Music Monday: Arwen’s Vigil, Original Tune (The Piano Guys)

…Grace sat up. Her heart was racing. “Why? What has happened? Tell me what has happened.”

Mrs. Love wrung her hands together – which Grace noticed were not gloved. Her mother never left her house without a pair of gloves on her hands. Something was most certainly wrong…

[from Her Secret Beau, Touches of Austen book 3]

Published to YouTube by ThePianoGuys on November 12, 2013.

I’m going to leave these here just in case anyone needs one or two of them this week when reading story updates. We’ve come to that part of each story. The good news is that it’s always darkest before the dawn — so the happy ending is coming… soon… ish. 😉

That is also why I picked a song with a melancholy tone for this week. It seems to fit the feel of the stories.

Now, for my writing news, which isn’t all that much this week. That does not mean I did not write A LOT this past week. I did. It just all happened to be for the same story. 

Persuading Miss Mary is ready for me to schedule the final chapters, reread it from start to finish, and send it off to an editor! How exciting is that? The last chapter for this story will post on November 7, 2019.

In the process of finishing Mary and Wes’s story, I did a bit of planning for the next story since it sort of starts at the end of this story. Yes, this story will end with an open-loop (as they call it) to let you know how the series is going to progress once Mary and Wes are happy.

However, this story will not begin publishing immediately. Stay tuned to find out if there will be a couple of weeks without stories or what is precisely going to happen. I’ll be able to sit and think about that as soon as

I get Addie’s story ready for preorder (I am hoping that will be this week),

and Grace’s story is completed (that is my writing focus going forward).

I have submitted Tom’s book for a possible promotion day, but have not yet heard back on that.

And that’s all I have for writing news today.

Below, I am sharing another excerpt from Addie: To Wager on Her Future this week. It is a story full of twists and turns, so selecting an excerpt is difficult to do without giving away any spoilers. So, as always, read at your own risk. 🙂

( A quick note before you read the excerpt: Do you remember Tom’s injury from Mansfield Park? And from what we learned about it in Tom: To Secure His Legacy? Well, there’s a mention of it in this excerpt that fills in a few more details, according to my imagination, about what might have been happening around the time when it occurred.)

AN EXCERPT FROM Addie: To Wager on Her Future

Camden’s face grew hard. “I want that horse.” His words were simple but unscored with a pointed look at James.

“But Mr. Eldridge has offered more,” Miss Atwood inserted.

“Your brother understands that my offer has certain advantages to it which cannot be valued in sterling, my dear.”

“I do not understand.” Miss Atwood was playing her part of an innocent sister quite well.

“Of course, you do not, my dear. These are masculine affairs and not the sort of thing your sex understands.”

Robert watched Miss Atwood carefully. He was certain that such a statement would make her bristle. It would his sister, and he doubted Miss Atwood, who had been helping with the running of the estate, would take such an insult with any great equanimity. He was not wrong. Her eyes narrowed as she clenched her jaw, but she held her tongue – likely with great effort.

“Sell me the horse, Atwood, and then, Eldridge, if you wish, you can make me an offer.”

“Which you will refuse,” Robert retorted. “How much does Atwood owe you? Perhaps I will cover it and then buy the horse at a reduced price.”

“Owe you?” Miss Atwood blinked. Her feigned look of ignorance was really quite good. “I do not understand.”

“As I said, my dear, these are things for us men to discuss. You have done your part in showing us the horse quite well.” He turned to Robert. “A hundred pounds.”

“My brother owes you a hundred pounds?”

“No, he does not,” James cried. “It is seventy-five. I owe him seventy-five pounds.”

“For what?” Miss Atwood demanded.

“I lost a game,” James kept his voice low as if he did not wish for her to hear him.

“A bet? I am selling my horse – a gift from our father – over a bet that you were stupid enough to make?”

Robert was almost certain that the anger Miss Atwood’s voice contained was not fabricated. She had every reason to be furious over the loss of her animal because of her brother’s foolishness. However, whether the anger was real or not, it was having the desired effect on Camden as his lips had curled into a pleased grin. Knowing that he had caused pain to his victims was always something that brought enjoyment to a depraved gentleman such as Camden.

“Yes, he is, my dear. Now, if you would have your groom prepare him to travel unless Eldridge wishes to give me a thousand pounds for him.”

“A thousand pounds!” Miss Atwood cried.

“That does seem exorbitant,” Robert said, keeping his tone calm.

“If he is as good as you have led me to believe,” there was a glint of calculation in Camden’s eye, “then, you know he can earn that sort of money.”

Robert crossed his arms and smirked. “Not if he races my horse. I think you remember how good my horse is, do you not?”

Camden shrugged. “I remember he was better than a lot of other horses, but not this one. You said yourself that Damon is a winner. Are you willing to prove that you were not swindling me just so you could be rid of me and then purchase the horse which is truly the best in this stable?”

“I am no fool,” Robert said. “I would never attempt to cheat you.”

“Well, that is good to hear, but I have yet to hear if you are willing to back your expertise or not.”

Robert shook his head. “I do not have a thousand pounds to wager on a race.”

“But you do have a horse. A very fine horse.”

“With which I have no desire to part.” Though the man before him was standing still, Robert had the distinct impression that he was being circled by a ravenous wolf.

“Then, prove your value by riding Damon for me, and if he wins, I will know you were being honest and will give you a hundred pounds for your effort. However, if he loses, I will require your horse or a thousand pounds.”

“No, I am not being a part of any game you are playing.”

“I am not playing a game.” The man’s grin stood in opposition to his claim. “You realize, of course, that should you refuse my offer to ride Damon and decide, instead, to ride in a race against him and win, I will count you as a cheat.” His features grew hard. “And you know how I loathe a cheat.”

“You wish for Mr. Eldridge to throw a race?” Miss Atwood asked incredulously.

“Or never to enter,” Mr. Camden.

“Ever? Any race?” Miss Atwood looked positively horrified.

Camden nodded.

“But if he rides him and wins, then, he can ride against Damon in the future?” Miss Atwood shook her head as if comprehending Camden was no easy task — which to anyone with even a partially working moral compass, it was not.

“Only if Damon wins.”

“Damon is the best horse in our stables,” James said. “I have told you that time and again.”

“Yes, but you are attempting to save your neck. You would say anything,” Camden said dismissively.

“But it is true!” Miss Atwood cried. “Damon is the fastest horse we have, and I am not eager to part with him. Therefore, you can believe me.”

“I prefer to believe Mr. Eldridge. His name means something in the racing world.”

“As does Silverthorne,” Miss Atwood retorted.

“Perhaps,” Camden said with a shrug. “So, what is it to be, Eldridge?”

“This is ridiculous!” Robert cried. “I was here to purchase a horse, and now, somehow, I am the one responsible for the quality of another gentleman’s horse?”

“A terrible shame it is, is it not?” Camden flicked something off the shoulder of his coat. “You should have lost that race last year. Bertram, at least, had the good grace to disqualify himself.”

Robert drew in a deep breath and steadied his nerves, reigning in the anger he felt. Causing a person to fly into the rafters was another thing Camden enjoyed. “He fell taking a gate and nearly died. I am not sure that is the same as disqualifying himself.”

“However, you wish to see it. I will be at the Red Lion when you have come to a decision.” He stepped closer to Robert. “I am not a patient man, Eldridge, so do not dawdle.”

~*~*~

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