I am almost beside myself with excitement because I have
finally written my first series. Well almost.
I’m still writing book four, but
the rest are done and will soon all be released into the wild- which is apt
because they are called The Wild Warriners. Four sinfully handsome, down-on-their-luck
brothers ostracised from society thanks to the antics of their troublesome
ancestors.
The first in the quartet-
A Warriner to Protect Her- came
out a few weeks ago and is doing really well. The reviewers seem to like it
(thank goodness!) and there has already been a bit of a buzz about book two,
A Warriner to Rescue Her, which doesn’t come out till July. I suppose I could
waffle on about what it’s about and what my inspiration was, but instead I thought
I’d share with you a little taster…
Jack strode
on to the landing, only to be confronted by the sight of Letty looking
deliciously sleep rumpled at her door. She had only opened the door enough to
poke her head around, but Jack saw the tantalising glimpse of a female leg
where it poked beneath the hem of yet another one of his shirts and the sight
irritated him. The blasted woman was handy with a needle. She had started
embroidering little patterns on everything from napkins to pillowcases. Weeks
ago, she had begun making a dress—which was still not finished—so why could she
not fashion herself a proper nightdress? One that came to the floor and covered
all of her soft, silken skin. And while she was about it, she should probably
plait the wild, golden riot of curls that hung past her shoulders and tempted
him to touch. An ugly nightcap would not go amiss either.
‘What’s happening?’ she asked.
‘There’s a storm. We need to round up the animals. Go back to bed Letty. You’re
in no danger.’
‘I can help.’
Jack was in no mood to be tactful. ‘No, you can’t. Go back to bed.’
The storm
would take his mind off her; he didn’t need the additional burden of an heiress
faffing about and getting in his way when he had a serious job to do. He saw
her fine eyes narrow just before she slammed the door shut and he turned away,
striding briskly to the stairs. It was just as well. If she had argued with
him, he would have bitten back twice as hard. Lack of sleep always brought his
temper close to the surface and, as Letty was responsible for the deficiency,
he doubted any confrontation would end well tonight. Not after their splendid
chat in the barn earlier, when she had thanked him for being so sensible about not pursuing their mutual attraction, then
blithely gone about her day as if the words he had wrenched out of his gut and
choked hollowly out of his mouth had not sounded the death knell on all his
secret hopes of a miracle.
She might
have argued then, as she was prone to when she heartily disagreed with
something, and perhaps given some credence to the idea that their two worlds
could merge if they both wanted them to. But of course she hadn’t. Only a tiny
part of him had expected her to—a part which he hadn’t even realised existed
until he had categorically listed for her all the reasons why there was nothing
except lust between them. Even as he said the words he knew them to be false.
What he felt for Letty was more than just desire. He genuinely admired her
tenacity and her sunny disposition. Her indomitable spirit. The woman never let
anything beat her, whether that be kidnappers or roasted chickens. And since
the very first moment he had found her frozen and terrified in the road, a part
of his jaded, wary, Warriner heart would always be hers. Yearned to be hers.
Maybe those rash feelings were due to his customary and ever-present sense of
responsibility—but if that was entirely the case, why, when he had held her
chilled body in his arms that night, had her presence in them felt so
very…right?
If only she
had been a random, ordinary girl of no consequence instead of The Tea Heiress.
Then maybe he would have stood a chance and taken a gamble. It didn’t help
knowing, thanks to hours of rifling through Jacob’s collection of newspapers
when nobody was looking, that when the newsmen wrote the words Tea Heiress they
were always put in italics, as if she were so special, so above everyone else,
that only a select few in society were on a par with her. Now he knew her, he
realised they were right. Letty was an incomparable…and so very far out of his
reach as to be laughable.
Unfortunately,
that same tiny part of him which had held out for the miracle earlier was now
disproportionately grieving the inevitable loss of her in his life, even though
he never really stood a chance of her remaining in it. He had also read about
her life in those same newspapers and it was a life he could never hope to give
her. The finest clothes, balls, jewels and a prominent and revered place in
society. The moment Jack had reminded her of her wealthy Duke, she’d nodded and
smiled and immediately switched her thoughts to getting home to Mayfair. Which
had been his intention. Because any hope of a future between them was
ridiculous. Wasn’t it? So he should be happy he had been the sensible one.
But he
wasn’t.
‘We need all
the ropes we can carry.’ His three brothers were assembled in the kitchen, the
lanterns already lit. ‘The river has burst its banks. If one of us has to
venture into it, then we’ll be tethered to something first. If we drive the
sheep to the west pasture, they will be safe. Jamie—check on the horses, then
the cows. See that none of them have injured themselves.’
His brother’s face clouded with barely suppressed fury. ‘I am not a blasted
invalid, Jack. I’ll help you three with the sheep first. The horses and damned
cows can wait!’
‘I’ll see to the horses and cows.’ Jack spun around to see Letty marching
towards him in a greatcoat that swamped her and wearing an expression of
complete and total defiance. Jamie nodded and handed her a lantern, clearly
delighted not to be relegated to lighter duties because of his injuries.
‘Go back to
bed, Letty! It’s dangerous out there.’ And Jack could already feel the
beginnings of a knot of worry at the thought of her out in that storm. The last
time she had been exposed to bad weather she had almost died. ‘This is no place
for a woman like you.’
She marched fearlessly in front of him and
stuck out her chin, not the slightest bit intimidated by the angry way he
loomed over her. ‘I am not some silly, spoiled, empty-headed fool.’ Her finger prodded him
firmly in the chest. ‘And whilst your brothers might well listen to your
orders, you are not my master Jack Warriner. Or my husband. And you never will
be. So don’t expect me to obey you. I am helping. Deal with it.’ She spun on
her heel and stomped stubbornly towards the back door. Without a backward
glance, she flung it open and flounced into the raging tempest...
