It was lovely to be off the road again, and this inn was a touch nicer than yesterday’s, but none of that truly soothed her as it would have on her trip to Bath. Several days on the road when anticipating adventure were much easier to endure than the same number of days spent travelling while one’s heart was breaking.
She closed her eyes. A tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away quickly.
“Are you still so disappointed?” her mother asked from where she sat at a table with her needlework spread out. Felicity was flopped across the bed, and their father was below stairs, likely talking with some gentlemen at the bar.
[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen book 3]Published to YouTube by Piano Haven – Sedona on June 16, 2011.
I chose to share this song from my Spotify Music to Write By playlist because of the title. Tears and joy will be present in this week’s story offerings on both Tuesday and Thursday. 🙂 We only have three chapters left of each story, so the happy conclusion is upon us.
I managed to finish writing the last chapter of Her Secret Beau last week, so I’ve started a new writing project. However, I’m not going to talk about that one just yet as I only have two chapters written. I feel like I am settled into it, as I expect it to be short, but I have not decided if it will be part of my Nature’s Fury and Delights collection (those are usually about 10k words long) or if I will do something else with it. More than likely, it will be part of the next Nature’s Fury and Delights book, but I’m just not willing to commit to that yet. 🙂
I hope to get my current new writing project done this week, and be started on another one as well. However, I am also going to have to start reading through Mary’s story and then Grace’s story so they can work their way through the editing process, and I can set some release dates for them, keeping in mind that the holidays will limit the open dates for publishing at some places.
Other things that I accomplished this past week were all related to Addie’s story which goes live in the Kindle store and in the Kindle Unlimited program on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. I will also have an Austen Authors post that day about the book and will be including a giveaway with that post.
Advance Reader Copies of Addie: To Wager on Her Future were given out this past week, and the paperback version went live.
It was a busy and productive week!
Because the paperback is live, reviews can be posted early, and, as of when I am writing this on Saturday night, one review has been posted! I was just checking to make sure the pre-order link below worked and there it was!
Thank you so much Vesper! I’m delighted that you enjoyed Addie and Robert’s story.
For the curious, here’s a screenshot of what she had to say:
*This review may not be visible on all Amazon sites, but it does show in the Canadian Kindle Store.
I think, because this book is releasing this week, I will leave you with an excerpt from Addie: To Wager on Her Future:
I don't think there is anything too spoiler-y in this excerpt as it is a nice bit of calm before a storm in the story. I might be a softy (it's very likely), but I ended this chapter with a tissue in my hand and tears in my eyes, and they were not tears of joy.
A breeze bent the grass and pulled at Addie’s skirt and bonnet. A blanket of grey clouds could be seen in the distance. Tomorrow, it would likely be too wet to race, and so it had been decided that one more pass down the course at Stonegate before returning to the stables would be an excellent idea.
Damon snorted and tossed his head. Even after having run as much as he already had today, he was eager for the race to begin. He had always been eager for a gallop, but since he had been training with Mr. Eldridge, that desire had increased. He was born to race. A love of racing flowed in his blood and twitched in every fiber of his being. Seeing him fly down the course was exhilarating, though not as thrilling as riding him while he flew would be. However, Addie was not to be granted the excitement of riding Damon, nor would she be given the chance to run Hugo against him. Since arriving at Stonegate, Addie had been relegated to watching the racing rather than participating.
It made sense, she told herself. She would not be riding in the race at the end of the week. Someone else would be and that someone needed time to become familiar with Hugo. But no matter how much she told herself it was what had to happen, she could not bring herself to be completely happy about it.
She caught Damon’s face in her hands and kissed his nose. “Fly like the wind,” she whispered. “You must win.” She gave Damon’s nose one more kiss and repeated her instructions to him. Oh, she would miss him – if their plan did not work and it came to that, that is.
“Must you put your mouth on that beast?”
Aunt Edith was less than pleased to once again be standing next to the track watching a race. It was not where she thought a lady should be. It was one thing to don a new hat and take in a race at a proper racing facility, but to stand out here in a field, as she called it, was another thing altogether.
“Yes, I must,” Addie replied. She smiled up at Robert. “Are you going to win?”
“I am shocked you should even ask.” There was a twinkle in his eye. “I do enjoy winning.”
“As do I,” Addie agreed.
“You are not racing,” Aunt Edith scolded. “Not even for a lark.”
Addie rolled her eyes, and Robert chuckled. Aunt Edith had been absolutely horrified to hear that Addie had been racing against her brother and Mr. Eldridge. Proper young ladies did not do such things. Racing was dangerous and rather hoydenish.
Addie did not agree, of course. Nor did Robert. This did nothing to raise Mr. Eldridge in the eyes of Aunt Edith. In fact, once she learned that Miss Eldridge also enjoyed an occasional race, she proclaimed herself to be utterly scandalized.
“Do not encourage her, Mr. Eldridge,” she added.
“Father did not mind my racing,” Addie countered.
“Your father…” Aunt Edith shook her head but said no more.
Addie breathed a sigh of relief. There were only so many times she could listen to how her father should have sought help raising a young lady well before it was too late. This would then dissolve into grousing over how she was ever going to make Addie presentable in time for next season, which, in turn, would set James’s teeth on edge and lead to an argument between aunt and nephew. Needless to say, the past three days at Stonegate had been trying.
“I will see you after I win,” Robert said with a wink. He was very good at ignoring Aunt Edith’s diatribes and taunting her with his unruffled appearance. However, Addie knew that he was not as complacent as he appeared, for she had heard him grumbling about her aunt to Damon on more than one occasion when she had arrived at the stables to meet him.
Addie was coming to love the stables even more than she already did but for a reason wholly unrelated to horses, for the stables were a place to which Aunt Edith would not venture. They were also the place where Robert had collected on his wins each day. He would hand her a brush to help him see to either Hugo or Damon, and then, when the grooms would conveniently find work elsewhere and the stall door was closed, he would toss the brushes to the side and gather her into his arms. She sighed. Those times were the only ones where any thoughts about horses or races being lost were nowhere near Addie’s mind.
“I will look forward to it,” she called after him as he joined her brother who was riding Pythias and Stonegate’s jockey who was riding Hugo. The comment was met with a wide grin and bow of his head as he touched his hat.
Was there anything more wonderful in the whole world than being loved by a gentleman such as he? Addie was not certain there was. Not even racing across an open field on Damon’s back could compare to spending time with Mr. Eldridge.
~*~*~
Preorder link for Addie: To Wager on Her Future
“Are you still so disappointed?” her mother asked….
Are you kidding me???? At first I wondered what was her mother thinking?
But she has only ever had Felicity as an example. Dang! That was almost cruel. She has no idea how she has hurt her daughter by diminishing her feelings and emotions.
The music was lovely… thanks for sharing. Blessings on all your hard work. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.
Her mother also only thinks the disappointment is about leaving Bath and the friends she was staying with, which shouldn’t be a cry for two days sort of disappointment. Mom does not know about Walter…yet. 😉 Dad says something about understanding the depth of disappointment better later in this chapter, but then that’s one of the dangers of keeping a secret.
Thanks. I’m excited to work on new ideas. 🙂