The King's Mistress
S.D. Grady
Genre: Historical Romance set in a
Fantasy world/Erotic Romance
Publisher: Purple Sword Publications
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 80k
Cover Artist: Traci Markou
Book Description:
Bethina Lydia Fortescue, the Lady Godwin,
adored her king as no other for twenty years. But the king is dead, and as his mere mistress she is no
longer welcome at court.
Sir Arthur Jeffries, newly appointed to
Princess Meredith's Regency Council, needs help. He begs the legendary Lady Godwin to return to the palace as
the princess' tutor, hopefully to lead the gawky teenager through the political
and romantic minefield of suitors and hidden assassins invited to attend her
Debutante Ball.
Bethina and Arthur fight the undeniable
surge of attraction between them. Bethina cannot bring herself to put aside the
love she had for her king, and now concern for his heir. Arthur knows that he
will only be able to serve the princess if he continues his life of solitude.
Now is no time to take a courtesan to bed.
Brought together as servants to Rushton's
crown, but joined through a lifetime of bitter and shrewd experiences, Bethina
and Arthur discover that when the princess finally takes a husband, and all the
enemies of the land are vanquished, they will have only one thing left to live
for: love.
Excerpt:
The phantom caress of
Freddie's touch conjured long buried memories. Ah, sweet agony. Exuberant in their youth, she and Freddie
had explored all the possible sexual positions together. And now...
She fought against a
tear. That was all in the past. Gone.
She closed her eyes so
she might ignore the overly familiar oil landscape hung over her bed and the
other tiny details that recalled the sweet and torrid memories. Her finger caught at a lace ribbon on
the vanity top and pulled it across the polished wood surface. Her favorite clock ticked. Time passed. When would the hole in her heart heal? Anger at her weakness surged. She grabbed and held onto it.
"Stop being morbid,
Beth. You've got a job to
do." Her voice echoed in the
vaulted room.
A knock sounded from the
outer chamber. She still had an
hour before she expected her first guest.
The tweeny scurried to answer it.
"She's not quite
decent, sir."
Bethina grinned. Leave it to the young ones to state the
truth. She stood and turned to
welcome whoever it might be, calling out, "Let them in, Laurel. I'm as decent as I'm going to get." It took but a few steps to enter the
sitting room.
The girl curtsied and
opened the door wider. Sir Arthur
stood in the hall, his cap in his hand and eyes wide as he noticed the
extravagance of her chamber.
Once again, that phantom
emotion sprang to life. She couldn't possibly take another lover. Never. Action
would help to stifle her misgivings.
"Come. Come."
She gestured him into the room.
"It's been far too long since these rooms saw a gentleman not bent
on nefarious deeds."
The man blushed, his
grey eyes darkened. "You
think me harmless, Lady Godwin?"
"Hah!" She strode to the chaise, settled down
and reached for the bell. The
tweeny reappeared. "What
would you like to drink, sir?"
Dressed in a suit of
black silk from head to foot, the diplomat evoked an aura of quiet power. He had not moved since pausing inside
her threshold. "I like to
keep my wits when dining with my enemies and my friends."
Bethina pressed her lips
together before ordering, "Small ale for two."
He remained still, his
gaze boring into hers. "Do
you possess a more modest gown, Lady Godwin?"
She chuckled and leaned
forward just a touch. "Unlike
you, Sir Arthur, it is not to my advantage to fade into background. A low cut bodice is far more effective
in eliciting confidences than sitting near silent in a corner with a shawl up
to my chin." Even as she
grinned, her melancholy vanished. Thank goodness she had somebody to match wits
with.
He coughed and appeared
to decide she was not about to eat him for lunch. He stretched his long legs out as he settled in the
high-backed chair opposite her perch. He continued to study her. What did he
want?
"Now, why the early
arrival for supper?"
He turned his attention
to the appointments of the chamber; the heavy furniture, damask curtains, oil
paintings. Every feminine furbelow
Trudy could gather dotted all possible surfaces. Lace, china, clocks, jewelry. It appeared as the room of a very wealthy lady of the
nobility. No guest could possibly guess at her sordid past.
"Sir Arthur?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Sorry. I wondered if you required any more information
before we go in for supper this evening?"
"No, I think
not. Sometimes it is better to
make your own judgments, true?"
He rubbed his palms
together for a moment. "I
would have to agree with that."
So, he was avoiding
speaking his mind. Really, now was not the time to keep secrets from her.
Laurel appeared with
their drinks, served and withdrew.
Perhaps if she taunted
him.
Bethina ran one finger
along the rim of her glass, collecting the drop of moisture sitting there and
then licked it dry. "You really wanted to see what I had chosen to
wear. Admit it. What would the famed mistress of King
Frederyk do upon her return to court?" She sipped at her ale and decided
the castle boasted a fine master brewer.
"Yes. I am taking a huge risk here. Should we misstep, I shall be back in the
desert of Uiel and you in that house on the river."
"But you forget,
Sir Arthur." She placed her
glass on the small table at her right and drew a heart on the tabletop from the
glass's condensation. "Not
once in two decades was I dismissed from court. I am good at this."
He smiled and relaxed in
his seat. "As am
I."
She met his steady
gaze. Good. His defenses were coming down. She took
a deep breath, her breasts pressing against her tight bodice. His grey eyes widened. He swallowed.
She followed his Adam's apple down his muscled neck and grinned in appreciation
at his wide shoulders. The years
had been kind to him. The blood
beat in her ears . Her body
stirred.
And suddenly it became
clear. He desired her. As much as
she wanted him.
"I didn't come here
for a flirtation." Her protest sounded gravelly.
His cheeks blazed with
color. "I did not invite you
for such."
She waited, as he
appeared to want to say more. In
the end, they simply shared a nod each understood. The heat and lust would wait,
for now. "I am here for
Freddie's niece. She needs
me."
He nodded. "Yes,
she does. I think, though, that I
will enjoy working alongside you."
"Just
working?"
The room filled with
unspoken words. Heat. Hushed sighs
beneath covers.
About the
Author:
S.D. Grady is a lover of men, music,
movies and fast machines. A beautiful gown stirs her blood as quickly as a
NASCAR race. An author of
historical and fantasy romance, she never hesitates to switch gears and plunge
into the real world of sports commentary.
She lives in her house on the hill with
her husband of 20 years and their cats. During work hours she runs a movie
theatre and, when not writing, enjoys crocheting yet another colorful afghan.
Several times a year you can find them at the track in their RV.
The S-Curves blog http://thescurves.blogspot.com/
~*Tour
giveaway*~
4 ebook copies of The King's Mistress
will be raffled.
One per week, winner pulled from blog
commenters/participants.
How it works:
Follow S.D. Grady along on her Bewitched Blog Book Tour during the month of October to help her celebrate the release of her historical fantasy romance The King's Mistress.
Answer correctly 5 of the 6 questions provided on this page: http://www.sdgrady.info/s.d.-
Email the answers to: sdgradytreasurehunt@gmail.com by November 8th, 2014
Use the Subject Line of "Treasure Hunt Answers"
All the answers will be found on the blog tour.
The first four people to email S.D. Grady with the correct answers will win a free e-copy of The King's Mistress.
Winners will be notified via email.
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