Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!
For July I’m celebrating Christmas all month, so one would think I’d take snippets from one of my Christmas novellas. However, instead I’m choosing a Christmas scene from the second House of Pleasure book, Only Marriage Will Do, which is now up for pre-order on Amazon. It will release on July 31.
Check out my new blurb for Only Marriage Will Do:
BLURB:
Not all Happy-ever-afters begin at “I do.”
Two unexpected callers turn Lady Juliet Ferrers’s world upside down. The first claims to be married to her via a proxy marriage, a statement she can scarcely credit—except she was betrothed to him once upon a time. To deter him, Juliet acts boldly when a stranger appears, declaring he is her husband. But when she is finally alone with the handsome visitor, she finds herself hoping she can turn her falsehood about their marriage into truth.
Captain Amiable Dawson seems to have stepped into a fairy land when a beautiful young woman he’s never met introduces him as her husband. The more she explains her situation, the less he is inclined to believe her, yet Amiable is a pushover for a damsel in distress. Against his better judgment, he agrees to accompany her to her family’s estate far to the north. Along the way the passion between them sizzles until a happy-ever-after is all but assured. However, the question of Juliet’s true husband rears its head again, forcing Amiable to wonder if he is married to the lady or not.
When his rival abducts Juliet, Amiable is compelled to choose between the woman he loves or the law of the land that decrees she is not his wife. Desperate to rescue her at any cost, his last resort may be to kill the man who stands in the way of their happiness.
I began my snippets for Marriage well into the story just as I did for Scandal. Captain Amiable Dawson and Lady Juliet Ferrers married in July under rather strange circumstances: another man, a former suitor, has claimed he is already married to Juliet. She and Amiable spent the autumn months trying to verify that their marriage was indeed valid, but have not heard definitively from the courts. So on Christmas Eve, Amiable’s sisters have thrown them a reception to celebrate their marriage. Now, however, an unknown man has crashed the party, bringing one with him too well known to Juliet–the man claiming to be her true husband.
EXCERPT:
“How dare you enter here?” Amiable dropped his hand to his sword. “Damnation.” No weapon to hand. He had not deemed it necessary at this gathering.
“I dare to come claim my wife, monsieur—my legal wife.” St. Cyr’s smile broadened as he waved his hand toward Mr. Haimes.
The gentleman spoke up quickly. “I suggest we join his lordship in the reception room,” he turned glowering eyes on St. Cyr, “where I instructed you to wait, my lord.”
“I have come to claim that which is my own, Haimes—I have waited long enough.”
And now a litte more of the scene :
“She’s not going anywhere with you, St. Cyr.” Spoiling for a fight, Amiable glanced at the family’s ancient ceremonial broadsword hung above the fireplace. By God, he’d take that weapon and end the discussion here and now.
“At last I have the law on my side, Monsieur Morley. Do you plan to disobey the fine English law that says a wife belongs with her husband?”
Juliet clutched his arm tighter. Stark terror drained her face to a pasty pale. “Do not worry, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear. “I will never let you go.”
Only Marriage Will Do is available on Amazon for pre-order until July 31 at the pre-order price of just $1.99. The book reverts to its regular price of $4.99 on the day after Release Day, Saturday, August 1. Grab yours while you can!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
It would have been terrible to be a lady in that day and age. Wow… Owned.
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Yeah, we were so much property, really, passed from father to husband. Your only hope, if you didn’t like your husband, was an early widowhood.
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Let’s hope he can prove St Cyr wrong…before it’s too late.
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That is the major plot of the rest of the book from this point. 🙂
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Yes, I remember that now.
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Charmaine Gordon says:
Trouble afoot, I fear and yet I have a feeling, somehow they will make it work.
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Well, they are certainly going to try!
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I could feel the tension. Great scene! Love his inner thoughts about grabbing that sword. Can’t wait for more.
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Thank you, Karen! You’re going to love next week’s snippet!
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It seems they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Difficult situations never resolve quickly or easily.
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So true, Carrie-Anne. And this one isn’t even close to being over.
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TENSE! And I have the feeling Amiable doesn’t have all the facts yet…loved how he’s wishing for a sword. I could just see Errol Flynn in a Regency movie (too bad he never made one) leaping to get that ancient broadsword. Terrific snippet!
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Thank you, Veronica! No, St. Cyr seems to be holding all the cards now. Next week you’ll see how he plays them! That visual you had was exactly the one I wanted you to have! 🙂
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Love the prickly tension that escalates here.
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Even more prickles next week! 🙂 Thank you, Nancy!
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Well, now that is quite a pickle they find themselves in. Very intriguing.
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And the plot thickens even more next week! Thank you, Fallon!
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I only hope he can fulfill that promise. Great snippet!
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It does seem problematic at the moment, doesn’t it? Thanks so much, Jessica!
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