A Convict's Lover by Kayla Trautman (the false prince series .txt) 📕

Julie Mortoff loves living on the farm. She questions the concept of working men do death out in the heat of Australia. They didn't literally die from it but they were worked too hard and beaten when didn't or disobeyed their place in anyway. When they tried to run and got caught or returned, they were whipped and chained in the stables until their wounds were healed. It was inhuman. Immoral. She didn't like it but she couldn't stop her father - Louis Mortoff, owner of the farm, Master to all workers.

Julie is now twenty-two. She has long blonde hair that was darker closer the roos and it reached her hips, right above her buttocks. It had its curls but not the fashionable curls. When she was a girl her mother tried to convince her to do something more with her hair to give it more curls. But Julie would have nothing of it. She tried it once and hated it. The things would never stay in her hair. She couldn't even remember what they were called.

She was taller than most women but still not as tall as most men. She had small curves that men overlooked. They didn't really notice her. The few beaus that she had were only because she introduced herself without being spoken to first. It wasn't natural for a woman to start courting a man that much around there. At least not one that most men stayed away from.

She had three older brothers; although they weren't too much older. Henry Mortoff, age twenty-six, was married to Elena Mortoff and had a five year old son named Earl. He lived on his own farm. Percy Mortoff, age twenty-eight, had his own farm and was married to Sarah Mortoff, they had no children, she wasn't capable of it. Jacob Mortoff, age twenty-nine, lived on the farm with herself and their father, he was second in charge whenever the overseer wasn't around and had no wife; but he had many mistresses whenever he felt the need.

Her father was constantly on her case that she needed to let someone court her. He didn't want his only daughter becoming an old maid. They had made an agreement that if she wasn't married off by her twenty-second birthday, she'd accept the marriage to Jeffrey Bertly that he had arranged. Bertly has been after her hand in marriage ever since she was twenty. He was their overseer and he was an arrogant fool. He was so concieted. He was a good guy but she didn't like him.

Bertly never gotten violent with her in any matter but she was not in any way attracted to him. She didn't have anything against him but despised the work he had to do. She wanted nothing to do with it. She stayed out of that dirty business. She left that all to her father and Bertly. Julie only managed the parties, finances, and acted as host when they had guests.

Julie didn't have a good relationship with her father. Her mother died when she was young when she came down with a fever. She had just grew sicker and sicker before she gave her last breath. Her father had grown a temper that even she couldn't escape from. She had lost his love then. He had never remarried but had a mistress that lived with them regularly. Julie never cried for her mother. She never mourned her mother. She wasn't able to. Her father would have her a beating on her backside anytime that he thought that she was thinking of her. Soon she stopped thinking of her altogher. Then when she was finally allowed to think of her, it was too late to mourn. She had too many things to tend to and it kept her busy. Whenever she had freetime; which was mostly when she went for horserides, walks, or went to sleep; she still didn't cry. She didn't know why but ... maybe it was because she didn't know how to mourn.

Mrs. Jenny Loveless, a servant that Julie was close friends with, found Julie in her room still in her nightgown. She shook her head at her, "You're not dressed yet? You have to hurry now. Your father sent me to fetch you. He's waiting for you in his office." Julie sighed and stood from the window seat, "I know he would be wanting to talk to me one of these days." It was just a week after her twenty-second birthday. A deal was a deal.

"Oh, come on Julie. It'll be alright. Maybe marriage to Mr. Bertly won't be so bad as you think it will be." Jenny always tried her best to get her to look at the light of things when things went other than the way she wanted it. Julie looked up at her and nodded, "Yes it will, Jenny. If I marry him then I will be miserable for the rest of my life. I will be under his control and have to let him make my decisions. I'm not attracted to him. I'd have to have kids with him. Just the thought of getting intimate with him because of a darned paper makes me faint. That's worse than being an old maid for the rest of my life.

"I think he's a nice guy just not for me." She sighed. "But now I have to marry him." Her stomach twisted and her heart beat faster with her growing fear. Her hands shook with nervousness that she hoped she could hide once downstairs.

Jenny went over and hugged her, "I know what you're feeling. And I hate to have to see you so miserable. But your father's doing what he thinks is best for you." I layed my head against her shoulder and muttered, "No he's not. He's doing what's best for him. He hasn't loved me in a long time. He hates me and shows me it everyday."

Jenny sighed and hugged her tighter, "If only your mother were still here. She wouldn't let him treat you the way he does and she certainly wouldn't make you go through with this wedding." I closed my eyes and said nothing. Whether that were true, she didn't know. Whether her father would have listened to her mother if she were here and spoke this, she wouldn't be possible. A man had the power in this world and dad wouldn't let her change his mind on things. He had too much pride in him to be proved wrong by a woman. That's what he would call her changing his mind; he would take it as letting everyone know that he was wrong and that he could be ruled by the likes of a woman. So he simply didn't let that happen. He wore the pants and he made sure that she and everyone that knew them knew it.

Julie sighed and stood, "I guess I can't stall any longer. I'll get dressed and then go plan my wedding. Or sign my prison sentence." Jenny sighed. Her face full of sympathy. Then she smiled and asked, "Well when you are married maybe you could talk him into hiring me as your personal maid? That way we'll always be together and you'll have one friend there with you."

Julie smiled, "I would like that." She chuckled and took her hand. "You always seem to find a way to make me smile whenever I'm down, Jenny. I don't know how you do it but I'm definitely going to need a lot of that once I'm married. Thank you." Jenny patted her hand, "Anytime, Jules. Now why don't I help you dress? It could be my first task as your personal maid." They both smiled and got to picking out a dress. That's why Julie loved her. She was the mother figure in her life but her friend. And she always cheered up somehow.

Julie was tense as she walked down the stairs. She knew this would happen. She knew there was no avoiding it. It was inevitable. She just never thought that this day would come so fast. She hoped that they would drag out the planning process to stall the day they would be wed. She prayed that life was better than what she expected it to be when she was married to him. She prayed things would turn out as great as Jenny said.

She swallowed as she knocked on the door to her father's office. "Come in." Louis called out; gruffly. She let her breath out silently as she opened the door and went inside. Louis was siting behind his desk and Bertly was standing beside him at his flank. He held his hands behind his back and it was like he was a soldier with his hands behind him nad his legs shoulder width apart. He was smiling at her. He knew that he would be getting what he wanted. Her.

"Well close the door. It's about time. We've been waiting a half hour for you." Louis directed. Julie closed the door and smiled friendly at Louis, "Sorry, papa." She turned her smile towards Bertly, "Morning, Mr. Bertly." "Mornin', Miss. Julie." He responded in a tone that was decent enough for Louis' ears but for Julie there was that hidden seductive tone. "It's nice to see you. As it always is."

"Likewise." She responded as she stepped up to her father's desk and turned to him. "You wanted to speak with me, papa?" He nodded and inclined his head towards the chairs, "Have a seat." She did and it was silent for a while. It was like he was trying to find the best way to put this.

Louis finally spoke, "You're twenty-two now, Julie, and you're not married." Julie's composure faltered for only a second before she smiled slightly and nodded, "Yes, that is true." "I won't have my daughter being an old maid for the rest of her life and we have an agreement. And I tend to hold you to that agreement."

Julie cleared her throat; which was very improper for a lady but she just had to, "Just as I tend to follow through with my agreement. As promised, I will gladly allow Mr. Bertly to court me. I should've done this sooner. But they always say the age does the brain some good."

Louis laughed, "Enough with all this nonsense. You're a woman. Your brain couldn't grow anymore than it is now. All you had to say is that you'd do it. Now we won't do it right away. We'll start the courting now but the wedding won't be announced until the sping. That's when our family and friends are more able to visit for the wedding. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Bertly said; he had never once stopped smiling or had he taken his eyes off of her. She nodded and stood, "That sounds great." She turned to look at Bertly. He finally moved from her father's side to approach her. He held his hand out and she set her hand in his. He bent over her hand and kissed