!"

**1st Draft, this will eventually be edited!**

**1st Draft, this will eventually be edited!** Lindy leaned forward ever so slightly as the smoke from the train could be seen from a distance. Her heart raced as she knew Levi, her childhood best friend was on that train. She hadn't seen him in three and a half years since his parents died; he hadn't come home even for Christmas. She smiled brightly at her younger sisters Julie and Ginny. "He's almost here!" She said to them barely containing her joy. Julie smiled brightly looking at her with the same color of gray eyes as their mother. She fixed her unruly blonde hair before putting her flowered hat back on, and then turned towards Ginny as she fixed her strawberry blonde braid. "Do I look okay?" She asked worried.