HOSTAGE TO FORTUNE
Genre: Historical Romance, E-book, England, France
Sensuality: HOT
Setting: 1792 England and France
This
is an adventure not to be missed. The excitement mounts as danger
appears around every corner. The devastation of the French Revolution is
a backdrop to the well-executed plot. Love is in the air for three
couples, but will they survive to realize their dreams?
Verity
is an actress whose father is in a French dungeon. To free him she must
deliver Anthony Beaumont in trade. She travels to London to seduce
Anthony into following her to France. She doesn’t plan on falling in
love. Then, he hares off on his own to France to locate his
brother-in-law. Verity follows him, reluctantly taking along his
daughter who refuses to be left behind. Unfortunately, they just miss
joining Anthony, as soldiers of the Revolution reach their destination
ahead of them and capture him and his brother-in-law. Will everyone
finally be reunited, or will they face the guillotine?Exerpt:
PROLOGUE
Paris 1792
The women dancing the minuet were like pale moths in their
simple white gowns, for few dared dress as lavishly as they had three years
before. The attack on the Bastille had seen to that. Any connection, however
tenuous, to the old aristocracy did not bode well for the future. Now, the
pretty butterflies had vanished from Versailles along with their queen.
But an actress should never bow to convention, so Verity
had chosen to wear a gown of heavily-ribbed, jonquil silk brocaded with roses
from her last play. When the music died away her dance partner, Monsieur Picard
escorted her from the floor, bowed and left her. She perched on a gilt chair beside a column and snapped open her fan, bored and
longing to leave. But she was here at the invitation of Georges Danton and
could not afford to insult a man as powerful as he.
Another influential man, a member of the Jacobin Club sworn
to protect the revolution from the aristocrats, Jacques Rocchard, appeared at
her side offering her a glass of champagne. “You look magnificent tonight,
Mademoiselle Garnier.” His greedy, light brown eyes perused her form.
“Merci.” She tamped down a shudder, and forced a
smile as she smoothed her skirts.
He leaned down, and his fingers brushed a powdered ringlet
resting on her shoulder, a brief, sly action. “That is a triumph. You are like
a spring bloom in a winter garden.”
Resisting the urge to smack his stupid face, Verity looked
around at the crowd. The women whispered behind their fans, and the men watched
with raised brows. They knew what Jacques wanted. It was no secret, he desired
her for his mistress. It would prove difficult to keep him on her side while
using his interest for her own ends, but she determined to try. More enemies
than friends were to be found in Paris in these troubled times, and she needed
friends desperately now.
“My lady wife is away from home. Come to my apartment on
the Rive Gauche, corner of the Rue Seguier, at midnight tomorrow night,” he
murmured.
“Why do you persist after I have refused you?”
He looked very sure of himself. “I like to collect
beautiful things. And you are undeniably beautiful, mademoiselle.”
A feeling of dread consumed her. “As you wish, monsieur.”
Not wishing to upset his host, Jacques nodded and hurried
away at the sight of Georges Danton making his way towards her. Verity would
think of the best way to deal with this latest dilemma later. Relief at seeing
Jacques leave was quickly replaced by anxiety. She eyed the massively built and
powerful man before her, and straightened her shoulders. His eyes held a
victorious gleam, for he knew he held her future in his hands.
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