Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

 I’m back this week with more from my WIP As Long As You’re Mine. I plan on releasing this book sometime in summer 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

In today’s snippet Amantha is on the brink of putting her desperate plan into operation. 

EXCERPT:

With her hand resting lightly on the handle, a creak behind Amantha made her eyes pop open as she whirled around, certain she’d been discovered at last, however, the corridor remained empty save for the maid and the pale-yellow light of the oil sconces. Weak with relief, she turned to the maid. “Sara, I need you to find my father, Lord Clarendon, and fetch him to this room.”

“This room, Lady Amantha?” The frown on Sara’s face showed only her incomprehension of the task given her. “Whatever for?”

“There is someone desperately ill inside.” It was the only excuse she could think of that would bring her father at this time of night. “It’s one of my cousins, Lord Abercrombie, who I dined with tonight. He came to my room and said he wasn’t feeling well, so I told him I would come check on him before I retired.”

And a bit more . . .

Sara simply stared at her and Amantha searched frantically for some way to galvanize the maid do her bidding. “It may have been that the shrimps were bad. He looked a ghastly shade of green when I last saw him.”

“But you shouldn’t be here, my lady.” Unconvinced, Sara continued to stare at her indignantly. “This is the gentlemen’s wing.” According to the scandalized tone of her voice, the maid’s fatigue had given way to ingrained propriety.

“Yes, I know. I’ll leave as soon as my father arrives, but someone must stay with my cousin until then in cased he worsens. My father will know if the doctor should be summoned.” That should satisfy Sara. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to Lord Abercrombie, would you?”

“Oh, no, my lady.” Sara squared her shoulders. “I’ll go straight away.”

“My father was in the library when I last left him around midnight.”

“Very good, my lady. I’ll be back in three ticks.” The young maid spun around and took off at a brisk pace.

Amantha stayed completely still until Sara turned the corner, then let out the breath she’d been holding. Sagging against the door, she paused as the enormity of what she was about to do sank in. But it was the only way. If she wanted this struggle to be over, she had to seize her chance tonight.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!