Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Virtue's Lady
Virtue's Lady
Virtue's Lady
Ebook436 pages6 hours

Virtue's Lady

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Lady Jane Ramsey is young, beautiful, and ruined.

After being rescued from her kidnapping by a handsome highwayman, she returns home only to find her marriage prospects drastically reduced. Her father expects her to marry the repulsive Lord Lewes, but Jane has other plans. All she can think about is her highwayman, and she is determined to find him again.

Mark Virtue is trying to go straight. After years of robbing coaches and surviving on his wits, he knows it’s time to hang up his pistol and become the carpenter he was trained to be. He busies himself with finding work for his neighbors and improving his corner of Southwark as he tries to forget the girl who haunts his dreams. As a carpenter struggling to stay in work in the aftermath of The Fire, he knows Jane is unfathomably far beyond his reach, and there’s no use wishing for the impossible.

When Jane turns up in Southwark, Mark is furious. She has no way of understanding just how much danger she has put them in by running away. In spite of his growing feelings for her, he knows that Southwark is no place for a lady. Jane must set aside her lessons to learn a new set of rules if she is to make a life for herself in the crime-ridden slum. She will fight for her freedom and her life if that’s what it takes to prove to Mark—and to herself—that there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Editor's Note

Rich and Dark...

Jessica Cale’s “Southwark Saga” continues with “Virtue’s Lady,” which is a gritty take on the fish out of water trope. An aristocratic lady is kidnapped, which results in a ruined reputation. Her father tries to marry her off, but she runs away instead to the poor town of Southwark, filled with unpleasant odors and rough-and-tumble people. She adapts to her new life, proving her worth to the town’s skeptical residents — and to the highwayman who rescued her from the kidnapping.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 8, 2022
ISBN9781094436463
Author

Jessica Cale

Jessica Cale is a romance author, editor, and historian based in North Carolina. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She kidnapped (“married”) her very own British prince (close enough) and is enjoying her happily ever after with him in a place where no one understands his accent. She is the editor of Dirty, Sexy History and you can visit her at www.dirtysexyhistory.com.

Read more from Jessica Cale

Related to Virtue's Lady

Titles in the series (4)

View More

Related ebooks

Historical Romance For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Virtue's Lady

Rating: 4.55 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

20 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Virtue's Lady - Jessica Cale

    bbook_preview_excerpt.html}ͲƑ@:B7eK%{^"Y"sx0yy?Ief ULI?_5NC_9T_^g/·(_-j S%;g1j 6k!XO)U>]HMUn*z!OwC|Tc!L$ߚr_c_>*N[5}Oy6MS)K C)Mu!SC-_) uM :jxf>VXECxZW=i۱oƧN>c븴q3DVHNRx/?rWyiB5.+l?_t:<@**U:z8Qw=eY95}\ʓyce GnNcSAvdl^?Oq7 ?Q*UY] Q@r6_yt/Xtb{ʿHF>M4s'QCO9 "h(+< owQe1U;gm$y8^bB+ZlT=V'%7؇lhExMDPor:hsh"6P|G9xџ})3bnilmgߞCJyF4yܨ?Ʀ=u8 'yMaP)bDU.x曪\I,S'<0_;'1)İoYUP}8wa4E;^>C DS:Im,ˀ]%yfϦ2Ѷw̃04iVD,_>47,ˏ|}z~3yX{ZJLf*ˢ,&^6hrWo&oq!VdMٟjeym sȯwcrS J}LeֶZLp sm:p,p{4ʍ8؝?ř." FX&S/_੫[1C]%G}oR4I7ˊ\g?1yA*v}9@8nj k3d\zkПe"vWͽAM駱(vZZBřnclrC \~#%vK$ ެ*ˁ Q[6bQhOJwg~[ͣyLkbǵF$=A Es{"C'w 1+;&e h@҈Lz8Z1nš-N%: [ڝ>f$MVq9{W(~G'Q.wwj1/xXЅ#_sYϹ?a -h- ߩC+6+ab3װZ^;N|CZyL[$ TB^ Pn&̓  bn^OA8 p}aΐQ'L'v^qm$D:[97):CtG9 "%.CO.AY} nwi<+z}z *ZkNuFxKn1jB} kLgr#PrxtB#48<ҟz4 yiL9u 0 z"G.S^Ymqg.#%fs6@?rR$N lk>ve 7Uu@pMu%`ZL"C[5Bԏ!2}ADy ^bW.^k:%ՁI‰Qc=M[ Q~F^"lU7A{pA"-Z} l+Q@GR,!W *GA{'8q[6EEh"+2Z9ET/f0 Dعy LΈk2,0f =:PLux'A#9-M}+x+@;!oqPX6գ-g uW`$o0~i:v1qtE!\L k͈8bP[+>S@Y" ft*qmy6iL|N^ުܩ~ 3+faO& ?'ӗn,ȮjŞ1dYЬe} nny7&5k:@%əHCI 䒻9NeBƍQxpKA ޳=<0<۹nm\L`WGh0O 0\@lD*2)8 7? :q"PSGy "=Gۅ"1 "G-McO3GbYSZx,lM# fmם`& iuۂ:zv gI_u$>83کVYh[Q:70O'0;HAZ L_/ dV)"QCIWՠ"YxY9 Ų[B{@3dL!.;[1օqϟʼܫ?YM ¯%1D(2]qS[<|m&Cbo?SК5")!,%Q(7A̞&"HkV) 9: SI+Ef0)=D\ZoJdA0P8a/rj­`*(\R~aM ~ :b-|ȝIe_H8)+`,/F~ &J!LXҫPV.fϱ1`ד)kX6?\FGq;sԉ9"A4(W(Njy}zm&ͣՆ&F-V9Z,0Jw>Y-\mnˀ5l`Ĥܟ:nhl,+RT,n{*YeM tV䒋 NTa@dB=Mpa0~r脈f:gq,@BMekė5fLK&hN+ [B%hUӳgw8@f0|09c|em*7eųȍ5vpRrfjY!WG12J#7kE7*7؏<+21[$ipVAxGY*@DQt9;A' os QTd.uxRX|{Sd؁%{g-sF!}.b!#|y2,֌t)HǛJ!%fR"D1gV+.-X'rĆ98Y4qP"wkT;%:GV1hkY, nvAnkUJ[h)ns fՌCy/8ϒ,Y)hrV;,&=]NXŌ&6E;,}+UY15q|IL?)& ъ|cV(NZ%oCm@0xpm qL]4)t߳${˨+>,h˶^V˪ J ÉAR)z%n3PM% dC^EޭOZ7E\oZi<}_^co8ϱ=2pI BhG >0Y=F56P`-eA9T&Fҫ x^t1pB"$lciMv{z5/]bӏ@–@b54áY@z P^v:ܕ)tmb }za$8RmE4~ҏ /ݎ$ XaV[u{ lKk>(-^5nAij8S@(a|5 r$桛Y"Ab~a;޳{}yXCS (L黇} -%Sa/6^"כm Z? ¦g#*r8ǒ5Ӿ+)vD&ho=9@UβZuu) ÝU_Ԃ( Jrov45 !p FKԦ b!YV9AK_VN㴣 Ѽ%99VʌԼ+6/ڂ "=IO#bK M0셲r+b#\)tvaBb4KBeT'[pui)r`4suG5YՑZeɈx ?v>9g=-1D@^+Qg Z`tH%^ym:$V4uF5Z2(67UTʀ~⋼X sc VέOJX{yRx[[!)*;U;#2W|JҞ<秕q?st k1ϷeHp?_c .5!G[6MKZoxh k3zګM;(<åN4ToJ -X&z=B= L> CK} FKNODˆ׬|M F4Ѳ"5^D/d2sZ6|8F$) RAثd %\]t3lӷvl(96КdJtnZL?IwT97dka"h:9Q83 T8~g+fB!՜ItT0:{8#aiQ/I2ZE4&5a8A{ 6(m>}tvHk!ԡiDɖbw#׹4C_Ctg6u1q 㵪-sANL([m's%?t[I5_suNkӿR < gIr2_bY7[haJl-X!:͏di$R"w\>`kIT-l;v5<M6NVsĜ] "OA!0J\نA͆{F_H=vKC YрmDŽ0 J;HpK*ѰP߰|@gA & TFN'_)+i֬OBFF_4C7vZ5ĩ6Ynʜh=.ygξ1,TJȯy?0{X:/KT k^sh|D2a\*EVtrIxj w$aW۩ac"pb:i=LMS 'ȍI _oL2Kg]G0f}Crҥ ja a?^]n>-e#޶̬ "TYUc0LسB qeܶ)5T˓xDo,%ӵyKp/fn&hS_5x*Koֳr3izQ*+su˸2>]WCGQy!ǣj1M[h,& GKQ\` ҈,2ߖM}t=Xpq pwPlѱBZ+gիŘ*M掍1 ިy_YC<)o#AkףlHj0Il V^^х&Ӈ/`T^0!\,L̬, JB:CG38iAK9 Fl#Ma DYsCV^S/*KAO1s%:C 9LyV<Z#b˼1 Ҥ7b.H742Il2aߊYm,2/tomɘ{{ζ`P%ҞXVUڴ8e<Ů웫ksypmo]Z W]GhgSޖh'oc6k>ʸ({x /Pw5:@=7~rFiRF(UֽEYyktϨGhVa_S;7*GwC1qX7Ɲ0ժ W(s!ȁЩwjk))ҺG&u~{r`:NǼSSNKrn\\L^ֱRNKiբƝ BPj /?SQ11HN0HKxamlGr*fK2)uӔzM>4ջyZpV`Z`~s 1rpCV*ufN x+韄\hl8Er{I ?X$_#)9^`4rRoU>zZZ#k|iG5Yɏ!0՝M 0&9;PlʤQKDEȇ}'śeɭ͍)RXS~hl Fg^;gβ.ԋqX K b2QYiu WPIr7rc (?cG$eQ4f]u5/,#t[-1>N&Y2Fb+&TC7%ϫ Vss݌o)~!7ꎥ?l6qShBZߧ=+0& -Ub)~mlJ3  ObڨR}Ns]RWfd'GK_e5RFc}IMS D1s(j1_m%2tWWbP:~K+_֪n-j륳";K=;.j)8[m1SxFB8ԭi:N8-LeaQhP$qkĭ^T/v3:h' %ȳ! (˞9(DP5 u~nm u| MX⨭5Kng\9+v*4 &v2\Qw[A)ӆPO ъrx8iԭaLcįq/qC;' ڧcmUFх2ތt A=|H NO|ĐE:@+8&sA!ZV7? 95Kz.FevI)Ryl:'ڴ紧>zܦTx?&Zɡ?FcdV,.]ie\CG-PjaDEe^9bWdU2z8@JpN@'R؉탑R!Ky|t'ʔ:K5)$tYEQ50]IfP/__{b GE 26~H;*+CdfuC< Ƴ }^Mkaf,xYt*UI0.( FyF2ZS=4?b De5+#+yM!{mtijI$~r6хXXU܈6Ę"*PX?|ccxsF0?A*i'qX^Ci-ؑ|!^7[^F ,Mh1 QbLE)=`x]M)Ps:_cI$.><N+`8ʤeR@>]Ů3 OuI@NU=rޘc/r'{7 QEu }C,a%uGLSI |(F38sI aن3ڴ:cc4Ѯz@XY|]I+.Di"{ai z8O[/:o*L0Ϸ+/wi0Dv;|nb>O'Gj1wNeEFJEBв.E8wiRy&.yXU*apB6=o_Bv}cji+t-/ >~ c%HL5o1[o1(ZU?p(~R׺SJ'h=^*ZJo"o>kGm=)_zϐ C:GG38JȀҢG _-)3e65~MqQ}[f =FKhi];en(φE\v`p8uJ_Fw4[ki)ƖM% d q…jyɃ4.k(\D/!n:[ n[lFm^7nӭ>vgPN!ӘkozhtFS񌺚mQ39>o#SACBط&MC%[˅ʟ9Q̙VJi 'se 9dVQ*BU@-,%8uL5`˸(^Ɇx/QZ8FRO_keq TV긳XM.uZ^5 ZժT ~}6Z+1)L4y-CYz[ސ92>*>ϿfY.Pɷs3NY,nB~}v6N۳Wle/s{JV|p ʏVҾERo`Jhn:K!;{ A noBgCb^ȿFų|wX(U(]H-2smAVo`|ȷ~g:`ꪝ&gnϖQ9U8A}:j9^K' bd/˾jeH G&q4Tr]&9uˈfu\MN4b7^И—@_s=dsDDlNUJ#tZwjU`x0 {1).K 0כW6hlcN|@Pux\tEa 3|8zlm[º`{þ_6q C8o:FΞhoIlęU(KsЁi} oBf"}Hdv/n)X4s,SN8^Wh-M/,7M
    Enjoying the preview?