This was not exactly the blog that we planned to write. We were going to share a post about our Ghost Story Competition (which this still is), but it has suddenly become very pertinent and personal. On Saturday, only a day after sharing our Puplishing blog, we lost our founding publisher, Orlando. We are all utterly devastated, and Crowvus HQ has become very quiet. It is truly strange not to see him at the bottom of the stairs, or not to have him sitting at my feet while I write this. It is the little, everyday, routine things where his death is most acutely felt. Nine years ago, in our first ever Ghost Story Competition , we received a story entitled Black Dog . I admit, I had preconceived ideas about this one, based on its title, thinking about baying hounds and the Black Shuck. Nothing was further from the truth. A. J. Black's beautiful story was a journey of grief, a coming to terms with a loss of more than life, but of a companion. I remember reading it and ...
This week for #HistFicThursdays, I'm delighted to once again be teaming up with The Coffee Pot Book Club for author Stella Riley's blog tour! Today, I'm sharing an excerpt from her brilliant new book, The Shadow Earl!
First of all, let's meet the book...
At the end of his Grand Tour, somewhere between Athens and Constantinople, Christian Selwyn, the young Earl of Hazelmere, vanished - seemingly without a trace.
Time passes. In London, his uncle and cousin move into his home … while his unofficial fiancée, Sophia, is left desolate and in limbo. Finally, his friends – loyal and close as brothers – set out to search in person.
Christian’s startling re-appearance at a grand ball takes society by storm and fuels endless speculation. Where has he been during these three missing years? What happened to him?
And more importantly, how did it happen?
Only one thing is clear. The earl who left England five years ago, has returned a changed man. A man with secrets.
You can buy The Shadow Earl via this Universal Link
And here's a snippet to whet your appetite:
Kit & Sophie begin to rediscover their former relationship
Laughter warmed his eyes, the sun burnished his hair … and, for the first time, they were talking together as they used to do. Without warning, tears clogged Sophia’s throat and spilled over her lashes and, before she could stop herself, all the words she’d forbidden herself to say came tumbling out.
‘I missed you – and missed you and m-missed you! Every day, every hour – all the time and so much. It was bearable while you were making the Tour because I had your letters. But afterwards … afterwards, I had nothing. There was a great black space inside me and all around me that grew and grew and never went away. When I began to realise I might never see you again, I wanted … I wanted – ’ She stopped abruptly and, instead of finishing the sentence, hauled in a shuddering breath. ‘And then, without any warning – just when I’d finally given up hope – you appeared from nowhere, smiled politely and said Sorry I’m late. And I w-wanted to hit you.’
‘You should have done. No one would have blamed you. Certainly not I.’
But she shook her head, mumbling, ‘I’m sorry. I ought not to have said any of that – it was foolish of me. I know it was w-worse for you.’
Throughout her outburst, Christian sat like a stone feeling something carving a hole in his chest. He knew what he should do but wasn’t sure he could do it. Then, telling himself not to be so feeble, he crossed the blanket and took her in his arms. As soon as he touched her, she turned and burrowed into his chest, one hand clutching his upper arm through his shirt-sleeve. He said simply, ‘Don’t apologise to me, Sophie-Rose. I’m the one who should be sorry – and I am. This whole debacle would have been avoided if I’d just turned back after Athens. But I didn’t … and we’ve both had to live with the consequences.’
Her voice muffled against his throat, she said, ‘You couldn’t have known.’
‘No. I couldn’t. But that doesn’t make it better. You’ve every right to be angry. And you should be.’
Now, let's meet the author:
She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the 7 book Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) and the Brandon Brothers trilogy, are all available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham.
Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord. She also has a fondness for men with long hair - hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.
You can find Stella on these links:
Thank you very much for hosting Stella Riley with The Shadow Earl today.
ReplyDeleteCathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club