Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 05/19/19 Heart of Decadence ~ “You Must Know the Story”

Welcome back to WWW.

This week I”ve decided to continue from my brand new novella, Heart of Decadence, Book 5 in my Handful of Hearts series, that released on April 23 in a boxed set called Second Chance Love: A Regency Romance Set along with works from five other fabulous Regency authors! I’ll finish out the month of May with Heart of Decadence, then go on to my next new release in June!

BLURB:  

Miss Amelia Burrowes was the scandal of the ton in her first Season, when her fiancée died and everyone assumed she was ruined. Ten years later, she’s back in London to make an arranged marriage that will hopefully allow her sisters to be received by the ton. But when Nathan, Lord Ainsley appears, the man she’d really had a tendre for all those years ago, the flame between them rekindles and Amelia must convince him that a woman with a past deserves a future.

In this snippet:  We follow on immediately from the last snippet. While at Lady Hamilton’s ball, Miss Amelia Burrowes has been found in the library by her suitor, Mr. Burke, who thinks because of her ruined reputation, he can take liberties. He has accosted her and does not want to take no for an answer. In the midst of their heated kiss, in walks a stranger. Amelia recognizes him as Nathan, Lord Ainsley, a gentleman for whom she had a tendre long ago. He too remembers her, very well.

Nathan realizes that Miss Burrowes does not wish to be in the company of Mr. Burke and takes her arm. he leas her outside for some fresh air, but then he asked a crucial question: “Are you indeed betrothed to him?” She declares she is not, although he will likely propose shortly. But she is submitting to the courtship because of her family’s wishes, because no one else will offer for her. This snippet begins with Nathan’s response.

This snippet is still in Nathan’s POV and continues on from the last post’s snippet.

The snippet  may have been slightly altered to accommodate the WWW format.

 

EXCERPT:

“Why not?”

She jerked her head back, as though he’d shocked her. “You must know the story for everyone else in the ton does.”

“Except, apparently, for me–my father wrote to me in Italy that you had become betrothed to Lord Carrington so I assumed you had married him and I didn’t find out until just now that you did not”–a piece of information still hadn’t registered–“so can you tell me why you didn’t marry him?”

“He died.”

Nathan flinched at the unfeeling tone of her voice, but of course, her grief must be long in the past. “May I extend my very belated condolences on his loss?”

“Thank you,” she said, and with a choked sigh,  hurried down the veranda steps out into the garden, to a bench where she sat, her back almost to him.

He followed, not too closely to give her time to compose herself, saying, “You must have loved him very much.”

“So all the gossips in Society say, at least.”

More next week!

Here’s the link for the  Second Chance Love boxed set.

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.

 

The Handful of Hearts series by Jenna Jaxon