The Art of Defiance

She felt a finger at the base of her throat before her chin was tilted up.

'Look at me.' Gulping, she raised her eyes to meet his gaze and found herself captivated by the brilliant blue of his irises. They arrested the viewer in their steely regard.

'Why is it,' he continued, still holding her in his gaze, 'that a lady such as yourself would wish to do something so dishonourable?' The ghost of a smile danced on his lips.

Regaining some of her confidence and staring him straight in the eye, she replied. 'Because, sometimes, even the most proper of ladies wish to defy.'

Lady Eleanor Cantwell, daughter of Lord Albert Michael Cantwell, Marquess of Salford, is the most proper of ladies. With her golden complexion, striking features, raven-black hair and manners fitting a princess, Lady Eleanor is always deemed the belle of the ball. But there is just one problem.

Lady Eleanor Cantwell is Indian.

Having been adopted from India when Lady Salford found herself unable to bear child, Lady Eleanor is shunned by society, including her mother, owing to her true heritage. The ladies look down upon her and the gentlemen only want her virtue which she clung onto dearly. They certainly have no wish to wed an Indian girl, no matter how pretty or clever she was!

Which is why it came as no less of a surprise when a young man - a duke, no less! - offered his hand in marriage to the young daughter of the Marquess of Salford. Lady Eleanor finds it quite hard to believe that any gentleman in their 'right' mind would wish to marry her but instead of feeling grateful, all she feels is remorse. A husband, would only bring with him a mountain of restrictions which she did not care much for.

So, when her mother sells her to the duke, she realizes that she no longer cares for society or her father or her reputation. But to call off the wedding, she would have to do something she has never before done and that which would ruin her.

She would have to defy.

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Lady Eleanor Cantwell

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Lord Nathan Huntington

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1st Place - General Fiction/Historical Fiction - Hidden Gems Awards 2018

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Thank you for choosing to read 'The Art of Defiance'. I don't have much experience in this genre, but I will do my very best to make this story enjoyable.

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©Richa Rachael Kurian, 2021