Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors!

This week I’m continuing snippets from my newly released 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.

BLURB:

Christmas magic under the mistletoe…

Roger, Lord Daventry is contemplating a quiet Christmas at his home in Bath—until he literally falls at the feet of beautiful Lady Sylvia Montgomery. He and Lady Sylvia have an immediate attraction, but everyone is leaving London for their country homes for the holidays. Roger says his goodbyes, hoping to meet Sylvia again in the spring.

Lady Sylvia, however, has other plans.

Cajoling her parents into spending Christmas in Bath, Lady Sylvia is thrilled to meet Lord Daventry once more at the city’s Assembly Rooms. She and Roger manage a tryst under the mistletoe and Roger is ready to make a declaration for Sylvia’s hand. But when her father is called away on business, and her brother, Lord Chumleigh, arrives to chaperone Sylvia, Roger recognizes a man from his past who can sabotage his hopes of marriage to Sylvia.

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.

This week I’ve skipped ahead a few paragraphs. Sylvia has just finished a set with another partner and is perplexed that she cannot find Lord Daventry. We are in Sylvia’s POV.

EXCERPT:

The Waltz

“Perhaps I should not have spoken to you of that, my lady–our acquaintance has been extremely short, and we are about to part for several months–so I simply wished for you to know the depth of my admiration for you.”

“Oh.” She must summon more words before the dance ended. “I believe I understand, Lord Daventry. As I think of it, I am glad you did not dance with other ladies this evening.”

His head snapped back toward her, his eyes wide. “You are?”

“Yes.” Her confession came out a whisper.

And now to finish the scene :

The last strains of the waltz ended and, reluctantly, she released his hands.

He tucked hers in the crook of his arm and started them toward her mother.

Still rather dazed, she looked up just in time to see Mamma marching toward them, a mixture of sternness and outrage mingled in her face. Apparently, she’d finally discovered Sylvia had danced her first waltz in public.

“I think we should retire to the supper room, my lord. I believe we are in for a lecture on the scandalous nature of what we have done.” Mamma would likely say little in public, but a great deal in the carriage on the way home.

“As you wish, my lady.” Lord Daventry dutifully turned them to follow the throng descending on the supper room.

Yes, everything seemed to be working out exactly as she wished. Now she simply had to devise a plan to keep those wishes alive.

 

It Happened Under the Mistletoe and other Yuletide Tales, an anthology of five of my Christmas novellas, is available on Amazon for .99 and on Kindle Unlimited for free!

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