A Loveless Marriage - Jessica Swift - Wattpad

A Loveless Marriage

Reads 91,468
Votes 5,234
Parts 40
Time 6h 48m

Reads 91,468
Votes 5,234
Parts 40
Time 6h 48m

"Well it is unfortunate that you will be saddled with a husband, despite your preference to remain a spinster," Mr Wilkes said with a smirk.

"I beg your pardon?" 

The faintest alarm flickered in his eyes. 

"You don't really intend to refuse me?" 

The look on his face turned to that of a bewildered schoolboy. Frederick Wilkes was not used to refusal.

"You don't really mean to propose marriage to a lady you have just met?" 

London, 1910. A strange bequest in a will leads to Mary Taylor hastily marrying reckless playboy Frederick Wilkes. Fred has a bad reputation but it is the seemingly moral Mary's past that threatens to destroy them both. 


A story of love, betrayal and murder.
Best ranks: #1 in literary fiction, #1 in historical fiction #5 romanceAll Rights Reserved

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40 parts

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The Beauty Of Rose by yahsss

**DRAFT MOSTLY** FOR FANS OF BRIDGERTON Rose Axel is deformed from the burns she endured from her father. Her face is forever hidden under a veil. Her waist is much too wide, hips too ample. Too many prefer calling her fat. Or to her family, a cow. When hastily married after her father's death, to honor the agreement made in his will, she expects nothing of it. And she is right to think so. Matthew Whitfield is not happy upon receiving Rose as a bride. He cannot even look upon her, as she refuses to take off her veil, and has no features he considers attractive. The handsome charming Mr. Whitfield cannot be bothered by the likes of his wife. She is the fulfillment of a contract and nothing more. So he takes a mistress, and falls in love. Victoria Sill is everything Rose is not. Beautiful, gliding, and glowing. She's interested in one thing only, and that is to hold the title of Matthew's wife, Mrs. Whitfield. She doesn't care who she has to crush to get her way, be it Rose herself. Victoria always get what she wants. Be it one way or other. Soon Rose falls upon a secret that turns the tables. In addition, Victoria finds a way to become closer to the Whitfield name. A child. As the circumstances shift, and the Whitfield mansion is thrown into uproar, will this situation bring Matthew and Rose together? Or will Victoria succeed in keeping them apart? ---- #35 in victorian 5/13/22 #1 in oldtimes 5/23/22 #2 in regency 5/28/22 #1 in bridgerton 6/15/22 [[word count: 80,000-100,000 words]]

The Wrong Gentleman by LeeleeKez

Penniless and lacking the looks to attract a worthy husband, Jane Burton must trick a man into marriage to save her family from financial ruin. * When Jane's father loses his family's fortune in a game of cards and swallows a bullet as a result, Jane knows it is up to her to save her family from financial ruin by marrying a wealthy man. The odds are however against Jane, for without a sizable dowry or a face lovely enough to seize the attention of a man, the only way to find a husband is to trick one into marriage by creating a scandal. But what happens when her plan fails, and the wrong gentleman is implicated? CW: This story contains mentions of suicide. Cover by: @ClarissaNorth Previously titled: "Plain Jane" Copyright©2020 Lily Orevba All rights reserved.

A Stark Mismatch by greenwriter

Determined to stay blissfully unmarried, Lady Angela Worthington hires club owner and secret matchmaker Gerard Stark to find a match for her best friend who plans on proposing to her. Love was always in the cards, she just never imagined it could be for her... ***** Angela Worthington has no intentions of finding a love match this season-she's far too busy planning a secret mission involving the Ramsbury Circus. So when she discovers her promising life as a spinster is threatened by her best friend, Spencer's plans to propose, she knows drastic measures are called for. To ward off Spencer's advances, she hires club owner Gerard Stark, who happens to be the mastermind behind a very hush-hush matchmaking service. But Stark's agreement to find Spencer a match comes at a price, and Angela finds herself quickly slipping out of her comfort zone. Angela has never longed for marriage, but there's something about the charming Mr. Stark that may be simply too hard to resist. [[Word count: 100,000 - 150,000]] Cover designed by Morgan Sangster Content/trigger warning: Contains mentions of sexual assault

Drowning In Desire ***COMPLETE*** by TracyRichards87

He saved her from drowning... Who will save her from him... Matthew Weldrick must marry and produce an heir. Giving up being a rake will be hard but finding a wife he prefers seems to be harder. That is until he travels to his country estate he finds just what he was looking for. Farm girl Abigail Willhoite has been taking care of her family since she was orphaned. After her adoptive parents pass, she is left to care for their children and the farm. Being saved by a handsome Duke she grows an unrealistic attachment to him. Knowing she could never be with him she struggles with the fact she is falling in love. William Tinker was the bastard son of Lord Septhon and the last known heir to the Septhon fortune. So he thought till Lord Septhon becomes ill and requests a message be delivered to an orphan named Abigail Willhoite. The fortune will be lost to Tinker if the message reaches the girl. He vows that Abigail Willhoite will never know who she truly is. **First Book in the Desire Series**

Before The Snow Falls | Holiday Novella by amelierhys

[COMPLETED] Two centuries. Two love stories. One holiday season. 1 8 6 7 Every summer since she was eight years old, Nora leaves her home in New York to spend a few months at her aunt and uncle's English country manor in Hertford. She grows up playing in the fields of alfalfa with her childhood friend, Felix. But when she returns to England the summer after she turns twenty-one, Nora realizes that Felix is no longer the boy he used to be. He's a grown man, and the undeniable attraction between them grows as the heat of the summer months increases. But much to Nora's dismay, she knows nothing can ever come of it. After all, Felix Graham is destined to marry a wealthy, highly ranked, debutante from London society, being that his aunt is none other than the Queen of England. And Nora... well, Nora is just an American girl from a family of modest business owners. Knowing she can never have him, Nora flees back to New York. But as summer is left far behind and the weather begins to turn cold, Nora receives a package from Felix that will change her life forever. 2 0 1 9 When Lana Graham opens up an old box of Christmas decorations to find a collection of love letters dating back to the 19th century, she calls upon her history major friend, Hale, to help her decipher the story surrounding the mysterious notes. But as the two of them search for the truth of what happened between Felix and Nora, they find there are undeniable parallels to their own relationship. On a cozy, winter afternoon, Lana and Hale uncover more than just truths of the past. Featured on Wattpad Romance Profile: Hot for the holidays ❤️ Featured on The Peacock Show hosted by the Diagon Community. Check them out! Highest Ranking #5 Christmas

The Accidental Duchess by littleLo

When the arrogant stranger Bess is forced to marry unexpectedly becomes a duke, she'll find herself at odds with her growing feelings as he hunts for a killer. ***** Sharp-tongued Elizabeth 'Bess' Jones is perfectly content living on her lonesome in a tiny village south of Derbyshire. She works as a nurse, owns a small home, and finds the label of 'spinster' an agreeable trade for her independence. But when her entire life is uprooted in an instant, she only has one person to blame: her new husband, Emmett Wilde, who was caught in a compromising situation with her. And now, despite his promise to fake a death certificate after their wedding--to free her of any duty to him or their marriage bed--he sends for her in the dead of night with startling news: his father has been murdered, and he is now the Duke of Ascot with a wife he can no longer deny... [[Word Count: 60,000-70,000 words]] [[Cover designed by Ren Tachibana]]

His Sinful Heiress [Mature Read] by Sylvia-Norcroft

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. When faced with a choice, Lord Henry Clarke decided to become a famous and accomplished archaeologist rather than a happily married man to the woman of his heart. Now, at the age of one-and-forty, he lives a comfortable life as a bachelor, working as a professor at the University of London and paying regular visits to his two devoted lovers. His life takes an abrupt turn, when his childless older brother commits suicide, making him the next Duke of Grantchester. Yet that's a minor obstacle compared to the fact that he'll also have to marry to keep the money in the family... Miss Sabrina Hartley has New York at her feet... and perhaps all of America! But only one person knows who's behind the pseudonym that pens the most daring and bestselling erotic novels. When, at the age of one-and-thirty, she sees her younger cousin get married, she decides to turn the fiction of her stories into reality. However, her plans are soon thwarted by a series of telegrams from England - in order to keep half of her vast fortune, Sabrina must marry the current Duke of Grantchester as a direct result of an old agreement between their late fathers, Mr Hartley and Lord Clarke. Despite her best friend's warnings, Sabrina somewhat naively sets off to see if she can be happy in England... ...only to discover to her dismay that Henry is a cold and starchy man, his family reject her out of hand, and even the weather is dreadful almost every day! Will she find a way to her husband's heart or will she fulfill her darkest and most forbidden fantasies in the secret embrace of someone else?

Husband Wanted (HC #1) by Flo_Writes

Elizbeth Anne Humphrey wants a husband. Her expectations are not outlandish; all she asks is that he be reasonably handsome, reasonably wealthy and completely kind. Her brothers have offered their assistance, and it's given her hope that perhaps there is a man out there who might want her for a wife. But alas, the first man she meets after recommitting to the battle against spinsterhood is reasonably handsome, reasonably naked and completely soaked through and stranded on their front steps. He also has a head-wound and no memory of who he is, but Elizabeth Humphrey has larger mysteries to solve; namely, the mystery of who she might marry. Wattys 2022 Entry Completed: March 2022 (~83000 words)

Deceiving the Viscount by PhoenixP01

If you've been waiting for Garrett's and Frederica's story, here it is! Garrett has given up pining for his sister's best friend. He has political ambitions and wants a woman who will help him achieve it. The only condition is that this woman not demand his heart in return for her hand in marriage. Frederica has a son she needs to raise. She also has an absent father - who doesn't know she exists - that she needs to find to secure a good future for her son, far away from the prying eyes of the ton. He didn't expect to run into her. She didn't expect that he'd still care. He knows that she is the last person he should get involved with. She knows that they have no future together. Will they get their happy ending? *updated twice weekly*

Heart's Desire by abrobinette

[COMPLETED] At the age of 15, Miss Charity Chadwick is tricked into marriage. Her new husband, unhappy with their union, banishes her to his northernmost estate and promptly forgets about her existence. There, she remains for the next ten years, alone and neglected. Julian Lyons, Viscount Wrotham happily goes about his life, confident in his title and the position it affords him in society. All this changes when he is rudely reminded of the wife he tried so hard to forget. A decade has passed, seeing him act the bachelor. That is, until one fateful entry in his accounts that calls his attention to the unjust marriage that tried to put an end to his carefree days. Julian, having proof of Charity's unfaithfulness, rushes to confront his unwanted wife. He wishes to finally rid himself of her one way or the other. Then, he can truly forget the woman who forced him into marriage. Unfortunately, a powerful grandfather and fellow lords want a reconciliation. Charity, not knowing of her husband's unannounced return, does not recognize him. Although she is innocent of the charges, she does not deny them. She has plans of her own to end their marriage. When these two meet again, will love blossom and strengthen their union? Or will they part, unwilling to recognize their heart's desire?

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The Beauty Of Rose cover

The Wrong Gentleman cover

A Stark Mismatch cover

Drowning In Desire ***COMPLETE*** cover

Before The Snow Falls | Holiday Novella cover

The Accidental Duchess cover

His Sinful Heiress [Mature Read] cover

Husband Wanted (HC #1) cover

Deceiving the Viscount cover

Heart's Desire cover

The Beauty Of Rose

DRAFT MOSTLY FOR FANS OF BRIDGERTON Rose Axel is deformed from the burns she endured from her father. Her face is forever hidden under a veil. Her waist is much too wide, hips too ample. Too many prefer calling her fat. Or to her family, a cow. When hastily married after her father's death, to honor the agreement made in his will, she expects nothing of it. And she is right to think so. Matthew Whitfield is not happy upon receiving Rose as a bride. He cannot even look upon her, as she refuses to take off her veil, and has no features he considers attractive. The handsome charming Mr. Whitfield cannot be bothered by the likes of his wife. She is the fulfillment of a contract and nothing more. So he takes a mistress, and falls in love. Victoria Sill is everything Rose is not. Beautiful, gliding, and glowing. She's interested in one thing only, and that is to hold the title of Matthew's wife, Mrs. Whitfield. She doesn't care who she has to crush to get her way, be it Rose herself. Victoria always get what she wants. Be it one way or other. Soon Rose falls upon a secret that turns the tables. In addition, Victoria finds a way to become closer to the Whitfield name. A child. As the circumstances shift, and the Whitfield mansion is thrown into uproar, will this situation bring Matthew and Rose together? Or will Victoria succeed in keeping them apart? ---- #35 in victorian 5/13/22 #1 in oldtimes 5/23/22 #2 in regency 5/28/22 #1 in bridgerton 6/15/22 [[word count: 80,000-100,000 words]]