To my readers:
Thanks so much for reading! This is the companion book to Royal Renegade, so if you ever wondered how Michael met and won his Russian princess, you can find the story there. I attached an excerpt from that book below. I love writing about the elegant, exciting Regency period, and setting a romance within the political and military upheaval of the time.
If you like this book, please click the "like" on the sales page, and leave a comment. That really helps authors get the word out, and we appreciate it so much.
Happy reading!
Alicia
If you enjoyed this book, you might enjoy other books by Alicia Rasley, all available at Amazon Kindle Store:
The Wilder Heart, a Regency novella.
The Year She Fell.
The Reluctant Lady, a Regency novel.
Royal Renegade, a Regency novel.
An Excerpt from Royal Renegade by Alicia Rasley:
Tatiana finally looked up at him, and in her eyes he saw glittering a desperation that frightened him. "Michael," she whispered. "When you come back—" Then, all in a rush she said, "Lady Sherbourne said all the married ladies here have a special friend—a cher ami."
A chill settled over him as he heard that pretty mouth speaking such a vulgar term. For a moment he couldn't reply. Her meaning was clear enough; her motive baffled him. Did she want him only as a lover? Or was she telling him they'd have to settle for that? Either way, he was flooded with rage. "Are you speaking hypothetically, or are you measuring me for that position? For I'll tell you right now, Your Highness, I won't play that role with you."
He saw the hot flush of shame on her cheeks and was instantly sorry. But Tatiana was never cowed; she only jutted out her chin and hissed, "I wonder if Lord Harburton is so convinced of your principles on this matter."
He missed a step as she wrenched her hand out of his. But she had finally learned some discretion; she smiled brilliantly up at him for the benefit of their audience. Quietly he said, "Did you ever think that, having sampled that experience once, I might not want to do it again, especially with you?"
His intended meaning was so far from insult that he didn't understand, at first, why she was so angry. "That's not what I meant and you know it," he exclaimed with some exasperation. "I meant—"
Now her great green eyes were veiled, her full mouth trembling a bit. "I know. You told me before, you couldn't bear to see me. I understand. I'm sorry. I shan't plague you again."
"No," he whispered, undone by the terrible sorrow in her eyes. "We must talk alone, Tatiana, tonight."
But she only shook her head blindly. He could hear the click of sapphire against sapphire over the hollow of her throat. "I can't. You must leave me alone. You must. Do you remember that night in France, when we walked through the rain to that farmhouse?" Her hand stole into his as the movement of the dance brought them into touch again. "I dreamt last night that we were walking along that road again, you and I, only it was already dawn, and the sun was rising over the water. For a moment I thought that it was really a miracle. But then you told me this must be a dream because the sun does not rise in the west, and then I realized there were no such things as miracles."
Her voice trailed off as the music ended, and her hand slipped out of his, and she was gone into the crowd before he had time to answer. He started after her, to tell her that he would make the sun rise in the west or the north or the south, if that would make her happy.
Poetic Justice, a Traditional Regency Romance (Regency Escapades) Page 28
