Yes, there are only 9 days to go until the release of Tea with Austen. I’m back after a week away in Anglesey, north Wales. While I had a very relaxing and enjoyable break, it’s time to return to the normal routine.
As promised in my post a couple of weeks ago, here are more excerpts from the anthology.
Tea with Austen is released on 28th August. Join me and other historical romance authors to enjoy all the gossip, scandal, and tea with some of Austen’s most memorable characters.
Tea with Austen Teasers
Catch Me, My Love by Jeanine Lauren
When Miss Adelaide Templeton witnesses Louisa Musgrove’s fall in Lyme she can relate. No man has ever been there to catch her either.
Stuck as an unpaid companion to her late father’s cousin, Adelaide yearns for Captain Kingsley, her first love who was forced to leave in her family’s darkest hour. When Edward Kingsley unexpectedly appears, hope reignites. But their reunion is threatened by Adelaide’s conniving cousin.
Can they overcome the obstacles and seize happiness? Or will Adelaide remain trapped in the shadows forever? Delve into a tale of longing, resilience, and the power of love to conquer all.
Excerpt
“So that was the elusive Miss Adelaide Templeton,” said Lord Culpepper, who had come to stand beside him. “You would be better, I think, to forget her and turn your attention toward someone who is worth your new standing in life. You have a fair fortune now. You must set your sights higher.”
“There was a time when she was far above me,” said Edward, still looking in the distance to where the trio had disappeared up a staircase.
“Times change,” said Culpepper.
“But my mind and my heart are still in agreement. I will have her, unless it is she herself who turns me away.”
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An Honourable Man by Angela Kady
Maria Lucas often found it hard to breathe when she was near Colonel Fitzwilliam. The gregarious gentleman had always been caring and thoughtful, sometimes even casually flirtatious. She knew, of course, that it meant nothing to him, just idle amusement and perhaps a kind gesture.
Fancy was one thing; every girl had a man in her life that she rather fancied, even if a match was impractical. Love was something different altogether, and she must never admit to loving him.
Her heart would surely be broken.
Excerpt
“My apologies, I did not mean to startle you,” he said delicately, as if calming a frightened animal. “I found myself unable to sleep and thought I heard someone passing in the corridor outside my room. I admit curiosity got the better of me and so I followed to see who else might be awake at this hour.”
Her hand was shaking, so she set her candle down on a nearby table. “It is only I, as you can see. I’m so sorry to have disturbed you, Colonel.”
“I thought we were Arthur and Maria.” His voice was low and throaty, a timbre she had never heard from him before. It sent a pleasant quiver from her head to her toes. He crossed the room to meet her, setting his candle down as well.
“In the light of day, perhaps, but dressed as we are now,” Maria clutched at her dressing gown holding it more tightly closed, “it seems far too intimate.”
“I disagree,” he said, stepping closer, “What better time for intimacy than the middle of the night?”
And finally, here’s a teaser from my story:
Wooing Miss Woodforde by Bianca White
Jasper Trevethan loves Miss Sophie Woodforde, but he is a good-for-nought, penniless rake. Kind, loyal and socially conscious Sophie would never marry him, even if he were rich.
As an impoverished companion, Sophie serves the whims of others while pining for her employer’s scandalous and devilishly charming nephew, Mr Trevethan.
When an unexpected inheritance transforms Sophie’s life, she becomes the target of every fortune hunter in town. But Sophie would rather become an old maid than marry a man who only wants her for her money, especially Mr Trevethan.
Jasper must act before another scoundrel steals his love, but Sophie deserves more than a husband who has wasted his life as an idle pleasure-seeker. To secure Sophie’s heart and hand in marriage, Jasper is determined to prove his devotion and woo Miss Woodforde.
Excerpt
“Trevethan!” His aunt’s sharp growl drew his attention. “Do not wander off when I am talking to you!”
“Forgive me, Aunt Hammond.” He tried to focus on the nagging woman, but his gaze drifted to the dancers, in particular, to the one with the blonde ringlets that bobbed and gleamed in the twinkling light of the crystal chandelier above while she skipped down the centre of the set.
“You have yet to answer my question.”
If his aunt would stop boxing his ears for one moment, he may have the chance. “It has been almost twelve months since the scandal. Is it not time for society to find a new bone to gnaw upon? Crawford has behaved impeccably since. Has he not suffered enough with the stain on his reputation?”
“What about that poor woman’s reputation? As usual, the consequences for the male are less severe than for the female. Mrs Rushworth will never be accepted in decent society again, yet your friend has already returned to the bosom of the ton.”
Sophie gave Crawford a glance of amused reproval. Damnation! The swine was stealing all the looks she reserved for him. “I do not make the rules.” He ground out between clenched teeth.
“For which we are eternally grateful, or who knows to what state society would have sunk.”
Georgian Tea Parties
To discover more about Georgian tea parties, check out this blog post.
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