Friday, May 30, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow Giveaway on Goodreads!!
It took a long time to get it active - so there are only two days left. We are giving away 10 copies of The Inconvenient Widow on Goodreads. Click the link above to register today!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow Large Print AVAILABLE NOW!
We just released the large print version of The Inconvenient Widow. This book was written in large print and bold to help ease the reading. You can buy it on Amazon by clicking this link. Or buy it directly through our CreateSpace store by clicking here. Or you can purchase it directly from our Dreaming Reality website: Write To Dream Reality.
The Inconvenient Widow e-books are available on Kindle and will be free to Amazon Prime members for a limited time.
The Inconvenient Widow e-books are available on Kindle and will be free to Amazon Prime members for a limited time.
Monday, May 19, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, End
As Marcus stood watching the scene unfold, he was even more
shocked to hear Lucian return the confidence. His friend explained about his
longstanding engagement with Penelope. The additional torture he went through
when the relationship was broken off and the girl married to another mere
months before his father’s death and the will that left him in a position to
wed. He told of the responsibility thrown upon him with the loss of his father.
He went into detail about the difficulty and emotional turmoil of having a
depraved brother. Then he and Emily began sharing all their life’s struggles as
if they had known each other for years.
Marcus sat in the corner growing more and more
uncomfortable. Outside, it remained dark, but a cock crowed, reminding him how
short time was. As he rose, the doctor walked into the room to check on his
patient, and Marcus was thankful for an excuse to leave.
“Shall I go for a marriage license, then?” he asked stiffly.
Lucian and Emily exchanged glances.
“It does seem to offer both of us the best way out of our
individual disasters,” Lucian was the first to speak. Grasping Emily’s hand, he
asked, “I know I am asking much of you, but Emily, will you be my wife? I only
expect you to stay with me through the ceremony. Then, Marcus will escort you
to my estate. You do not need to tolerate my woeful company any longer than
that.”
“Lord Westings, I shall only agree to marry you if you allow
me to stay by your side until the end. I shall not have people saying I was an
unfaithful wife who married you solely for your income. If you let me care for
you in your sickness as any dutiful wife should, I will gladly marry you.”
Lucian smiled and turned to his friend. “Yes, Marcus, I
believe you may go for the license.”
Sunday, May 18, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 18
Lucian smiled. “You may call me Lucian. I am sure Marcus
made you aware of my situation, but would you mind informing me of what brought
you here this evening?”
Emily swallowed. What had brought her to the inn was an
accident, but she now wondered what brought her into this room. How was she to
explain to the dying Baron that she came to see him because she believed he
could be a solution to the financial problems of her family? She decided that
if the Good Lord were guiding her actions, He would want her to be completely
honest. She would tell her story, and if Lucian rejected her, so be it. Since
Stephen had paid for her night at the inn, she had enough money to return home
or to attempt to see if she was still needed with the Pickerings. If, on the
other hand, Lucian accepted her, she would see it as the Lord’s will and trust
Him to guide her through the days ahead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcus watched from his chair in the corner. At first, Emily
told her story haltingly. She related the distress of having her father die and
discovering the estate was entailed to a distant cousin, whom she had never met.
She told him how her eldest sister immediately took their mother into her home
while her two other sisters offered to take Miss Radford and her younger
sister. She explained how her older sisters could little afford the burden of
bringing Beatrice out in style or keeping Emily on the market for a husband.
Rather than set her hopes high or weigh her siblings down, she alone decided to
enter into service in order to offset the burden of her mother and Beatrice’s
care.
To Marcus’ surprise, Lucian listened patiently, encouraging
her to forge ahead with her story whenever she stalled. His constant urging,
seemed to relax her as she stood stiffly in the doorway. Then she stepped
further into the room and seemed to pour her heart out to his friend, explaining
in detail her disastrous first employment and her dashed expectations with this
one.
By the end of her tale, she had taken the chair at Lucian’s
side. Again, a flicker of jealousy rose in his breast. Why had she refrained
from telling him all her troubles? He stifled the emotion, knowing he still
would have felt obligated to thrust her at Lucian.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 17
Marcus frowned. He knew Lucian was right, but he did not
want to sit in the room while Lucian tried to convince the beautiful Emily to
marry him. He stifled a tinge of jealousy. He had proposed the scheme, but he
was not exactly pleased about following through with it. He remembered the
story of Job. Dear Lord, you gave patience to Job to endure many hardships,
please be with me now and help me to deal with my peculiar emotions, he
prayed silently. From what he could see, the Lord brought Emily to this inn to
save his friend’s estate. That meant she was not here to develop a relationship
with him. If the Lord intended her for Lucian, that is what he must help
achieve. If that meant preserving her dignity although it placed him in an
uncomfortable position, he would do it.
“I see your point. I shall stay,” Marcus added quietly,
dragging one of the chairs to a corner and sitting in it with his arms crossed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Well, Miss Emily,
may I call you by your first name?”
Emily hesitated. The man lying before her was propped up on
several pillows, and his hair was flung around in untidy mats of sweat. The
covers of the bed were pulled up, but his arms were free. She could tell he
wore a borrowed shirt that swallowed him. His sallow complexion did nothing to
add to his appearance, but she clung to the kindness in his eyes. Glancing at
Marcus, she said, “I suppose the circumstances do not allow for long periods of
introduction, my lord.”
Friday, May 16, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 16
At that moment, there was a faint
rap on the door, and Marcus jumped to open it. Standing there with her head
bowed and a candlestick in her hand stood Miss Radford.
“She’s beautiful,” Lucian
murmured.
“I told you she was not pockmarked,”
Marcus smiled. “And she comes from fine, noble stock.”
“I am not some horse on the auction
block, if you please, my lord,” Emily scoffed, raising her fiery eyes, and then
offsetting the severity of her comment by biting her lower lip.
“Forgive me, miss,” Marcus bowed.
“May I present Miss Emily Radford, governess, daughter of Sir Henry Radford.
Miss Radford, this is my dearest friend, Lord Lucian Grummel, Baron of
Westings. I am sure you both have much to discuss, and I wish you well,” Marcus
bowed and took a step toward the door.
“I beg your pardon, Lord Berkshire,”
Emily gasped. “What kind of a woman do you think I am to attend to a man in his
room, alone, my lord?”
Marcus paused. “But, Miss Radford,
the man is dying.”
“So you seek to entrap me into
marrying him?”
Marcus had a difficult time looking
into the rekindled fire in her eyes without laughing. “I shall leave the door
open.” He could not resist baiting her.
Lucian sighed. “Marcus, you told me
you brought me a lady and that I would need to mind my manners, but where are
yours?”
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Inconvenient Widow: Chapter 1, Part 15
Marcus quietly entered the
dimly lit room where his friend tossed and moaned on the small bed. There was
little furniture beyond the giant, rough-hewn armoire, but two chairs had been
placed next to the bed. Marcus shuddered as he remembered how he had held his
friend while the doctor cleaned the stomach wound. Quickly scanning the corner,
he was relieved to find that Mol must have taken the bloody rags away. He said
a quick prayer thanking the Lord that Miss Radford would not have to see those.
“Lucy, I have some good news,”
Marcus said gently, sitting in one of the chairs and firmly grasping his dying
friend’s hand. “There is a woman I would like you to meet.”
Lucian stopped thrashing, tried to
sit, and then collapsed in a moan before asking, “You found someone, then? Oh,
Marcus, I am so relieved. Where is she? Have you sent for the priest and the
solicitor?”
“No, but I shall when they are
needed. I must ask that you remain in your best form when I introduce you. She
is a real lady. Although she has not yet agreed to the scheme, I am sure she is
on the precipice of a decision in your favor. I need you to show her your
charm, not your impatience.”
“A real lady? How am I to get a lady
to marry me like this?” Lucian entered into a fit of coughing. Marcus helped
him to drink a sip of water and then he was able to continue. “I could not get
Penelope to marry me whole although she had known my charms for years. How
shall I convince a stranger to marry me on my deathbed?” Lucian groaned.
“She seems to have a good heart.”
“Is she pockmarked?”
“No. She is Sir Henry Radford’s
daughter.”
Lucian pursed his lips. “So, she’s
mercenary then?”
“I don’t think so. But, I believe
she does have a younger sister and a mother to worry about. Think positive!
That could improve your suit.”
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