I’m back! Last weekend I was driving home from RWA National Convention in Orlando–super time but no time for anything but the conference. This past week I was in the writing cave at my aunt’s house for four days. Much closer to being finished with Book 4 of the House of Pleasure series, but still working day and night to meet my deadline.
Still, I wanted to come back to Weekend Writing Warriors and share one of the Regency romances in my series Handful of Hearts. This snippet comes from Book 2, Heart of Desire. I was sharing snippets from it almost this time last year, after it released, so I’m starting with the snippet I posted then and will go forward for several weeks with this one.
The time is the beginning of the Season in London, May 5, 1820. Miss Katherine Locke is waltzing with Lord Haversham at Lady Hamilton’s ball. Lord Haversham and Miss Locke are the Regency equivalent of Kate and Petruchio, Beatrice and Benedict all rolled into one. Kate’s brother has goaded Haversham into asking Kate to dance the night following a spirited exchange at Lady Hamilton’s ball.
Hope you enjoy!
“Thank you for that kind offer, Lord Haversham.” She fluttered her fan over her face, revealing nothing. “I am not engaged at the moment, so yes, I will be happy to accept you,” she said as she smiled and curtsied, for all the world as though she meant it.
Words failed him although he managed a bow and grabbed his friend’s arm, hauling him away from Miss Locke’s disturbing presence. “What did you say to her?” he demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.
“Why? Has she trampled your efforts before they are even born?” Ainsley’s frown—without a hint of mirth around the eyes—convinced Marcus his friend spoke the truth.
“She accepted me.”
Ainsley slowly cocked his head as he asked, “Isn’t that the desired outcome of an invitation to dance?”
Blurb:
Follow your heart to find your desire
Miss Katherine Locke is irked to start her 3rd season dancing with the disagreeable Lord Haversham, her brother’s friend and her own arch enemy. After three years out, however, she’s finally interested in the dashing Lord Finley—only to find out her cousin has set her cap for him too. To make the man jealous, Kate feigns interest in Lord Haversham, only to be shocked to find herself falling for the handsome lord against her will.
Marcus, Lord Haversham, is in a tight pinch. His estates are failing and worse, he’s just lost 3,000 pounds to his best friend, Lord Ainsley. Ainsley’s solution: have Marcus marry his shrewish sister and he’ll cancel his gambling debt plus give him 10, 000 more for her dowry. With nowhere to turn, Marcus agrees, praying he can keep word of the wager from Kate until he can woo her and charm her into marrying him.
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
All three of my Regency romance novellas are available in Handful of Hearts, Volume 1 on Amazon for just .99! Includes Heart of Desire, Heart of Delight, and Hearts beneath the Mistletoe.
I love your romances! And all 3 for .99 cents! What a deal. Just bought it. 🙂 Thanks! Can hardly wait. 🙂
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Great excerpt! Love his total air of amazement
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Sometimes people surprise you. I bet they’ll be really surprised when they discover each other’s true motives!
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Oh, they absolutely are!
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Love the sound of your voice in your writing. Sounds so Regency-ish. Nice job.
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Thank you so much, Diane. What a terrific compliment! 🙂
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I love the unexpected twist when she accepts instead of rejecting him as expected.
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Yes, he’s really caught off guard by that. 🙂
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Fun scene. I quite enjoyed his amazement at not being rejected.You do Regency SO well!
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Thank you so much, Veronica! This whole story was a delight to write. The characters were so bullheaded their banter almost wrote itself. 🙂
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Haha I love it when men gush and gossip about pretty girls. 😀
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So do I! And the Regency gives ample opportunity to have fun with that!
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I wonder why he was so surprised by her acceptance? Looking forward to reading more! BTW, finally started reading ‘Only a Mistress will do”. Loving it!!
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Thank you, Elyzabeth! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Well, Haversham knows she doesn’t care for him, but he’s under the gun–so to speak–to make a good impression and just isn’t expecting it to be so easy. 🙂
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Haha was he expecting rejection? You only ever set yourself up for failure with a mindset like that. Unless you get your friend to ask for you instead.
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He was, Jake. She’s only ever accepted him before because her brother made her dance with him. This is the first time she’s accepted on her own, and Haversham is wondering if something is rotten in Denmark. 🙂
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Wow, that’s a lot of conflict I see in the future. I’m wondering how it’ll all play out. Nice job!
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I love his surprise at her reaction! 🙂
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He is flummoxed! She’s leading him a merry chase in this one. 🙂
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You have us in suspense. What happens next will be fun and romantic.
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Thank you, Charmaine. I truly hope so! 🙂
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The game is afoot! Delightfully initiated, Jenna.
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Thank you, Nancy. This was such a fun story to write. 🙂
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So, he wanted to be rejected? Unexpected reactions like that are the best kind!
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He didn’t want to be rejected, just expected it. Surprise! They have been at odds since time began, so he’s wary when there’s that big a change in her. LOL
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