Ahhh, there is another writer in our midst.
Lady Ellise's journal also flutters open from the breeze.
Shall we take a peek into her writings...
by Ellise C. Weaver
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For those who love incredible kisses that sweep you off your feet; here is an engaging story of budding love.
Born of nobility, but without dowry—and even worse—now orphaned, Lady Carly Blakemore is thrown into the world of Queen Victoria’s England without aid. Carly is forced to seek a position as governess in the house of the Earl of Dunfordshire—a man alone in his own right—alone and under suspicion for the tragic murder of his well-known and adulteress wife.
His governess’s honesty and forthrightness quickly offend his noble person and he finds himself reeling from her constant evaluation of his lack of parenting skills. However, in the midst of his resentments, he finds himself strangely drawn in by the very no-nonsense ways of hers that drive him to madness. Unlike previous governesses who feared and abandoned him, Carly stands her ground in a head-to-head battle of wills that take her to the brink of dismissal.
With neither one willing to admit there is a chance at growing love rising between them, Carly and the Earl continually fight the feelings they have for each other. They are both oblivious to the clouds of deceit and intrigue that are growing from inside and without the manor house, bent upon removing the beautiful, headstrong governess permanently.
A final desperate chase leads to an interception of a ship upon the high seas headed for the Mediterranean and a secret society of white-slave traders, opening the way for this book’s sequel.
For Readers of Romance, an excerpt from The Governess, Chapter 9:
As Carly lay in the darkness after putting away all her clothing, she pondered upon the children in the next room, as well as their father. Thinking of the horrible rumors she had heard, along with the events of the night, she trembled. Never had she been handled so by any man. Her fear of him had grown exponentially. Remembering his anger, his strength, his holding her arms behind her back like he had, she snuggled deeper into her warm, comforting covers. As she closed her eyes under her blankets against her fright, she contemplated their quick tempered altercation. As she did so, she felt a most disturbing effect grow and restrict against her breast.
What was it?
She could not figure it out. Carly worked through her memory the best she could as she contemplated each moment of their argument.
There it was again! When he pressed me to him...
Oh, heavens! The feelings she was sensing were completely new to her! Not being able to identify the unfamiliar emotion, she struggled in describing the riot of unease to herself, knowing, nevertheless, that it was not quite fear. Thinking on these feelings made her shiver, goose bumps erupting upon her arms. How disturbing! Immediately, she snuggled a pillow across her face and groaned aloud.
What a man he was! So tall, so handsome, and so very, very strong. His dark hair and sideburns were attractive beyond all means! Even now, she could remember his scent, warm and inviting, the heat of his warm breath upon her face. She shivered once more.
But his eyes!
His eyes had communicated so much more. They not only spoke of anger, but there was…what? A deep…raw…pain. Her fingers yearned to caress his face when she thought of his sadness.
Humph! Why should I think of that?! She threw the pillow away from her face. His fierce temper was frightening and unkind. For heaven’s sake, he was a grown man and a father! He should know better than to treat any lady such as he had!
If only she had met her master under different circumstances, perhaps then they might have been friends. Might have had interesting conversations about who knows what? She might even have imagined how handsome he was and what it would be like to be held in his strong, secure arms, dancing while he smiled down upon her, or strolled in some beautiful moonlit garden.
Did this do any good for her to dwell upon? So much for departed dreams. Never would she be held like that by such a man now that she was a plain governess with a life as part of an extensive staff on an immense estate. His estate.
Sighing a deep, heavy sigh, she thought of Elspeth, a dear little girl with an interesting name. If little Elspeth had not come into her room and bound the wounds growing in her heart with a simple hug and sweet words of encouragement, she was sure she would have left, if not tonight, certainly at first light. Still, she was not sure that Lord Huntington would not call her to his study by daybreak, and instead of introductions to the children, dismiss her without further ado. Nothing could be done about it right now. Except cry more.
“And I shall not become all puffy and red as little Elspeth explained.” Smiling at the memory, she thought she might as well get the best rest she could and look crisp and sharp for the morning. In that, at least, there could be triumph! Whether she would be dismissed or not, at least she would present herself as exceedingly well composed.
‘Pretend the confidence and look your best,’ her parents had always said, ‘and then you’ll find you can handle just about any circumstance with courage and pride.’ Oh how she missed her family! Wishing to have her life back the way it was before her father died and mother got sick, she thought, Oh, to be a child again!
Of course, this encouraged her to think of the life that Elspeth and Jonathon were living. She felt she must do all she could, if she were allowed, to bring to these children a fulfilling and happy childhood. If she were given the chance to enjoy them, and even love them, she would treat them as if they were her own, wanting the very best for them, for this might be the closest experience to parenting she would ever have in her now-changed life. These two little ones deserved nothing less.
Remembering Elspeth’s prayer tonight in their room, Carly put her hand to her heart as it almost ached at the dear child’s trusting faith and genuine concern for her. They were good children, despite their afflictions.
Carly was startled awake by a frightening noise. Staring into the darkness, her awakened limbs froze. Scratching sounds were heard outside her door. Was there a cat in this household? Perhaps a dog? She had not remembered seeing pets.
There it is again! It was a horrible scraping, as if someone deliberately dragged something sharp steadily against her door!
Thump!
Carly’s nerves jolted! What was it? Or more disturbingly, who?
Carly called out, “Who is there?!”
The sounds stopped. Was she in any danger? Carly controlled the urge to confront her ghost. She hated giving her peace of mind over to any imagined danger.
All at once, she ripped her covers off, running to the door. Flinging it open, she hoped to catch a glimpse at something…or someone.
She had no such luck.
Breathing a deep breath, she decided she must still be getting used to this place. Either that, or…
Carly hated to think that maybe her ghost was just being careful.
And more. Had anyone else heard it?
Shuddering at the thought of having a secret enemy, she closed her door, locked it and made her way back to bed.
Pulling her covers up to her nose, sleep came gradually…
~end
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Guest post created for captain wentworth's boating party event by Ellise C. Weaver author of The Governess © 2009. All rights reserved.
by Ellise C. Weaver
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by Victoria Connelly
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Die-hard romantic Kay Ashton uses her inheritance to open a B&B in the seaside town of Lyme Regis in Dorset and is dumbstruck when the cast and crew of a new production of Persuasion descend, needing a place to stay. Kay can’t believe her luck – especially when she realises that heart-throb actor Oli Wade Owen will be sleeping under her very own roof!
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