Weekend Writing Warriors ~ 2/23/20 Much Ado About A Widow ~ A Rough Patch

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!

Today is my final snippet from Much Ado About A Widow, Book 4 of The Widows’ Club series. Next week, on March 1, I’ll change books to my latest WIP. But I hope you enjoy this last little bit of Much Ado About A Widow.

If you’ve been keeping up with my widows over the past year or so, this book is Georgie’s story–a true romantic comedy adventure romance. Of course, nothing else would do for the heroine, Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick!

BLURB:  

Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick defied her family, jilted her fiancé, and married the man she loved. But when her husband died at Waterloo, she was delivered right back into her father’s power . . .
 
Victory is sweet—but England’s triumph was Georgie’s rout. Now that she’s widowed, the loathsome marriage her father first arranged has simply been renegotiated. With neither money nor rights, and nowhere to flee, all she can do is cherish her last weeks of freedom. . . . Until a band of ruffians overtake her carriage and kidnap her. When she escapes in seaside Brighton and encounters her brother’s rather wild friend, Lord St. Just—whom she suspects aspires to be a pirate—she’s prepared to entertain more of his adventurous suggestions than usual . . .

St. Just knows his mind and his duty, and he loves a challenge. Helping a fair lady make her farewells to hoodlums suits his talents well. Within the hour he has Georgie, her lady’s maid—and her little dog too—sailing for his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the lady’s entire family, her kidnappers, and her scheming intended are in pursuit. But as he and the indomitable Georgie grow closer, he begins to suspect that together they will prove a match for them all . . .

I started my snippets a good way into the story. Lady Georgina, on the way back to her father’s house to an arranged marriage with a man she’s already jilted once, is kidnapped. She manages to escape and runs straight into the arms of her brother’s friend, Robin, Marquess of St. Just. who tries to persuade her to sail with him to his home in Cornwall, to which Georgie answers with a resounding “No.” Rob is still fearful for her safety and enacts his plan. He locks Georgie in the cabin and hurries off on an errand, leaving Georgie to fume. Rob returns to the ship and sets sail with Georgie, Clara and Lulu. And Georgie discovers she is no sailor. After a night of being violently seasick, she is appalled when Rob appears with food in hand.

This week’s snippet jumps ahead a bit. Georgie successfully takes some broth and hardtack and gets some much needed sleep while Rob takes Lulu up on deck to do her “necessary.” As this snippet begins, Georgie has risen, dressed, and gone up on deck to find Rob looking out to sea, which becomes rather rough.

We are now in Georgie’s POV, but Rob is the first to speak in this snippet.

Some portions of this snippet may be changed from the book’s regular format to allow for WWW’s 10 line requirement.

SNIPPET:

“Let’s get you back to the safety of the mast–the wind’s picked up rather quickly, which means the waves will likely do the same—and we wouldn’t want you drenched and catching a chill,” he grinned and reversed their course, “not when you’ve just begun to enjoy sailing.”

“Of course.” Swiftly, she stepped away from him and moved toward the towering timber in the center of the ship saying, “Come, Lulu.”

The ship dipped violently forward, and a giant wave of water cascaded over the bow, causing Georgie to shriek and grab St. Just’s arms again.

“I’ve got you,” he said, clutching her about the waist, his strong arms anchoring her to his rock-hard chest, and she relaxed against him.

Frantic barking drew her attention to Lulu, drenched by the huge wave.

“Oh, Lulu, come here,” Georgie said as she bent down and beckoned to the dog.

The ship pitched forward again and Georgie lost her footing on the slippery planks, tumbling to the deck.

“Careful, my lady.” With St. Just’s help, she staggered to her feet, righting herself just as Lulu slid forward and disappeared over the side into the merciless waters of the Channel.

Much Ado About A Widow is now available as an e-book on Amazon and in Barnes and Nobles, Books A Million, and WalMart stores in paperback.

 

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

The Widows’ Club series by Jenna Jaxon

Check them out on my Amazon Author Page!