Envy and Favor
(Sins of the Virtuous)
by Faye Hall
(Historical Romance)
What
happens when a resentful man is determined to win the favor of the one you
love?
For years Atol Livia has desired
only one thing—to move north, far from the corruption of his father’s business,
and start a life with the woman he loves. That is if Anna Jenel can look past
his poverty and will agree to marry him. When Anna informs him that she gave
her heart to him long ago, never once caring about any wealth he might have,
he’s elated. But their plans are delayed when Atol’s father is found murdered.
Once Atol has finally settled his obligations and is able to leave town, he
goes to collect Anna but discovers that she is gone.
Anna doesn’t understand why her
father whisked her away in the middle of the night to travel north. When they
arrive, she finds a fully operational cattle station, and an associate of her
father’s willing to do anything to gain possession of it—even marry her.
When Atol arrives up north, all he
can think of is being reunited with Anna. But he soon discovers that the man
who murdered his father now has his eyes set on Anna and will do whatever is
necessary in order to have her as his wife. This man is determined to gain
possession of Anna’s cattle station and the orange sapphires hidden there.
Will Atol and Anna be able to
protect each other from a murderer, or will they fall victim to the envy of
this man and lose each other forever?
Content Warning: contains sex, strong language,
and some violence
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Excerpt:
“Damn it, Anna,” Atol cursed. Hurrying to
mount his horse, he flicked the reins on its rear and sped off after her.
As he closed the distance between them, he
knew he was being a fool running after this woman yet again. He needed to stop
dropping everything every time she beckoned him. He needed to, but he couldn’t.
Anna was everything he could ever want in a woman, and he would follow her to
the ends of the earth should she ask him to.
His heart ached as he reminded himself how
pointless such a sacrifice would be. Their fathers would never allow any kind
of relationship to eventuate between them other than the friendship he had
insisted they keep.
It wasn’t just her friendship that he
wanted though. He wanted… His fingers brushed against his lips, remembering her
soft kiss moments before. It was one of only a few he had been blessed with
since they’d moved to Rockhampton, but he treasured them all, fearing this was
all
He would ever be able to share with Anna.
Remembering how easily this most recent
show of affection had come about, he again began to wonder if he shouldn’t just
defy their fathers and confess his true feelings to her. After all, a woman
didn’t give a man such affections unless she desired—
“Hurry up, Atol,” she yelled to him from
up ahead, interrupting his thoughts.
Looking in the direction of her voice, he
saw her dismounting and tying her horse up before undressing down to her
chemise and drawers. Captivated by the image she made, he slowed his horse to a
walk and approached the swimming hole.
He dismounted and tied his horse near
Anna’s, then he slipped off his shoes and removed his shirt, throwing it over a
branch of a nearby bottlebrush tree. Strolling toward the bank of the creek, he
stalled and rolled up the legs of his jeans before entering the cool water.
“You took your time getting here,” she
chided him in a playful tone. “I was starting to think you’d changed your
mind.”
He waded toward her, suddenly forgetting
the distance he usually insisted stay between them. “If a beautiful woman asks
you to go for a swim, only a fool would refuse.”
“Will Father really be mad when he finds
out you didn’t finish those papers?” she asked.
He shrugged, no longer caring about where
he should be right now. All he cared about was this woman and how she was
making him feel. “No doubt he will be furious, but I’m certain he’d be more
furious to learn where I am with his daughter right now.”
She held his gaze. “But we’re just
swimming. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
He studied her, unsure if she meant what
she was saying. “Surely you know there’s nothing so innocent about a man and
woman sneaking away to swim. The assumption would be that any man left alone
with a woman of your beauty would be unable to control himself.”
“Yet you seem to have ample control.” She
waded toward him, stopping a breath away. “I’ve invited you to swim with me so
many times and never once have you touched me inappropriately.”
His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb
brushing her lips. “Even you must know every man has their limits.”
She leaned into him, her lips touching his
briefly before breaking their embrace. “And have I pushed you to yours?”
About Faye:
Faye Hall spent her early years
listening to stories about the families – including her own – who settled
townships in and around her hometown in North Queensland, Australia. The local townspeople, including her own
parents, told her stories of corruption and slavery, along with family secrets
and forbidden love.
Desperate to remember what she’d
been told, along with her already growing love of writing, Faye began to write
about the history of her local area.
Never could she have imagined the history of her small home town in
Australia would become a growing list of published books.
Faye’s passionate stories combine
controversial subjects and provocative encounters as her characters struggle to
survive the lifestyle in early rural townships throughout Australia. She explores slavery and abortion, drug
addiction and murder, as well as forbidden love and passionate affairs of the
heart.
When she’s not writing, Faye enjoys
sharing a bottle of wine with her husband in their ever-growing garden, and
encouraging the varied interests of their combined family of nine children.
