EXCERPT
and GIVEAWAY
The King's Mistress
by S.
D. Grady
The King's Mistress is currently on tour with Bewitching Book Tours. The tour stops here
today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Bethina Lydia Fortescue, the Lady Godwin, adored her king as no other for
twenty years. But the king is dead, and
as his mere mistress she is no longer welcome at court.
Sir Arthur Jeffries, newly appointed to Princess Meredith's Regency
Council, needs help. He begs the
legendary Lady Godwin to return to the palace as the princess' tutor, hopefully
to lead the gawky teenager through the political and romantic minefield of
suitors and hidden assassins invited to attend her Debutante Ball.
Bethina and Arthur fight the undeniable surge of attraction between them.
Bethina cannot bring herself to put aside the love she had for her king, and
now concern for his heir. Arthur knows that he will only be able to serve the
princess if he continues his life of solitude. Now is no time to take a
courtesan to bed.
Brought together as servants to Rushton's crown, but joined through a
lifetime of bitter and shrewd experiences, Bethina and Arthur discover that
when the princess finally takes a husband, and all the enemies of the land are
vanquished, they will have only one thing left to live for: love.
Excerpt
The phantom caress
of Freddie's touch conjured long buried memories. Ah, sweet agony. Exuberant in their youth,
she and Freddie had explored all the possible sexual positions together. And now...
She fought against a
tear. That was all in the past. Gone.
She closed her eyes
so she might ignore the overly familiar oil landscape hung over her bed and the
other tiny details that recalled the sweet and torrid memories. Her finger caught at a lace ribbon on the
vanity top and pulled it across the polished wood surface. Her favorite clock ticked. Time passed.
When would the hole in her heart heal?
Anger at her weakness surged. She
grabbed and held onto it.
"Stop being
morbid, Beth. You've got a job to
do." Her voice echoed in the
vaulted room.
A knock sounded from
the outer chamber. She still had an hour
before she expected her first guest. The
tweeny scurried to answer it.
"She's not
quite decent, sir."
Bethina grinned. Leave it to the young ones to state the
truth. She stood and turned to welcome
whoever it might be, calling out, "Let them in, Laurel. I'm as decent as I'm going to get." It took but a few steps to enter the sitting
room.
The girl curtsied
and opened the door wider. Sir Arthur
stood in the hall, his cap in his hand and eyes wide as he noticed the
extravagance of her chamber.
Once again, that
phantom emotion sprang to life. She couldn't possibly take another lover.
Never. Action would help to stifle her misgivings.
"Come.
Come." She gestured him into the room.
"It's been far too long since these rooms saw a gentleman not bent
on nefarious deeds."
The man blushed, his
grey eyes darkened. "You think me
harmless, Lady Godwin?"
"Hah!" She strode to the chaise, settled down and
reached for the bell. The tweeny
reappeared. "What would you like to
drink, sir?"
Dressed in a suit of
black silk from head to foot, the diplomat evoked an aura of quiet power. He had not moved since pausing inside her threshold. "I like to keep my wits when dining with
my enemies and my friends."
Bethina pressed her
lips together before ordering, "Small ale for two."
He remained still,
his gaze boring into hers. "Do you
possess a more modest gown, Lady Godwin?"
She chuckled and
leaned forward just a touch.
"Unlike you, Sir Arthur, it is not to my advantage to fade into
background. A low cut bodice is far more
effective in eliciting confidences than sitting near silent in a corner with a
shawl up to my chin." Even as she
grinned, her melancholy vanished. Thank goodness she had somebody to match wits
with.
He coughed and
appeared to decide she was not about to eat him for lunch. He stretched his long legs out as he settled
in the high-backed chair opposite her perch. He continued to study her. What
did he want?
"Now, why the
early arrival for supper?"
He turned his
attention to the appointments of the chamber; the heavy furniture, damask
curtains, oil paintings. Every feminine
furbelow Trudy could gather dotted all possible surfaces. Lace, china, clocks, jewelry. It appeared as the room of a very wealthy
lady of the nobility. No guest could possibly guess at her sordid past.
"Sir
Arthur?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes.
Sorry. I wondered if you required any more information before we go in
for supper this evening?"
"No, I think
not. Sometimes it is better to make your
own judgments, true?"
He rubbed his palms
together for a moment. "I would
have to agree with that."
So, he was avoiding
speaking his mind. Really, now was not the time to keep secrets from her.
Laurel appeared with
their drinks, served and withdrew.
Perhaps if she
taunted him.
Bethina ran one
finger along the rim of her glass, collecting the drop of moisture sitting
there and then licked it dry. "You really wanted to see what I had chosen
to wear. Admit it. What would the famed mistress of King Frederyk
do upon her return to court?" She sipped at her ale and decided the castle
boasted a fine master brewer.
"Yes. I am taking a huge risk here. Should we misstep, I shall be back in the
desert of Uiel and you in that house on the river."
"But you forget,
Sir Arthur." She placed her glass
on the small table at her right and drew a heart on the tabletop from the
glass's condensation. "Not once in
two decades was I dismissed from court.
I am good at this."
He smiled and
relaxed in his seat. "As am I."
She met his steady
gaze. Good. His defenses were coming down. She took a
deep breath, her breasts pressing against her tight bodice. His grey eyes widened. He swallowed. She
followed his Adam's apple down his muscled neck and grinned in appreciation at
his wide shoulders. The years had been
kind to him. The blood beat in her ears
. Her body stirred.
And suddenly it
became clear. He desired her. As much as
she wanted him.
"I didn't come
here for a flirtation." Her protest sounded gravelly.
His cheeks blazed
with color. "I did not invite you
for such."
She waited, as he
appeared to want to say more. In the
end, they simply shared a nod each understood. The heat and lust would wait,
for now. "I am here for Freddie's
niece. She needs me."
He nodded.
"Yes, she does. I think, though,
that I will enjoy working alongside you."
"Just
working?"
The room filled with
unspoken words. Heat. Hushed sighs
beneath covers.
Featured Review
The King's Mistress is an entertaining,
seductive story about a second chance at love. Bethina had been the king's
mistress for twenty years. Now with him gone, she must find her own place in
the world, someplace to belong. When Arthur comes to Bethina for help, he gets
a lot more than he bargained for.
I really liked Bethina. She was not afraid to be herself and did not
necessarily conform to what others thought she should be. She had a sharp mind
and knew how to use it to get what she wanted. Bethina and Arthur were a great
character match. There was a lot of fun between them as they matched wits, as
well as a few steamy moments.
I'll be the first to admit that the historical romance genre is fairly
new to me, or the historical genre in general really. However, in my very
humble opinion Ms. Grady did an excellent job building her story…from the setting
to the language, to the dress, everything came together in perfect harmony to
create a complete picture that complemented her storytelling. The story itself
had a great plot and was engaging.
About the Author
S. D. Grady is a lover of men, music, movies and fast machines. A
beautiful gown stirs her blood as quickly as a NASCAR race. An author of historical and fantasy romance,
she never hesitates to switch gears and plunge into the real world of sports
commentary.
She lives in her house on the hill with her husband of 20 years and their
cats. During work hours she runs a movie theatre and, when not writing, enjoys
crocheting yet another colorful afghan. Several times a year you can find them
at the track in their RV.
Giveaway
Join in a treasure hunt for an opportunity to win one of four ebook copies
of The King's Mistress by S. D. Grady. Click here to find out how (ends 8 November). Full of desire and political
intrigue, you won't want to miss it!
Click here for a FREE download full of fun facts and
activities you can use at your next masquerade ball.
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