by Emma Lea
He slid onto an empty stool and sipped his drink. The band was good and he didn’t mind being anonymous amongst the Friday night revellers. He leaned back against the corner and people-watched, not something he got to do often. Fame had its perks but it also had plenty of drawbacks to balance it out. Going to a pub on a Friday night back home would result in speculation in the morning’s newspaper about who he spoke to, how much he drank, and the impact his consumption of alcohol would have on the team’s chances at the next game.
He loved football, had done since the moment he learned to kick a ball in the backyard with his dad. The fact he had the talent to support his love of the game gave him opportunities few people enjoyed and enough money to live the life of fairy tales and Hollywood movies. And when everything threatened to come crashing down on him, it was his love of the game that brought him back from the brink. He didn’t have many years left as a player and he honestly didn’t know what he would do when the time finally came for him to retire. It felt like he’d only just gotten his game back and he wasn’t ready to even think about a life without it.
The band took a break and he noticed a game playing on the television in the corner. It was a replay of last week’s game when TWS beat Tottenham. It was a good game and he’d come away with a goal. He’d also come away with a strain and the reason he’d been released to travel to Sydney for the wedding. The doctors wanted him to rest for the next few weeks because they wanted him for the last game. He didn’t mind the break. It was good to get away from the craziness and refocus. He still had to prove himself to the team who’d taken him back when no one else wanted him. A trip back to Australia to celebrate with a friend out of the spotlight that was the English press, was exactly what he needed.
Charlotte Fox stood underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, held her arms out wide, and twirled around, her head tipped back and her red curls fanning out around her. It was ridiculous and corny and she really should be tucked up in bed like the other members of her book club, but she couldn’t sleep. It was her first time in the city and there was so much to see and do, and she wanted to see and do it all. She was the clichéd country mouse in the city, but she didn’t care. This was her big adventure, the only one she was probably ever going to have, and she was determined to live every moment of it. She could sleep when she was dead…or at least on the flight back to Oxley Crossing.
Connor and Georgie’s wedding had given her the perfect excuse to escape her real life and have a real life adventure. Amelia, the character in the stories she wrote, was bold and brave and always going on quests and attempting daring exploits, just like Charlie wished she could. Now she had a chance to experience just a tiny sliver of what Amelia did and she wasn’t going to miss it by sleeping.
No one knew she was a writer. To all her friends and her family—her mother especially—she worked as a teller in the local bank. Which she did, but at night and on the weekends she spent her time writing about her intrepid heroine, Amelia, who saved the world on more than one occasion with little more than a hairpin, her quick wit and smarts, and her faithful furry sidekick, Mr. Chippers, an incredibly astute guinea pig. Amelia was the Kim Possible of the young adult literary world. Amelia was who Charlie wanted to be.
She took a deep breath of the city air and coughed with the fumes from the traffic passing overhead. It didn’t spoil the moment, she didn’t think anything could. She took one more selfie and then headed for the next point on her bucket list—a live band. Earlier in the night she’d had dinner with the book club girls at Matt Moran’s restaurant, Aria. Then they’d crossed the harbour on a ferry and gone to Luna Park. The older members of book club had called it a night then, but Millie, Kendra, Georgie, and Charlie headed back over to Pancakes at The Rocks. After stuffing themselves full with too many stacks, Georgie and her bridesmaids waved goodnight, but Charlie wasn’t ready to go. It was Friday night in the city and she wanted to do something. She didn’t know what, she just knew she wasn’t ready for it to be over.
Charlie was no stranger to historic buildings. Oxley Crossing and the Northern Tablelands had their fair share of historic buildings and the history to go with it, but The Rocks was something special. She could almost hear the ghosts of the past whisper to her as she walked along streets that had been there for over two hundred years.
She heard the music and headed in the direction of the corner pub. The guidebook Charlie had devoured on the plane wasn’t much help now she was on the ground, and Google maps could only tell her so much. Besides, she would much prefer to discover Sydney organically than have a predetermined path. She’d lived with predetermination for the last twenty-eight years and it was nice to be spontaneous for a change. There was no one checking up on her or making sure she stayed within the boundaries. It was her emancipation and it was only going to last a week so she intended to wring every single last drop out of it.
Charlie pushed through the door and breathed in the sound and chaos of the crowd. She soaked it up like a sponge. Charlie didn’t care if she looked like a country bumpkin just off the bus as she looked around her with big eyes trying to take everything in. She squeezed her way to the bar and ordered a Cosmo, just like the girls from Sex and the City.
Drink in hand she turned and tried to fight her way back through the crowd without spilling the pink concoction in her hand. She made it almost all the way and was just lifting the glass to her lips when someone bumped into her from behind, causing her to spill the entire thing down her front.
“Sorry,” came a distracted apology. She looked over her shoulder to reply but whoever had bumped into her was lost in the crush of bodies.
Charlie looked down at herself. Her new dress now sported a bright pink stain that caused it to stick to her skin. She felt a little like the kid who dropped their ice-cream after just one lick. The cocktail had cost her eighteen bucks, which she had been prepared to pay for the experience, but not to wear it.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Charlie looked up into the chocolate coloured eyes of the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She could even forgive him for the scruffy whiskers and man-bun because that English accent smoothed over any fashion faux-pas he’d made.
“Um, yeah, sure. I’m fine.”
He quirked an eyebrow and she felt her cheeks flush.
“Can I buy you a replacement?” he asked.
“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t need to do that. I’m fine, I promise.”
“I don’t mind,” he said. “I’m heading to the bar anyway.”
Charlie took a breath. What would Amelia do? This trip was all about stepping out of her comfort zone so, instead of declining again, she channelled Amelia, smiled, and nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she said.
He smiled back at her and her breath caught in her chest. “I have that table over there in the corner if you want to have a seat. I’ll bring the drinks over.”
“Sure, yeah, okay” she said, nodding again like a bobblehead.
He winked at her before turning back to the crowd in front of the bar and Charlie made her way over to the table he’d indicated. She sat down and grabbed some napkins out of the dispenser to try and mop up the spilled drink from her dress.
While she waited for the stranger to return, she tried to memorise everything about the moment so she could relive it all later. Charlie was determined to store up as many memories as she could, while she could. There was no telling when she would have another chance and the memories she made now would have to sustain her.
“Here you go,” he said, setting her drink down in front of her. “Cosmopolitan, right?”
“Perfect,” she said. “I’m Charlie, I mean Charlotte, I mean…” she shook her head. “My name’s Charlotte but everyone calls me Charlie.”
He grinned at her. “My name’s Kit,” he said, extending his hand across the table to her. “It’s nice to meet you Charlie.”
She took his hand and shook it. Her palm tingled with the connec
tion and her eyes went to his in surprise. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she whispered.
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Acknowledgments
What can I say? I wrote this book because I needed something fun and light. Of all the characters that I’ve written, Georgie is probably the closest to me. Believe it or not, most of my characters have some part of me in them - even the male ones - but Georgie was different. Georgie is who I’d most likely be if my life hadn’t taken the twists and turns that it has.
For those of you who actually read these acknowledgements, I’ll let you in on a little secret…when I was creating Connor there was one actor who I couldn’t get out of my mind. Chris Hemsworth. I couldn’t help it. Connor just seemed to become Chris. So thank you Chris Hemsworth (one of my two favourite Chris’, the other being Chris Pine).
While we’re doing the thank yous I have to thank, as always, my husband who supports me and encourages me every single day and who understands that some days I have to sit at a computer all day, or read all day (in the name of research) or watched romantic movies to fill my creative well. He is always my leading man.
Also thank you to Kathryn for your constant encouragement and your enthusiasm for my books. It’s like having my own personal cheerleader and I love it and you! Mwah!
Thank you too to Brooke for reaching out to me and offering me your incredible talent and your time to edit my writing. I always thought I was pretty good with that stuff, but you have shown me how far off the mark I was! You have made my writing better and I cannot express just how much I appreciate you.
To all my readers, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this little bit of light-hearted fun. I am planning more Bookish Book Club Novellas, I’m just not sure where they will fit in my production schedule, so keep your eyes peeled… or better yet, join my New Release Mailing List!
The Young Royals
Have you read The Young Royals series?
Book 1 - A Royal Engagement
Despite being the second child of the King and Queen of Merveille, Alyssabeth thought that if she kept a low profile she could stay out of the media's glaring spotlight and live a relatively normal life. That was until her father, the King, and her brother, the Crown Prince, was both killed in a hunting accident.
Her dream of joining the UN was no more and instead she needed to return to the small European country of her birth to pick up where her father and brother left off. Her Harvard degree in International Relations is forfeit and in it's place she must become Queen, that was if the misogynistic Parliament can see past their prejudices.
Not much had changed in the small country in her four year absence, but there are two noticeable differences. Her brother's two best friends Will Darkly and Jordan Wicks have grown up into two very intriguing men. Jordan practically swept her off her feet from the moment she stepped off the plane, but Will's more reserved, darkly intense interest in her gave her tingles.
Alyssa wasn't sure she was cut out to be Queen, but she knew that she wanted to do her father and brother proud, so she was willing to give it her best shot, even if it meant going toe to toe with Parliament. And then there was the small matter of her needing to be married in order to fulfil her birthright and take her place as the Head of State.
Buy A Royal Engagement Now
Book 2 - A Royal Entanglement
On the day of the new Queen’s coronation, a man from Lady Alexandra’s past turns up unannounced in Merveille. Lord Frédéric intercepts him and discovers that Alex had left this man at the altar six months ago and now he was here to claim her.
Alex hasn’t told anyone the real reason she left everything she had worked so hard for in the States to move to Merveille and take up the position of Queen Alyssa’s personal assistant. But now the main reason for her flight from the US has turned up on the palace’s doorstep and she is backed into a corner. The only person that she can think of to help her is Freddie, but she’s worried that getting too close to him might just do more harm than good.
The last thing Freddie wants is to get entangled with a woman. He liked to keep his options open, but now that he has returned to Merveille for good, his mother is trying her damnedest to get him married off and producing the next Bingham heir. When Alex asks for his help, he is only too eager to help her and maybe get his mother off his back in the process. He never expected to fall for her.
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Book 3 - A Royal Entrapment
The Queen is getting married and Priscilla is required to work alongside the Lord Chancellor, Dominique, to ensure that the whole affair goes off without a hitch and that they don’t, unwittingly, start World War Three. The only problem is that Priscilla finds Dominique insufferable and Dom isn’t all that enamoured with Priscilla either.
When Priscilla’s sister, Bianca, falls for Dominique’s brother, Louis, the two young lovers hatch a plot to ensure that they can spend time together, but it means that Dom has to pretend to be interested in Priscilla and get her to date him.
The more time they spend together, the more Dom and Priscilla start to like each other, except that now Dom is caught in a difficult spot…should he tell Priscilla that he only asked her out because his brother wanted to date her sister, or should he keep quiet and hope she doesn’t find out?
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Book 4 - A Royal Expectation
Lady Jeanette Bower had always known what her life was going to look like. It had been drummed into her since she was a little girl. She would marry a titled gentleman and make him a splendid wife who was above reproach. It was what her mother had always wanted for her and Lady Jeanette always did what her mother wanted her to do. She was a good girl. The only problem was, Lady Jeanette didn’t expect a six foot four Australian with sparkling tawny coloured eyes and a mischievous grin to walk into her life and show her that there was perhaps another path for her to take.
Drew Taylor had just landed his dream job and the fact that it was half way around the world from his meddling mother was just icing on the cake. He never expected to be swept off his feet by a woman on a hot pink Ducati. A woman who also happened to be one of the queen’s ladies in waiting. And then there was the complication of the viscount she was supposed to marry. How could a cane farmer’s son from tropical Queensland compete with a man who could give Lady Jeanette the title she had always wanted? He couldn’t, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.
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Book 5 - A Royal Elopement
Lady Meredith Bingham thought that she had her life sorted. She was a member of the royal guard - an elite security team tasked with protecting the queen of Merveille. She was also close personal friends with the queen and part of her inner circle - the ladies in waiting. But then her mother had to go and ruin it all. Lady Caroline Bingham was sick of her daughter fooling around and playing soldier. She thought it was high time her daughter got serious about her future and found herself a suitable husband. With the duke pulling double duty as the country's prime minister, it was only right that his daughter start acting like a proper daughter of nobility. Much to Meredith's chagrin, the queen agrees that Meredith must step down from her post.
Prince Christophe Kostopolous was a prince in exile. For the last ten years he had been living under the pseudonym of Jamie Kosta, and for the last seven years he has been part of the royal guard. Very few people knew his true identity, but that was all about to change. The people he had been hiding from all these years have found him and he may finally have his chance to reclaim his rightful place on the throne of his small island nation of Kalopsia. The only problem is, he has fallen for a certain duke's daughter and she has no idea who he really is.
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Book 6 - A Royal Embarrassment
Savannah has a secret…a secret that could cost her everything she’s been working for.
Coming to Merveille and taking up a position as one of Queen Alyssa’s ladies
in waiting hadn’t been part of Savannah Rousseau’s plan, but she wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity when it came her way. The daughter of an impoverished viscount, Savannah had nothing to lose and everything to gain by being included amongst the new queen’s entourage…as long as no one found out about her secret.
Savannah loved her son. Archer was the sun and moon of her life, but being a single mother would mean instant disqualification from the ladies in waiting. So she hid him from the queen and her new friends…for two years. Now someone had stumbled upon her secret and Savannah would do anything to ensure that she didn’t become a royal embarrassment.
Jed Fairchild came to Merveille to escape his own scandal and the last thing he wanted was to be embroiled in another. Finding out about the young boy and impoverished viscount that Savannah had stashed in the abandoned hunting cabins was a complication that he didn’t need. Being attracted to the hot-tempered lady in waiting was another. All Jed wanted was to live a simple life working with his horses and ignoring the rest of the world, but with Savannah in his life and the inquisitive Archer following him like his very own shadow, the quiet life was the last thing Jed had…and maybe it wasn’t really what he wanted after all.
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Book 6.5 - A Very Royal Christmas
Lady Georgina Darkly, the newly titled Duchess of Pemberton, did not need one more thing to deal with the week before Christmas. The temperature was dropping alarmingly, a snow storm had been predicted, the milk tanks in the dairy were close to freezing and there was a leak in her bedroom roof. To top it all off Clarabelle, the cow that had a mischievous streak a mile wide, had escaped the confines of the barn and could very well freeze to death if Georgie didn’t find her soon. The absolute very last thing she needed was an arrogant, stubborn, wealthy, and undeniably gorgeous Italian to turn up on her doorstep in need of rescuing.
