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    Love's Timeless Secret Revealed (Tom's Story)
    Love's Timeless Secret Revealed (Tom's Story)
    Love's Timeless Secret Revealed (Tom's Story)
    Ebook102 pages57 minutes

    Love's Timeless Secret Revealed (Tom's Story)

    By Marianne Dora Rose

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    About this ebook

    Paula Freda writing as Marianne Dora Rose presents two love stories entwined, one-hundred twenty-five years apart, yet linked by one thread, Love's Timeless Secret. Thomas Driscoll, elder son of Leatrice and Seth Driscoll, teaches Montana History at his local college, along with an Adult Ed course. When he suggests an optional paper on memoirs garnered from his students' own past relatives. Janice Miller, the plainest student in his Adult Education class, prim and proper, every facial feature in its place, but no spice, bland, brings him a diary she discovered in an old trunk in her attic, scripted by her great grandmother, several times removed, Elspeth Gillian. Elspeth is a lonely young woman, living in the 1890s, not beautiful or alluring, passed over for prettier and docile, younger ladies. Her only recourse is escape or a forced marriage of last resort, even if her escape should lead her to yet another uncertain future. She needs to be loved, not used. At a time in history when women had few rights, and even less say in their futures, Elspeth has the courage to create her own future. He reads the diary and can't help visualizing Janice as Elspeth, as he discovers Love's Timeless Secret. - Excerpts: It was difficult not to notice her. She was the plainest girl in the Adult Ed class he taught in the evening. Most of his students were past their forties, well dressed, even in casual wear, and interested in the history of the Montana country, USA. There was something about Janice, only a few weeks younger than him, that cried, prim and proper always. No makeup. Each facial feature in its proper place, but bland, no spice. She was intelligent, though, despite she'd left college after only one year. He could read the earnest interest in her eyes as she listened to him lecture on the subject closest to his heart, the history of Montana. - Excerpt: - Elspeth's Diary: When my father told me he had accepted Mr. Grady's proposal to marry me, I reasoned with myself that at my age and unattractiveness, any proposal was worth a second look. But the moment I met Mr. Grady, my heart plummeted. He was a grey-haired, dried up, stiff-nosed, and boney old man, unpalatable qualities I might have overlooked, for a kinder soul than my father's, until he began to speak about his estate, his money, his need to sire an heir. He spoke coldly, logically, his pin nose wrinkling with distaste when I asked him a question important to me. "How do you feel about our good Lord and his command to be kind and charitable?" His reply sent chills up my spine. "Young woman, the reason I've retained my wealth and my position in life, is that I see through these attempts to control my emotions, my actions and my purse strings." I glanced at my father. He nodded with approval. A man after his own heart. "Is that what you intend teaching your offspring?" I asked Mr. Grady. "I will teach my son the value of monetary possessions and how to protect the estate I intend passing on to him; prepare him to avoid emotional entanglements and always use logic and reason, not transitory feelings when making decisions." My impassioned refusal right to his face shocked him. My father quickly told him, "You see my dilemma. She needs a firm hand to relieve her of impractical notions. With her looks she has nothing to offer, except her womanly duties and procreative capabilities. If you will have her, I will see to it that she accepts your proposal, willingly." I gasped at the threat in his voice, understanding at last my deceased mother's sadness during her married life. My sweet mother, warm, tenderhearted, giving. Luckily, because I was a girl and not entitled by law to inherit, my raising had been left to my mother. But the angels spirited her soul to heaven too soon, leaving a grieving daughter to the care of an insensitive, cold, hardened father, without other children, especially a longed-for son....

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMarianne Dora Rose
    Release dateAug 5, 2017
    ISBN9781370378135
    Love's Timeless Secret Revealed (Tom's Story)
    Author

    Marianne Dora Rose

    About the AuthorDorothy Paula Freda, is also known under her pen names Paula Freda and Marianne Dora Rose. Herbooks range from Fiction and Non-fiction Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Poetry, Articles, Essays and How-to-Write Instructional complete with Lessons and optional assignments.Homemaker, mother of two grown sons, and former off-the-desk publisher of a family-oriented print small press, (1984 thru 1999), The Pink Chameleon, that she now publishes on line, Paula was raised by her grandmother and mother, and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Even before she could set pencil to paper, she would spin her stories in the recording booths in the Brooklyn Coney Island Arcades for a quarter per 3-minute record. She states, "I love the English language, love words and seeing them on display, typed and alive. A romantic at heart, I write simply and emotionally. One of my former editors kindly described my work, '...her pieces are always deep, gentle and refreshing....'" Paula further states, "My stories are sensitive, deeply emotional, sensual when appropriate, yet non-graphic, family fare, pageturners. My hope is that my writing will bring entertainment and uplift the human spirit, bring a smile to your face and your soul, and leave you filled with a generous amount of hope."

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      Book preview

      Love's Timeless Secret Revealed (Tom's Story) - Marianne Dora Rose

      Love's Timeless Secret Revealed

      by Dorothy P. Freda

      writing as

      Marianne Dora Rose

      © June 1, 2017 by Dorothy P. Freda

      (Pseudonyms - Paula Freda and

      Marianne Dora Rose)

      Smashwords Edition

      Exterior and Interior Bookcover photos

      Licensed by Dorothy P. Freda from Dreamstime and iStockphoto

      Blue Jay and Sparrow bookcover

      © 2005 Thomas Mark Freda and Dorothy P. Freda

      All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof. This is a work of fiction; names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

      Dedication

      With thanks to my Dear Lord Jesus and his Blessed Mother Mary whose strength, guidance, and her Holy Rosary, are my anchor in this troubled world, I dedicate this book to my husband, Domenick, whose love and loyalty over the past 47 years have kept my dreams and view of the romantic alive and vibrant.

      I want also to dedicate this book to Ruth Ann Nordin. It was her suggestion that I try my hand at a historical mail order bride tale. As I am basically a contemporary novella writer, I decided to combine the two genres. Ergo, Love's Timeless Secret Revealed. For years, Ruth has been my continued inspiration to keep on writing. God Bless her and her dear family, always.

      Dorothy Paula Freda

      writing as Paula Freda

      and

      Marianne Dora Rose

      For your ready reference

      Characters in the Driscoll's Series:

      The Driscolls - Seth and Leatrice - owners of the Bar LB and the Triple R (from my novella, Driscoll's Lady)

      Tom Driscoll - Driscoll's elder son, a History Teacher at Montana Tech) from my novella Love's Timeless Secret Revealed)

      Lexie Driscoll - Seth and Leatrice's daughter (from my novella, Driscoll's Daughter)

      Calvin Driscoll - Seth and Leatrice's younger son and current supervisor of their two ranches

      Tanner and his wife Linda - (Tanner - previous loyal, long-time foreman on the Driscolls' ranches in Montana - from my novella - Driscoll's Lady

      Walt - the bigamist and a ranch hand on the Driscoll's ranches

      The Carlsons - Cybelle and Mark from my novella The Blue Jay and the Sparrow - Roses in the Dark

      Jessica (Jessie) Carlson - younger daughter of Cybelle and Mark Carlson (from my novella Cinderella Ice)

      Carol and her husband Herbert DeLuca - Carol is Cybelle's and Mark Carlson's elder daughter, Jessie's elder sister (from my novella, Silvereye's Hummingbird)

      Harriet and Val (from my novella Henderson Sands)

      John Sands -younger son of Harriet and Val Sands) from my novella The Lark and Robin Red)

      Michael Sands - elder son of Harriet and Val Sands (from my novella Cinderella Ice)

      Sharon Sands - Val and Harriet's daughter(from my novella Sharon and the Beast)

      Geraldine and Harry Henderson - Harriet's parents and the Carlson's Housekeeper and handyman/ gardener on the Carlsons' property overlooking the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York

      CHAPTER ONE

      It was difficult not to notice her. She was the plainest girl in the Adult Ed class he taught in the evening. Most of his students were past their forties, well dressed, even in casual wear, and interested in the history of the Montana country, USA. They had left behind the garment fads of their youth.

      He doubted that Janice Miller who was only a few weeks younger than him, had ever succumbed to any fad. There was something about her that cried, prim and proper always — black or brown relaxed fit dress jeans and light-colored long-sleeved blouses. She kept her dark brown hair short, fluffed gently over her brow and ears. No makeup. Each facial feature in its proper place, but bland, no spice.

      She was intelligent, though she'd left college after only one year. He read the earnest interest in her eyes as she listened to him lecture on the subject closest to his heart, Montana.

      By all rights, he should be foreman of his parents' cattle and horse ranches. He was the elder brother. His father was disappointed when he refused the offer to foreman the ranches and instead, follow an academic career. His brother Calvin was doing a far better job managing the ranches than he ever would. Cal Driscoll enjoyed the hard work entailed in raising cattle and breeding remuda horses for rounding up cattle, or simply for horsemen in need of sturdy steeds, bought at top dollar and praised highly.

      In the end, Seth Driscoll was glad that he'd passed the foreman's job on to his younger son. Seth had always recognized that Cal was more like him, both in character and in looks, and Tom was more like Leatrice, the beautiful, rich, blue-eyed sophisticated Easterner who had captured his heart.

      For some reason unclear to him, Tom found himself dwelling on the image of the plain jane in his class, causing him to pause mid-sentence, as he wrote on the blackboard the name and number of the chapter in the study text he expected read by next week's class. He caught himself in time to avoid stirring curiosity as to his momentary loss of concentration, and pressing hard on the chalk, quickly finished the assignment instructions.

      He faced his class. Mr. Thomas Driscoll — Professor Driscoll. He didn't like to be called, Professor. It made him feel old. He'd only turned twenty-four last month.

      Class, I have another assignment for you. It's optional. But it does fall within your current study. Most of us in this class are born and bred Montanans. The study text is necessary, but can't compare to the tales passed down from your parents, grandparents, and so forth. Although this class is non-credited, any in-depth research can be noted in résumés for better job opportunities or credited courses at the college.

      He moved closer to the classroom proper, aiming for more person-to-person contact. "As I said, the assignment is optional, but I believe a paper on said research would round out this course nicely and as it's said in the business world, help you get the most for your time and money spent."

      He scanned the faces of his students. He read the interest on the faces of the older generation. Their eyes had widened expectantly. Some of his middle-aged students appeared mildly curious, smiling condescendingly. Of the two young men who he'd determined from the beginning of the course were there simply here to pass time, and rarely read the text or did the standard assignments, one scratched his head, the other pinched his chin thoughtfully. In, one ear, and out the other, Tom decided.

      One student actually raised her hand. There it was again, eagerness and interest widening and brightening her eyes.

      Janice.

      "Yes, I would love

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