1818 London

Georgina Anderson grabbed a radish from her plate, put it in a spoon and fired it like a catapult. True, she failed to hit the huge cockroach, but the radish hit very close to it. The cockroach thought it best to hide in the nearest crevice. That's what was required. While Georgina does not see these annoying creatures, she can pretend that they are not found in her home.

Georgina turned to her half-eaten breakfast, looked at the plate and pushed it away with a grimace of disgust. She would give a lot now for any dish prepared by Hannah. Over twelve years of work, Hannah learned to accurately guess what to please each member of the family, and Georgina constantly yearned for her cooking throughout the entire voyage on the ship. Since they arrived in England five days ago, Georgina had only had one good meal. This was on the day of arrival. They stayed at the Albany Hotel and Mac took her to a fancy restaurant. But they left the hotel the very next day and settled in much more modest rooms. What could they do if, upon returning to the hotel, they discovered that all the money had been stolen from their suitcases?

In truth, Georgie, as her loved ones affectionately called her, did not have sufficient grounds to blame the hotel for the loss of money. Most likely they were stolen while the suitcases were traveling from the docks in the East End to the West End, where the prestigious Albany Hotel was located in Piccadilly Circus. While the suitcases, under the supervision of the driver and his partner, moved on the carriage to the hotel, Georgina and Mac carefreely took in the sights of London.

If we talk about bad luck, it started much earlier. Arriving in England, they learned that their ship could not enter the port and that they would not be able to receive their luggage for at least three months. It’s good that at least the passengers themselves were allowed to go ashore. True, not immediately, but after a few days.

However, this should not have been surprising. Georgina was aware of congestion on the Thames, especially at this time of year when ship traffic is affected by unpredictable winds. Their ship was one of a dozen that arrived simultaneously from America. In addition, hundreds of others have gathered here, from all over the world. Such congestion was one of the reasons why members of their trading family excluded London from their routes even before the war. In fact, not a single Skylark Line ship has appeared in London since 1807, when England began blockading almost half of Europe during its war with France. For the Skylark Line, trade with the Far East and West Indies was no less profitable and much less troublesome.

Even after her country settled its disputes with England and signed a treaty at the very end of 1814, the Skylark Line refrained from trading with England, since warehousing remained a very serious problem. Often perishable goods had to be left right on the pier. They became easy prey for thieves, and then the damage reached half a million pounds a year. If the thieves for some reason spared the goods, then they died under a thick layer of coal dust and soot.

In other words, it was more expensive to trade with England. It was for this reason that Georgina had not sailed to London on the Skylark Line, and for the same reason she could not return home now. The problem was that he and Mac only had twenty-five American dollars left - it was this money that did not become the prey of thieves, since it was with them and not in a suitcase. And now, as a result of all the misadventures, Georgina found herself in this little room located above a tavern in Southwark.

Tavern! If her brothers found out... yes, they are capable of killing her if somehow she manages to return home, because she went on a trip without their knowledge when they were on trade business in different parts of the world. Or, in any case, they will not give her any money, they will put her under lock and key for several years, and, moreover, they will give her a thorough flogging.

True, to be honest, most likely the matter would have been limited to the fact that her brothers would have scolded her badly. However, when you imagine five angry older brothers justifiably unleashing their anger on you, you feel uneasy. Unfortunately, this did not stop Georgina at the time, and she went on a trip accompanied by Ian MacDonell, who had nothing to do with their family. Sometimes the thought occurred to her: had God deprived her entire family of common sense by the time she was due to be born?

Before Georgina had time to get up from the table, there was a knock on the door. She was about to say, “Come in,” because she had become accustomed throughout her life that if someone knocked on the door, it was either the servants or one of the family members. In her twenty-two years, she had slept only in her own bed in her own room in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and, for the last month, in a hanging bunk on a boat. Of course, no one can enter a room if the door is locked, no matter how many times it says “Enter.” Mac repeatedly and persistently reminded her to lock the door. However, this uncomfortable, neglected room itself constantly reminded Georgina that she was far from home, that she should not trust anyone in this inhospitable, criminal-infested city.

A phrase was heard from behind the door, spoken in an expressive Scottish accent, and Georgina recognized Ian MacDonell. She opened the door. A tall, large man came in, making the room seem very small.

Any good news? Sitting down on the chair where Georgina had just been sitting, he snorted:

Depends on how you look at it.

Again we need to look for who knows who?

Yes, but I guess it's better than a complete dead end.

Of course,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.

There was no particular reason to count on more. Some time ago, Mr. Kimball, one of the sailors on the ship Portunus, which belonged to her brother Thomas, stated that he was quite sure that he saw her long-lost fiancé Malcolm Cameron among the crew of the merchant ship Pogrom, when the Portunus and The “pogrom” met at one of the sea crossroads. Thomas had no way of verifying Mr. Kimball's claim because he only learned of it after the Pogrom was out of sight. It could be said with certainty that the Pogrom was on its way to Europe, most likely to its home port in England, although it could not be ruled out that it would visit other ports before then.

In any case, this was the first news of Malcolm for six years after he was forcibly recruited as a sailor before the outbreak of war in June 1812.

The forced recruitment of American sailors by the British Navy was one of the causes of the war. Malcolm was terribly unlucky: he was taken away during his first voyage, and the reason for this was his Cornish accent, since he lived the first half of his life in Cornwall, one of the counties of England. However, by then he was already an American; his parents, now deceased, settled in Bridgeport in 1806 and had no intention of returning to England. However, the English officer did not want to believe this, and Warren, Georgina’s brother and owner of the ship Nereus, where the forced recruitment took place, still wears a scar on his cheek, indicating the determination of the English side to recruit Malcolm.

Georgina heard that the ship where Malcolm was taken was decommissioned, and its crew was distributed among several ships. She knew nothing more. It didn't matter what Malcolm did on the English merchant ship now that the war was over, but at least Georgina had the opportunity to track him down.

A person in love is able to come up with such a cunning plan to conquer the heart of his object of desire that you are simply amazed. Sometimes you have to create dangerous or ridiculous situations, but what can you do to find happiness in love. Joanna Lindsay introduces readers to such a story in the book "Sweet Cheat." You read and feel emotional excitement, worrying whether the cunning plan will be realized. The heroes turned out to be integral individuals - they have not only advantages, but also disadvantages, and this makes them even more attractive to the reader.

Georgina is a sweet and charming girl. She attracts men with her slight naivety, but she is not stupid at all. Although not everyone is able to immediately see the difference. But lately the girl has been literally haunted by troubles. The biggest disappointment was the deception of the groom, and then Georgina decided that adventures could distract her from her worries.

Perhaps someone would consider the girl’s plan too risky, but she needed it. Georgina changed into boyish clothes and got a job as a cabin boy on a ship leaving the coast of England. But the girl didn’t know that the captain of this ship was James Malory, the conqueror of ladies’ hearts. Will Georgina be able to resist his beauty and masculinity? Although she is also not a simpleton, and she has something to interest a man, if necessary...

On our website you can download the book “Sweet Cheat” by Joanna Lindsay for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy the book in the online store.

Malory Family - 3

Natasha Kealanoheaakealoha Howard

Georgina turned to her half-eaten breakfast, looked at the plate and pushed it away with a grimace of disgust. She would give a lot now for any dish prepared by Hannah. Over twelve years of work, Hannah learned to accurately guess what to please each member of the family, and Georgina constantly yearned for her cooking throughout the entire voyage on the ship. Since they arrived in England five days ago, Georgina had only had one good meal. This was on the day of arrival. They stayed at the Albany Hotel and Mac took her to a fancy restaurant. But they left the hotel the very next day and settled in much more modest rooms. What could they do if, upon returning to the hotel, they discovered that all the money had been stolen from their suitcases?

In truth, Georgie, as her loved ones affectionately called her, did not have sufficient grounds to blame the hotel for the loss of money. Most likely they were stolen while the suitcases were traveling from the docks in the East End to the West End, where the prestigious Albany Hotel was located in Piccadilly Circus. While the suitcases, under the supervision of the driver and his partner, moved on the carriage to the hotel, Georgina and Mac carefreely took in the sights of London.

If we talk about bad luck, it started much earlier. Arriving in England, they learned that their ship could not enter the port and that they would not be able to receive their luggage for at least three months. It’s good that at least the passengers themselves were allowed to go ashore. True, not immediately, but after a few days.

However, this should not have been surprising. Georgina was aware of congestion on the Thames, especially at this time of year when ship traffic is affected by unpredictable winds. Their ship was one of a dozen that arrived simultaneously from America. In addition, hundreds of others have gathered here, from all over the world. Such congestion was one of the reasons why members of their trading family excluded London from their routes even before the war. In fact, not a single Skylark Line ship has appeared in London since 1807, when England began blockading almost half of Europe during its war with France. For the Skylark Line, trade with the Far East and West Indies was no less profitable and much less troublesome.

Even after her country settled its disputes with England and signed a treaty at the very end of 1814, the Skylark Line refrained from trading with England, since warehousing remained a very serious problem. Often perishable goods had to be left right on the pier. They became easy prey for thieves, and then the damage reached half a million pounds a year. If the thieves for some reason spared the goods, then they died under a thick layer of coal dust and soot.

In other words, it was more expensive to trade with England. It was for this reason that Georgina had not sailed to London on the Skylark Line, and for the same reason she could not return home now. The problem was that he and Mac had only twenty-five American dollars left - it was this money that did not become the prey of thieves, since it was with them and not in a suitcase. And now, as a result of all the misadventures, Georgina found herself in this little room located above a tavern in Southwark.

Tavern! If her brothers found out... yes, they are capable of killing her if somehow she manages to return home, because she went on a trip without their knowledge when they were on trade business in different parts of the world. Or, in any case, they will not give her any money, they will put her under lock and key for several years, and, moreover, they will give her a thorough flogging.

True, to be honest, most likely the matter would have been limited to the fact that her brothers would have scolded her badly. However, when you imagine five angry older brothers justifiably unleashing their anger on you, you feel uneasy.

Sweet little cheat Joanna Lindsay

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Title: Sweet Cheat

About the book "Sweet Cheat" by Joanna Lindsay

Joanne Lindsay is a novelist whose career began quite by accident. She loved novels and read them, escaping reality into a world where there were no barriers to a wonderful feeling. Being a housewife and mother of three sons, the author decided to write her first book. It was called "The Kidnapped Bride". The work was published in 1977 and gave the woman success. Many people liked the unusual plot, many interesting lines and special storytelling style. Joanne is now a sought-after author who has written over 127 novels. The writer's works have been translated into many languages ​​of the world and have often become bestsellers. Many are attracted by the love stories that came from Lindsay’s pen, and they gladly buy her works, plunging, like Joanne herself, into a world of dreams. Many believe that the book “Sweet Cheat” is one of the author’s best works. It has a lot of intrigue, colorful characters, well-written villains and lots of great jokes. Thanks to these components, many spend their evenings reading the work of this wonderful writer.

Joanne Lindsay's book Pretty Little Cheat tells the story of Georgina Anderson. This is a sweet girl with a charming smile and a wide-open soul. She is in love and is getting married. But when the wedding day arrived, the groom did not show up to the church. He deceived her and abandoned her. After this, life ceased to seem kind and affectionate to the heroine.

However, the girl did not feel sorry for herself forever. The heroine of the work “Dear Cheat” decided to commit an unusual act. She disguised herself as a young man and entered service on the ship as a cabin boy. Georgina decided that such a trip would help her heal the wounds of her heart, and she dreamed of plunging into the whirlwind of travel. Soon the heroine meets the captain of the ship. Lord James Malory turned out to be a handsome man and a heartthrob. He cleverly seduced women and abandoned them. However, they rushed into his arms again and again. The heroine also could not resist and fell in love with the proud sailor. But how can she, under the guise of a yoongi, win his heart? What will happen if her deception is revealed? How will she justify herself to her beloved?

Joanne Lindsay described an amazing love story in her book “Sweet Cheat.” The heroine turned out to be brave, beautiful and determined. She can handle everything, but she has no luck with love, but perhaps with the captain she will find long-awaited happiness.

On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Sweet Cheat” by Joanna Lindsay in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.