“And did you?”
“No. I’m still looking. As you see, I’ve become young yet again so that I can continue looking.”
Kate nodded as she thought about this. “Did you ask my aunt? She might be powerful enough to remove it.”
He gave her a smile. “I asked your uncle who has the ability to undo magic. He was about to try it when the boys… Even then, he didn’t think he would have the ability. He, too, thought I should ask Lady Vallentyn about talking to Merlin. But…” He gave a shrug. “But I didn't stay around. When I learned that you’d run away… all I could think of was getting to you. Being with you.” He took her hand. “Marrying you.”
“But you knew that if you came after me it would anger my aunt.”
He nodded. She was a smart girl!
“So you gave up a chance at having this curse removed for me?”
He smiled, swirling his thumb around her palm. “I love you.”
“I love you too, but Dagonet, you shouldn’t give up your dream for me!”
“I’ll keep looking—with you. We’ll travel and explore. It won’t be easy, but you’re a strong young woman, and I know you’ll be able to handle it.”
“Yes! We will find a way to remove this curse! But…” she paused.
“But?” Dagonet asked.
“But promise me, even if we find it, you won’t do anything until we’ve had a life together. I want to grow old with you Dagonet. I don’t want you to die before we’ve lived our life. Promise me?”
He reached out and caressed the cheek of the most wonderful woman he could ever have hoped to meet. He was indeed the luckiest man alive. “Promise.”
Dearest Reader,
I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed reading Tatiana and Dagonet’s journeys. This was not an easy book for me to write, and I have to admit I shed a tear or two as I was doing so, but it was, I feel, important to write.
Tatiana’s journey into madness was difficult, but eventually, I knew I would have to write it. I only hope that you now understand how and why Tatiana is the way she is.
I tried to soften the harshness of Tatiana’s story with that of Dagonet and Kate’s romance. Dagonet has long been a favorite of mine and I felt he deserved someone special—a woman who would give him all the happiness he deserves.
If you haven’t yet read Magic in the Storm, now is the time to do so (following this is an excerpt for you). We follow Tatiana and her son, Morgan, the seventh child of the seventh child of the seventh generation destined for fantastic things if only he had been born a girl!
Finally, I would love to hear from you! (It was from a reader contacting me that I realized that I really needed to do the difficult thing and write Tatiana’s story.) So please don’t hesitate to write, my email address is [email protected]. I can also be found on Facebook at MeredithBondAuthor and on Twitter @merrybond. And if you write a review of this book I would be very grateful!
Thanks!
Merry
Website: http://www.meredithbond.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meredithbondauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrybond
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/847484.Meredith_Bond
The next book in the Storm Series
Morgan is trapped and powerless.
The seventh child of the seventh child has always been a girl. Until Morgan Vallentyn was born. Because he’s male he can’t access the magical powers that should have been his. In order to attain his destiny, he first has to escape his home and find the source of his power — in the most unexpected of places.
Adriana would give up everything for her freedom.
Born to paint the natural world with unprecedented passion and vision, Adriana Hayden is bound by the laws of Regency society to her scheming guardian. But after meeting the handsome and mysterious Morgan, her world begins to open to enchanted possibilities she never could have imagined.
The only way to fulfill their destinies is for each to unlock the powers of the other — through the magic in the storm.
Here’s an excerpt:
May, 1815
Adriana Hayden didn’t even have to turn around. The quiet click of the door closing and the sigh of the sofa were all that she needed to hear to know that her dearest friend and companion, Henrietta, had come into the room.
She finished dabbing the black paint onto her canvas before stepping back and deciding that she had probably put too much. Well, she didn’t care. It was perfect and it reflected her mood so precisely Adriana imagined she wouldn’t even need to say a word to Henrietta.
She would paint the whole thing black if it wouldn’t ruin what was turning out to be a rather nice depiction of a stormy sea. The water thundered, crashing with violence onto the rocks at the base of a sheer cliff. Menacing clouds hung overhead within moments of letting loose a torrent of rain.
“Oh dear,” her companion said quietly, over the roar of the sea in Adriana’s mind.
Adriana closed her eyes for a moment to stop them from stinging and then swallowed down the anger that had risen to the top of her throat again. “They wouldn’t even let me see him,” she said, without preamble.
“Who wouldn’t?” Henrietta asked.
Adriana turned around into the quiet of the room. Henrietta was sitting, as always, with her back perfectly straight and her legs crossed at the ankle and tucked ever so slightly under the worn, comfortable sofa. Her brown hair was pulled up so tightly Adriana wondered that it didn’t hurt, but her hazel eyes spoke volumes of sympathy, for which Adriana was grateful. Adriana resisted the urge to run up to her dear friend and throw her arms around her.
Instead, she lifted her chin and replied, “The clerk at Sir William’s establishment.”
“So you didn’t even get to see Sir William? You didn’t show him your work?”
Adriana shook her head and turned back to her painting. Carelessly, she dabbed more black paint on where it wasn’t needed, darkening the sky even further.
“But that’s not right!” Henrietta said, full of indignation for Adriana. “What reason did he give?”
Adriana couldn’t even bear to turn around to face Henrietta again; the hurt was still too painful. She bit her lip to keep herself from either screaming in rage or crying like a thwarted child. She swallowed hard, again. “The clerk told me that he was certain that my watercolors were very pretty, but Sir William Agnew did not deal in a young lady’s dabbling. He only sold the work of true artists.” She paused at Henrietta’s gasp, but then continued. “He suggested that I give my work to some handsome young gentleman in the hope that he will marry me.”
“No, he didn’t!”
“Oh, yes.”
“Why, the nerve! The gall! The temerity of such... such...”
“A man,” Adriana finished for her.
“An imbecile is what I was going to say.”
“Perhaps they are one and the same,” Adriana said, allowing her mouth to quirk up in a little smile.
Henrietta just harrumphed.
Adriana turned around and attempted to put a real smile onto her face. How was it that Henrietta always made her feel better? No matter what had upset her, Henrietta always slipped herself right up under Adriana’s hurt and pried it away.
“It’s all right, Henrietta. I’ll just try someone else. I don’t have to sell my paintings through Sir William. I’m certain there are plenty of other art dealers who will take a look at my work.”
“But Sir William is the best,” her friend argued.
“Yes, but another dealer will be able to sell my work just as well. He may not get the prices Sir William could command, but at least we’ll get the money we need.”
“Oh, Adriana, it’s such a shame to have to sell your beautiful work...”
“But necessary. Absolutely necessary,” she said with all of the conviction and certainty she felt, and that was substantial.
“You wouldn’t have to sell so many
or worry so much about price if you just left me...”
“I will not! How could you even suggest that I leave you here to deal with Lord Devaux yourself?” She took the few steps that separated them and knelt down on the floor at Henrietta’s feet. “We will wait until I have enough money for both of us to survive. I will never leave you.”
Henrietta squeezed Adriana’s shoulder gratefully. “But...”
There was a knock at the door. Before Adriana could respond, Lord Devaux himself walked into the room.
Get your copy of Magic in the Storm!
Or Read A Contemporary Vallen Story:
In another time…
Boundless blue skies. Oblivion. The pull of the sky through the wall of windows in Erin Freyn’s new apartment is as enticing as it is disturbing. It seems to call her to step out, to let go, to surrender herself into its terrifying embrace. But when she turns to a hypnotist for help, she never dreams it will uncover long-hidden secrets – of ageless magic and forbidden romance.
In another place…
David Elder is trying to live up to the memory of his brother, who died while working with inner-city kids. He couldn’t save his brother, but perhaps with his magic he can save another. When he hypnotizes Erin to seek a cure for her fears, they discover instead an ancient connection. In a past life, he was a medieval knight and her illicit lover… before things went very wrong.
Today…
Fate has given them a second chance. Will they take it and finally find happiness, or will they be doomed to replay history yet again?
Available at Kobo
About the Author
Meredith Bond's books straddle that beautiful line between historical romance and fantasy. An award-winning author, she writes fun traditional Regency romances, medieval Arthurian romances, and Regency romances with a touch of magic. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart,” Meredith’s heart belongs to her husband and two children.
Meredith loves connecting with readers. Sign up for her monthly newsletter to receive free short stories and get all her news before anyone else. And don’t forget to find her on-line:
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Books By Meredith Bond
The Merry Men Quartet: Sweet Regency Romances
An Exotic Heir (originally published as Love of My Life)
A Merry Marquis (originally published as Miss Seton’s Sonata)
A Rake’s Reward (originally published as Wooing Miss Whatley)
A Dandy in Disguise (originally published as Dame Fortune)
A Spanish Dilemma
The Storm Series: Regency-set Paranormal Romances
Storm on the Horizon
Bridging the Storm
Magic in the Storm
Through the Storm
The Children of Avalon Trilogy: Medieval Fantasy Romances
Air: Merlin’s Chalice
Water: The Return of Excalibur
Fire: Nimuë’s Destiny
The Grace Sisters Trilogy: Sweet Regency Romances
A Dandy in Disguise, book 1
My Lord Ghost, book 2
Look for Thalia’s story in 2017!
Falling Series: Contemporary Paranormal Romances
Falling, Book 1
“In A Beginning”, a short story featuring Lilith
Non-Fiction
Chapter One: A Fast, Fun Way to Write Fiction
Self-Publishing: Easy as ABC
Acknowledgements
Much thanks goes to Denise Z and L. Lam for helping me come up with names for the kids. Mary Blayney also helped out with that, as well as by giving me some invaluable plotting advice. Cathy Maxwell provided me with great wisdom in my time of need (still have your words taped to my desk so I can read them every day). And Chris Hall, my editor, her mother, Sherry, and sister were all wonderful and so helpful in putting this book together.
Thank you all! It really does take a village!
Bridging the Storm Page 19