Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!
This week I’m continuing snippets from my upcoming Regency Christmas novella, It Happened Under the Mistletoe. It’s a companion piece to last year’s It Happened at Christmas, and is the story of Roger, Lord Daventry (friend of Nicholas, Lord Benberry from It Happened at Christmas) and Lady Sylvia Montgomery.
To set the scene, Roger has come with his cousin to a winter’s ball in London to meet the young lady the cousin is enamored of. But Roger loses his cousin in the crowd, and ends up careening around the room, landing on his knees in front of someone in a white gown.
I’m still working on the blurb, but will have it done by the time I release it.
EXCERPT:
Her voice was sweetly pitched, neither too high nor too low. He could listen to her speak for hours on end.
The lady looked pointedly at her hand, which he was still holding.
“I do beg your pardon.” He released her, albeit reluctantly. “I’m sure I don’t know what’s come over me this evening.” Except he did know. “I was trying to find my cousin and then—”
“And then?” She cocked her head expectantly.
And now to finish the scene :
His muddled brain had finally brought to his attention the fact that he hadn’t been introduced to this lady. He had no business whatsoever speaking to her as though he’d known her forever. “I must beg your pardon again, but we haven’t been properly introduced. I wouldn’t want your reputation to suffer because I’ve made a mull of this.”
She waved the objection away with a little trilling laugh. “I don’t believe I care about that at the moment, although if it will make you feel better, we can find someone to do the honors.”
It Happened Under the Mistletoe will release in November, so keep an eye out for the release party here on my blog.
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There’s some fantastic snippets to be read.
Christmas Romance Novellas
by Jenna Jaxon
Jenna Jaxon Romance--because passion is timeless. 
She might not care at the moment, but I’m sure the rest of society does. She seems like a strong character.
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Smitten enough to forget social niceties- I love it. Great scene.
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Thank you, Karen! When it hits you like a ton of bricks, you really can’t think of anything else! LOL
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Society was very rigid back then. I guess they really did need a proper introduction.
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It was very strict. You couldn’t have a conversation with someone to whom you had not been introduced, much less accept a dance. At many public balls there was a Master of Ceremonies whose job it was to introduce ladies to gentlemen so they could talk and dance together.
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You did a great job of highlighting the mores of the time and making them a plot point. Good job!
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Thank you so much, Ed! Part of the appeal of Regency set stories are exactly that–the vastly different mores and customs of the time that constrained couples so much. Makes for great plot points and complications for romance authors! 🙂
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His sweetness and concern is so endearing! I can understand why she’s already smitten, and not concerned at all. Great snippet!
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Thank you so much, Jessica! Roger is very sweet, I admit. Although he does have quite a backbone, as you see later in the book.
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They are both for-sure smitten! Looking forward to reading this one!
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Thank you, Teresa! I’m still waiting for my final edits. Hoping to release on December 1. 🙂
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Manners! They seemed to have skipped past that stage.
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Yes, they are both struck by one another so the niceties don’t quite matter–or so they think!
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I like her attitude and also the way you so clearly depict his befuddlement at the moment. He’s only slowly remembering the social niceties one by one…terrific scene, great snippet!
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Thank you so much, Veronica! Yes, he’s so bewitched by her he forgets he doesn’t know her yet. Quite a hurdle in Regency times.
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As a modern person, it can be difficult to imagine there once was a world with so much mandated formality and ritual even in things as seemingly simple as introductions. You always portray this bygone society so well.
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Thank you so much, Carrie-Anne! Yes, we think nothing of introducing ourselves to strangers, but in the days before modern sensibilities introductions were one way of protection for women, because they could refuse to be introduced to a man they heard had a bad reputation. Then he couldn’t speak to them at all. Not sure how much that happened, but that was the theory.
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Your dialogue is delightful, as always! This sounds like a really cute story. I’ll look forward to the next snippet! 🙂
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Thank you, Julie!
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