Five Yules by Keena Kincaid. A novella in the "One Yuletide Knight" Medieval Christmas Romance
Collection.
BLURB
Waleran de Marche
promised he wouldn’t marry her, but it was a promise he couldn’t keep. Cateline
de Armiens has the land and coin he
needs to distance himself from his father and the coming war in England.
Cate is through
with broken promises and betrayal. When Wal vows to keep her safe and secure,
she ignores his promise and welcomes his departure on a royal errand. In his
absence, she creates a home without him, and finds his return each Yule an
annoyance, not a joyful homecoming.
But when the king’s
enemy takes her hostage, she will learn just how far her husband will go to
keep his word to protect her—but will he reach her in time to save her life and
their marriage or will this be their last Yule?
EXCERPT
Clutching
the bundle close, Cate walked toward the ramp. Her heart felt as if it dragged
a plow. She didn’t want to go. Couldn’t go. Once she stepped onto that ship,
she would be gone. Lost forever. Papa was dying, and he’d die alone if she
left.
She stopped,
swallowed a sob, turned back. The soldier stood in her way.
“Keep
going.” His eyes were an unnaturally clear, bright blue that reminded her of a
summer sky when it peaks between clouds at dusk.
“I cannot.”
She looked down the road. At the end of it was her father’s donjon. There would
be a warm fire in the hearth, music, and stew made from last night’s roast
beef. “My father—”
“Did this
for you.” He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around. “Go.”
At first,
shock stilled her tongue. He’d touched her. He had no right to lay hands on
her! “Lâche-moi!”
“I will
unhand you when you go.”
“I order—”
“Servants do
not order me,” he said as he marched her up the ramp. “I order them. Now,
move.”
She whirled
to glare at him. “I am the daughter of James de Armiens, the niece of Robert of
Beaumont and betrothed to Richard of Brinklow. I may be masquerading as a
servant, but I am not one. Who are you to speak to me thus?”
“Move on,
Wal!” someone shouted behind them. “We have horses to load.”
Wall was a
good name for the man who blocked her path. He was as obtuse as he was large.
He smirked
down at her. “You may be daughter and niece, as you claim, but Brinklow died
last summer, so you are no one’s betrothed. Now move. You have work to do.”
Keena's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Keena-Kincaid/e/B008J6GRHM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
12 comments:
I always love marriages of conveniences that grows into much more!!
Congrats!!
Thank you so much for hosting me, Lindsay. I’ll be all day if anyone has any questions.
Thanks. I experimented with the timeline, but I love how it turned out. I also love Wal even though he and I had a rough start, too. 😊
I love her standing up to him! When I read the blurb, I knew I’d like this one! Is the whole anthology new stories? I remember reading a couple of yours I discovered a few years ago so glad you have new stories.
Me too. Love to read and feel how the romance grows!
Keena, I'm still waiting for my print copies to arrive so I can sit back and enjoy each and every story in this anthology. I'm so pleased to once again be included in PRP's Christmas medieval collection. This excerpt has me hoping my books come soon. What a time these two strong characters are going to have. Love their names too. Happy holidays.
Hi, Caffey. Yes, the anthology is all new stories. It's a wonderful collection. I'm also working on new, stand-alone stories, too.
Keena, you know how I love your stories, and this one was no exception. I must confess, I was wondering how in the world their relationship was going to work out, and you did an exceptional job, as always.
I always enjoy your dialogue between your characters--so realistic. I always look forward to your next one...and your next one...
Thank you, Cheryl. At one point, I wasn’t sure I could work it out between them. 😊
Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy a free copy of ANAM CARA https://instafreebie.com/free/ZpDyH
Yet another tale to warm the nights and heart. Congratulations and much success on your writing journey.
Doris
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