Showing posts with label Singing Librarian Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singing Librarian Books. Show all posts

6.08.2020

The Earl's Winning Wager ~ Review with Giveaway and Interview

Welcome to Day One of 
The Earl's Winning Wager 
Blog Tour



The Earl's Winning Wager
Lords for the Sisters of Sussex #2
By Jen Geigle Johnson

This is the second book in the Lords for the Sisters of Sussex and the Duke of Granbury in an underhanded manner, at least in Lord Morley's opinion, hands off his responsibilities of the Standish sisters. Gerald knows his best friend lost them and the estates and holdings on purpose in an attempt to help him find a wife. Miss Standish caught his eye before but not in any meaningful way, now he finds himself charmed by her and her sisters. 

Miss June Standish is determined to see her sisters all married and happy and she finds the attentions of Lord Morley just a bit confusing. One moment he seems to show an interest in her and in the next speaks of helping her and her sisters find suitable gentlemen to whom they might form an attachment. Having never expecting to have her own heart touched June is at a loss as to what to make of this situation. A situation in which she is not fully aware of all the particulars - like that she and her sisters were stakes in a card game. June wants her independence and the chance to decide her own future but as the poor offspring of a once noble house, her choices and options are few.

Can these two find love and happiness together or will the truth of their situations be the very thing that keeps them apart? 

This is a sweet, clean enjoyable read that won't spoil your day or your mood. Not too long it is perfect for a long Saturday afternoon or for a chapter here or there during the week. If you are a fan of gentle reads, clean fiction, and the Regency period you have found the newest book in your summer TBR list.

I was provided a copy of this book with no expectations but my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:
Lord Morley's life will change forever when he wins a game of cards and a family of sisters to go along with it.

Miss Standish in none too pleased to have become the responsibility of yet another Lord, even if he is full of charm and goodness. Her responsibilities are to her sisters first.

With the repairs on the castle moving forward nicely and concerted efforts in a season in Bath made to find suitors for them all, Miss Standish and Lord Morley must determine where duty stops and matters of the heart take over.

Read this warm tale of family, sisters, loyalty, and love to get a huge dose of the best part of a regency romance fans of Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer would enjoy.





Author Interview:

1) What do you most like about this era?


I love gentlemen. I love ladies who are passionate and work within the constraints society has given. I love pretty dresses.



2) What one author past or present would you like to mentor you?

I’d love to talk to Jane Austen. How did she capture so many in such a way that people are imitating her style for so many years later?

3) What one book would you recommend that everyone read?

Everyone should read …. One book? One single book? Read your scriptures. Read God’s Word. Then, cheat and read another book too, read a book that captures you so completely you feel like you are living in that world, with characters that are as real as your neighbors, more so, and that when you put it down, you are better for having experienced the story.

4) Do you have a favorite author that you would recommend?

I love Heather B. Moore and Rebecca Connolly. I love to read the authors in the Regency House Party Series. They each have their own style and their stories really pull me in. 

5) What one question do you wish you would be asked and how would you answer it?

My main hope when I write stories is that the readers will leave feeling better than they did when they started. My love for the person reading the words is far greater than any story I write. 


About the Author
An award-winning author, including the GOLD in Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, Jen Geigle Johnson discovered her passion for England while kayaking on the Thames near London as a young teenager. 

She once greeted an ancient turtle under the water by grabbing her fin. She knows all about the sound a water-ski makes on glassy water and how to fall down steep moguls with grace. During a study break date in college, she sat on top of a jeep's roll bars up in the mountains and fell in love. 

Now, she loves to share bits of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Whether in Regency England, the French Revolution, or Colonial America, her romance novels are much like life is supposed to be: full of adventure.



Giveaway
*******************

Enter the giveaway here.
Giveaway ends June 14 at 11:59 pm Mountain Time.
Giveaway subject to policies here.

Tour Schedule

Follow along with the tour schedule here.

5.06.2020

The Governess of Banbury Park ~ Review with Snippet

The Governess of Banbury Park
by Julie Matern


Sophia Cavanaugh is crushed when she learns that her father made no provisions for her future. But she is determined to protect his good name and to do so she must leave all her friends and acquaintances behind. With no destination in mind and funds limited she sent out to make a new life for herself, seeking employment as a governess.

Choosing Kersey as her destination Sophia is blessed to find a room with the Burleys, an older couple who take her in as if she were their own daughter. She soon develops a few friendships and to her discomfort catches the eye of the local minister who is considered most eligible. But Sophia has set ideas about marriage and desires one like her parents - one based on love and not one of convenience. 

But Charles Mortimer is a man of status and his mother has a plan for both her children - one that will elevate their social standing. And one that doesn't include a penniless orphan of a minister nor a governess. And to make sure that Sophia and Charles don't form an attachment Mrs. Mortimer is more than happy to assist Sophia in securing a position far from Kersey.

The Governess of Banbury Park starts out in such a way that the reader thinks that this is a gentle read with the greatest obstacle is Sophia's search for a position and a society mama who looks down upon her. But upon her arrival in Banbury Park, the story takes a marked turn. Sophia's employer is not what he appears at least according to his wife but is she just a disenchanted wife or do her complaints have merit? 

This book takes a look at the need to climb the social and financial ladder through the arranged marriages of one's children. Feelings had no bearing in marriage as it was, for the most part, the equivalent of a business contract between two parties benefitting in some manner. Daughters and wives were often given little protection under the law, considered little more than a possession to be traded away.

Once this work took Sophia from Kersey the story added some depth giving the reader more than a pretty story to pass the hours. This is an intriguing read that I highly recommend. Set in the Regency period one can truly appreciate just how the world has changed, allowing one to follow one's heart and not despising those who have to seek employment. Having read Julie Matern's previous book work I can honestly say there are marked differences so one does not feel as if one is reading a reworked book - tweaked just enough to be published with a new title.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Genre: Regency, Romance
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: April 14, 2020
At the reading of her father’s will, Sophia Cavanaugh learns that she is suddenly destitute. Impoverished, grief-stricken and alone, she sees only one course open to her – becoming a governess. With little experience and no references, securing a position proves more difficult than expected until she finds a champion in the dashing and well-connected Charles Mortimer. he quickly captures her heart but are the feelings mutual?
Sophia is provided a position by his meddling mother and the two are parted, but fate thrusts them back together. Will Sophia risk her heart and confess her love?

About the Author

matern-julie-author-photo_2
This is the second regency romance by Julie and the third is well underway.
Julie was born and raised in London, England and still visits often to see family, wander around her old haunts and order cream teas with scones full of clotted cream and jam and a big cup of hot chocolate. She loves all things Jane Austen as well as mysteries, photography, chocolate, shoes, pickle ball and …chocolate.
Snippet
 On the final day, the whole company, including Sophia and Emily, was taking a walk around the estate after lunch when the redoubtable Mrs. Mortimer hung back. Sophia viewed her approach with dread and slowed her own progress, but Mrs. Mortimer, it appeared, was determined and stopped completely, waiting for Sophia to draw near. 
“You appear happy here, Miss Cavanaugh,” she began, touching her perfectly coiffed hair. “You must be most indebted to our family for finding you such an agreeable situation.”   
Sophia feared a verbal trap was being sprung and simply nodded.
 “Is it not then a poor show of appreciation to dally with my son’s affections?” she glowered. 
Sophia was caught off guard by such a direct reproach. Usually the gentry were much more discreet in their conversations. She must be absolutely furious. “I . . .” she began. 
“Do not deny it!” Mrs. Mortimer spat out, eyes narrowed to slits. “Let me explain how the world works for you. There are distinct social principles that divide the classes. Under no circumstances should these be crossed!” Sophia stepped back. “Charles is destined for great things, and as my only son, certain conduct is expected of him. My grandchildren must be the progeny of both a mother and father of the highest bloodline to honor our family’s good name and standing in society. The children of a governess will not do! Do I make myself clear?” She waited for no response before ploughing on. 
“Charles is weak when it comes to matters of the heart, and you are a distraction. He does not know his own mind and is easily persuaded by a pretty face. It is his duty to marry a woman of fortune and title, and therefore his history must not be besmirched by a dalliance with a servant. If you care for him at all, you must relinquish him.” She stopped and planted herself directly in front of Sophia. “Do I have your promise to give him up?” 
Righteous indignation had swelled during this scolding and now rose like a genie from a bottle within Sophia, knowing as she did the heritage of the woman berating her. She was torn between calling Mrs. Mortimer out as the worst of hypocrites, which would cause Charles more grief, or agreeing with her to smooth his path. Though she felt the flame of shame burning on her cheeks, her discomfort did not deter the woman or appeal to her sympathies. Rather, Charles’s mother bore down with all the authority she could muster to pressure her into compliance. The challenge merely emboldened Sophia, though she decided that she would keep her counsel on Mrs. Mortimer’s ancestry for Charles’s sake.

Giveaway

TGOBP Tour Giveaway
-(2) winner’s will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card (open Int.)
-(1) winner will receive an ebook copy of The Secret of Haversham House (open Int.)
-(1) winner will receive their choice of a print copy of one of Julie’s books (US only)
Enter the giveaway HERE.

Giveaway ends May 13 at 11:59pm MT.
Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Tour Schedule

Follow along with the tour over on SLB Tours.

2.18.2020

Fall from Trace ~ Review with Excerpt and Giveaway

Fall from Trace
The London League #5 
By Rebecca Connolly

Alex Sommerville is no longer the man he once was. Having been captured and tortured for the last almost five years the man he was has died many times over without actually drawing his last breath. To those who once knew him he has been dead.

Poppy Edgewood gave up everything to stay true to her love for Alex. Her family abandoned her, her friends have shunned her, and the life of privilege she once had is a thing of the past.

When a chance to escape presents itself Alex does the only thing he can - he makes his way to Poppy. When Alex shows up at her door Poppy is understandably in a state of muddled confusion - anger, horror, and something else all mingle together. But all must be pushed aside if his life is to be saved - his beatings and subsequent escape have left him near death.

What follows is a journey of rediscovery as both Poppy and Alex must decide who they are with what the past five years have shaped them into. One can never go back after hardships they forever linger in the shadows. But to move on healing must take place but can some wounds be too deep to heal?

When his colleagues discover that Trace has returned from the dead they will do all they can to help him. But even more, pressing is why his captors kept him alive all these years. What did Trace discover that these foreign agents want?

This is an intriguing addition to the London League series. Trace has been a pivotal character though he was presumed dead. His demise having an effect on all who were associated with the League and even how they were proceeding with current missions. And now Trace's skills may once again be needed in conjunction with the men who knew him best if he is to keep England and Poppy safe. This was a good read though by its very nature is a bit harsh and brutal in connection with Trace's lost years.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

Series: London League
Genre:  Adult, Historical, Regency, Romance
Publisher: Phase Publishing
Publication date: February 1, 2020
Gone, but not forgotten…
Alex Sommerville should have been dead. To the world, he had been dead for almost five years, and with him, the secrets he had carried as Trace, the most elusive member of the London League. When a chance to escape finally comes, Alex finds just enough life left in him to take it, and races off to return to the woman he loves.
…Back, but at what cost?
The last person Poppy Edgewood ever expected to see suddenly falls into her life again – literally. Alex is a shell of the man he once was, and on the brink of the death she thought him already lost to. What answers will he have for her when he recovers, and can she even bear to hear them?

About the Author:

rebecca-connolly-headshotRebecca Connolly writes romances, both period and contemporary, because she absolutely loves a good love story. She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She started writing them down in elementary school and has never looked back. She currently lives in the Midwest, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa addict.
Connect with her online at:

Snippet/Excerpt

Loneliness is a creeping creature, and its pangs were deep and ravaging. In the evenings, when work was completed and she had so much to tell, there was no one to listen. When she missed her sister or her brothers, her parents, or her life, there was no one to commiserate with. When she cried in the night because Alex was gone and no one cared but her, there was no relief. When she felt more alone than anyone ought to feel, there was no one to take away the darkness.
No one to share her burdens with.
The only person she had in her life with any sort of regularity was Stanton, and he would not take kindly at all to her sharing such personal and emotional thoughts with him. It would have made him uncomfortable and gruff, and he probably would have told her to focus on her work and the farm and forget everything else. He had once told her emotions were a nuisance, after all, and that the past was only good for lessons.
Not for visiting and staying for a time.
Poppy was only too prone to spend an extended period of time in her past these days, though she knew it wouldn’t do her any good.
The trouble was that it was too easy.
She scrubbed at the pot harder, her brow furrowing with the effort, and when she stopped, she looked at her hands. Once these hands had been delicate and soft, protected by gloves more often than not, fair and without blemish but for the occasional pricking of an embroidery needle. Her nails had been clean and manicured, the perfect embodiment of a fine lady. Every now and again, there might be a scratch on the skin from getting into mischief with Alex by climbing a tree or racing across their properties, but her hands had been fairly perfect.
Now, they were rough and worn, weathered by hard work and aggressive labor. She had callouses on her palm, on every fingertip, and along the edges of each finger. Her knuckles were often inflamed, and her skin cracked and peeled regularly. Lines and scars and dry patches dotted every surface of her hands, and her nails were almost brutally short, uneven, and usually had something under them, be it dirt or food or feed for the animals.
These hands were not those of a young lady.
Then again, Poppy could hardly be considered young anymore. Twenty-seven was not particularly old, but in those twenty-seven years, she had lived a lifetime, and she was decades older than anyone of her age. Her life did not even remotely resemble what she had thought out for herself, what she had planned, or anything like it once had.
She closed her eyes and set the pot aside, knowing it was far cleaner now than it had ever been with her excessive scrubbing.
This was what her life amounted to now. Scrubbing the pots and plates from her own meals, feeding the chickens and pigs, currying the horses, farming with whatever help she could afford to pay, even grinding her own flour to make her own bread, at times.
Oh, how far she had fallen.
Lonely and cast out, working for every morsel of bread, sweating her days away in the sun, and mourning a man who had never promised her anything.
Poppy’s hands curled into fists and hot tears filled her eyes. It was wrong to resent a dead man, she knew, but resent him she did. If he hadn’t have died, if that was what had truly happened, she would not be in this situation. He could have just broken off their impending engagement, and she would have been with her family now. She should have been wiser, not giving her heart so freely without the official connection between them.
Never mind that they had been in love since she was fourteen and he sixteen. Never mind that they had been planning to marry for years. Never mind that she was so utterly and completely his that she hadn’t been whole in almost five years.
She should have been wiser.
And it was his fault she was so destitute, despairing, and dismal.
It was his fault she had grown so attached.
It was his fault she still felt the ache within her at the thought of him.
It was his fault that when she looked out of her kitchen window and could see the shadows of Parkerton Lodge in the distance, she still looked for a light in any window.
As she did now.
But there were no lights within, and no lights without, and the crumbling estate looked as foreboding and desolate as it had the day the servants had departed it.
Poppy exhaled slowly, wiping her hands on dry toweling. She couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t watch for him, wait for him, ache for him. He wasn’t coming back, and this was the life she had chosen for herself. This was her future, and looking back would not make it any brighter.
She was done.
She had to be.
A knock on her door brought her head around, and she waited for Stanton to enter. When he didn’t, and the knock came again, more firmly, she rolled her eyes as she moved to the door.
“Honestly, Stanton,” she moaned loudly. “It’s not so cold that you had to fill your arms to the brim with wood.”
She reached for the door handle and pulled the door open, fixing her expression into one of mocking amusement.
The man who stood there stared at her with his dark, sunken eyes, leaning both forearms against the doorframe, his chest heaving wildly, and her amusement faded at once.
She knew that face. She knew the line of that jaw, the dark eyes that were endless in their depths, the nose with a slight crook in the bridge from where her brother had walloped him with a tree branch ten years ago. He was thinner, terrifyingly so, and his face was hollow and gaunt, sickly in color despite being tanned, and covered with a sheen of perspiration. His dark hair was cut brutally short, but it, and the scruff on the lower half of his face, were as dark as his eyes, if not darker still.
All changes aside, she knew that man better than any person on this earth.
“Alex…” she breathed, her voice catching on his name.
His corded throat worked on a swallow. “Poppy.”
Her hand lashed out and struck him hard across the face, a weak yet harsh cry ripping from her throat. He stumbled sideways, surprising her with his unsteadiness, and a tremor ran across his once broad shoulders and down to his legs. Slowly, he looked back at her, pressing his left arm against the doorframe again and almost sagging against the wood.
“Please,” he whispered, his voice fading with shocking rapidity as his eyes widened.
Then they rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground at her feet.

Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $15 Amazon GC 
+ an ecopy of Falling for Trace.
Falling for Trace tour giveaway
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Link to the full tour schedule is below. Giveaway will begin at midnight February 10, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on February 23, 2020. 
Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Giveaway open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Tour Schedule

Follow along at SLB Tours for a full list of stops!

11.14.2019

The Duke's Second Chance Blog Hop ~ Snippet with Guest Post and Giveaway



About the Book:
Series: Lords for the Sisters of Sussex
Genre:  Adult, Historical, Regency, Romance
Publisher: Indie
Publication date: October 8, 2019

Second chances often come from surprising places. 
Will the Duke find another chance at love when 
everything seems to be combining against him?

Gerald feels as though he’s lost everything when his wife takes her last breath.
Amelia’s world turns upside down when the Duke of Granbury steps into her tea shop and leaves with her heart.
But when a secret from Amelia’s past unveils possibilities, will the duke get a second chance at love from an unexpected source?
Buy this first book in a Regency romance series for a taste of deep loyal friendship, beautiful second chances, and the path to heal a heart.
Look for the other books in the series:
The Earl’s Winning Wager
Her Lady’s Whims and Fancies
Suitors for the Proper Miss
Pining for Lord Lockhart
The Foibles and Follies of Miss Grace

About the Author:

jen johnson headshot
An award-winning author, including the GOLD in Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, Jen Geigle Johnson discovered her passion for England while kayaking on the Thames near London as a young teenager.

She once greeted an ancient turtle under the water by grabbing her fin. She knows all about the sound a water-ski makes on glassy water and how to fall down steep moguls with grace. During a study break date in college, she sat on top of a jeep’s roll bars up in the mountains and fell in love.

Now, she loves to share bits of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Whether in Regency England, the French Revolution, or Colonial America, her romance novels are much like life is supposed to be: full of adventure.

Guest Post:

Why did I write a romance that begins with such sadness?
If you did feel sad at the beginning of my book, I apologize. But I’m also so honored that you would immerse yourself enough in the characters and their lives that they should matter. I am creating a family, a set of characters that we can stick with for a year or more as I write the books of more of these characters. As I considered the Duke and his second chance, I just didn’t think it would be possible to appreciate what he was going through unless we experienced a bit of it with him. Telling you the poor man had lost a wife whom he loved dearly doesn’t have the same impact as seeing him cradle her in his arms. And while I can’t think of the moment without my own tears forming, his second chance is sweeter because of that sadness.

Amelia’s situation hasn’t been easy either. We don’t experience the trials her parents went through as her mother ran off with a baker. We don’t see the shunning, the hiding, and the hopes they all felt when setting up a new establishment, the tea shoppe. We don’t see the years of feeling as though she were less important than all the many nobles she served every day. We just see a good souled woman who is willing to help a man in his grief.

In the beginning, they could never have formed any kind of relationship. But as he continued to look to her for help, as his lodestone, a relationship can develop. How beautiful that her moment of realization, that her father’s need for someone to take care of his daughter, should all come about when the duke too, was ready for his second chance. Do you believe that life is sometimes orchestrated in just such a way? That our very happiness can at times be in the hands of someone who takes care in the way things work out?

And then at the end of the book, we see an intriguing moment when the duke loses a game of cards on purpose, gifting the properties and the family of sisters into the hands of Morley, his best friend. I can’t wait to see what happens with the beginnings of that story. Here we go friends! Join me as we get to know these beautiful people, their hardships and their joys. 

Snippet:

The duchess’s labor had started in the carriage while returning to their London townhome. Perhaps her pinched face and general malaise during the earlier parts of the day should have clued the duke in that all was not right, but she gave no complaint, and now he was left only to wish she had expressed a word or two of her condition. He’d carried her himself into her room, her gowns wet through. At last on her bed, he was relieved she would be in the hands of someone more experienced than he who knew how to care for her. But as he brushed the hair from her forehead, as he gazed on his beloved’s face, he couldn’t bear to part, not yet, not with her in the utmost misery.
Gerald clasped his wife’s hands in his own, hoping the strength of his love for her would scare away the pain.
Her face pinched, and she doubled over, large drops of sweat falling off her forehead. “Don’t leave!”
“I’m here. Our illustrious midwife will have to unleash her dragon claws on me before I leave.”
That brought a tiny laugh from his wife which gratified Gerald to no end. He tried to keep up a form of banter with Camilla who was clenched in the pains of childbirth, but in truth, if she wasn’t gripping him so tightly, everyone in the room would see the trembling in his own limbs. She cried out. “It’s getting worse. Is this supposed to happen?” Her eyes, wide with terror, made him frantic.
“Someone do something!” He had tried to find his deep barreling voice but the order came out more of a squeak than anything.
The midwife sidled up to him, “Pardon me, Your Grace. If I may?” She attempted to separate their hands, but he and Camilla resisted, gripping tighter. She continued, “She is doing wonderfully. Her body is performing just as we would expect it to. Everything is progressing as it should. Soon you will have a new baby.”
Camilla rolled toward him onto her side, moaning and writhing on the bed.
“If I might?” The midwife gently tried again to pry their fingers apart, but Camilla clung to him. “No.” Her no came out as a long drawn out syllable and he almost stepped back in fear. But her grip on him offered no mercy, and no movement.
“I’m here.” He stated his determination to remain at her side. Though even to himself, his tone sounded less sure.
He hesitated one more moment, then Camilla screamed as though she were on a torture rack and released his hands, clutching instead the soothing cool fingers of their midwife, her cooing tones soothed Gerald as much as Camilla.
Gerald scooted further away. The door opened behind him. “Your Grace. I came as soon as I could.”
Gerald turned. “Dr. Miller. Thank you for coming.”
The doctor held the door open for him. “I’m presuming you were on your way out?”
Gerald nodded. “Yes, quite.” Just for a moment he would step into the hallway.
His wife turned eyes to him, beautiful, shining eyes full of love. “I shall be finished shortly they tell me.” Then her body clenched again and she curled into a ball. “Make it stop. Please make this stop.”
“I love you, Camilla.”
She waved him away, clenched in apparent agony.
The doctor shooed him out the door and before it closed firmly behind him, Gerald heard a quiet, “I love you too.” Gerald leaned up against it, breathing heavily. What a daft thing to do, impregnate his wife. What in the blazes was he thinking doing such a thing to them both? He closed his eyes, her scream audible through the thick door.
“Oh this will not do.” His friend’s voice lessened the strain that wound inside Gerald like a tight net.
Gerald whipped his eyes open, a welcoming smile interrupting the pain of his moment. “Cousin Morley. I’ve ruined her. She’ll never forgive me, I’m certain, and she’s in the most incredible pain.”
Another scream interrupted. The door flung open and a maid ran out, carrying linens and a bucket. The door shut firmly after her.
Morley gripped his shoulder. “Come, man. This is not the place for husbands. Wives always seem just fine after it’s all over.”
“I don’t know. She seemed determined I stay by her. I’m taking a break.” He swallowed.
“No, they say that at first, but what woman wants you to see her like that? It’s only going to get worse. You should have seen my sister’s household. The whole place was in a upheaval, everyone thinking their lady was going to fire them all.”
Morley considered his friend's words. “And when it was over, she was recovered?”
“Certainly. She was in the best of moods, gave them all an increase in pay.” Morley put an arm across his shoulder. “Come. We don’t belong anywhere near her. It’s off to the study with your fine brandy.”
Gerald nodded. “Indeed. That sounds like just the thing.” He hesitated a moment more and then allowed the goodwill of his dearest friend to lead him along to a brighter manner in which to pass the time.
The farther away from her bedroom, the more the fibers of worry lessened, and Gerald told himself his wife was in the best of hands, that women gave birth all the time and that surely she would be well. He pushed away a persistent, niggling worry that something terrible was happening, pushed it as far as he could. For just as his friend said, what more could he do? She would be well soon enough and he could meet his son or daughter. Their lives would continue as before.
Morley made himself comfortable in the study as he always did. Leaning back in his favorite chair, he said, “Remember when we convinced Joe that his cow was about to give birth?”
Gerald snorted, almost losing his mouthful of brandy. “Clueless Joe believed us, with not a bull in sight on their estate.”
Morley laughed and raised his cup in the air. “To Joe.”
“To Joe.”
They downed their cups, and Morley poured two new ones.
“Thanks for being here.”
“Would I miss the best thing you’ve ever done?”
Gerald eyed him with suspicion. “That sounds very sentimental…”
“We hope. If your child is anything like Her Grace, then we’re sure of you doing a service to society…”
“And if the child’s like me?”
“Then we’ve just inflicted society with another Campbell, and I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Being a Campbell yourself.”
“Precisely. I know what a pox we are on the land.”
Gerald downed his second cup, grateful for a reason to laugh. “Tell me cousin. Will there ever be another Campbell in your life?”
“If my mother has anything to say on the matter.”
“And what say you? Surely someone has caught your eye?”
Morley looked away, his face drawn in an uncharacteristic frown. “I’ve found women to be nothing more than a silly, grappling means of entrapment.” He coughed. “Present wives excluded.”
Gerald sympathized with his friend. Finding a woman to marry should not be so difficult. He felt supremely lucky, blessed, in his marriage to Camilla. They had fallen in love straight away, both of them happy to pursue a courtship, their parents pleased, society approving, but he knew it wasn’t so easy for most people.
“Come, man. I shall devote the next bit of my life to making you the happiest of men.”
Morley held up his hands and shook his head. “Assistance not necessary. In fact, quite unwelcome.”
“Think nothing of it. I want you just as happily situated as I am, for marriage has brought nothing but the best of feelings. Today’s activities aside, naturally.”
A man cleared his throat in the doorway.

Giveaway

TDSC Blog Hop Giveaway
Enter the giveaway HERE.
Giveaway ends November 18 at 11:59pm MT.

Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Tour Schedule

Check out the tour schedule HERE.