“I love you,” he murmured softly, and pressed his lips to hers as he once more claimed them for his own.
PREPARATION
RAVENHURST
THE house was a flurry of activity. Every surface wiped clean, every cranny swept. It smelled of fresh lemon and beeswax. There was a whirlwind of activity as the staff prepared for the wedding.
The table, covered, in crisp white linen, was set with the finest bone china and silver. Elaborately etched crystal glasses sparkled under the illuminating glow of the chandelier and candelabras. It was the perfect setting.
Milford made sure of that.
Soon Darias, his liege, would have his heart’s desire; soon everything would be as it should have been so many centuries before.
It was impossible to imagine how much time really passed. Milford often thought over the centuries that he might never find Katherine, or Marguerite, for that matter. He needed them both. One needed to replace the other.
That dark day in the forest, when it all began, he only glimpsed her for the briefest of moments. He still was not sure how he found either of them. He supposed he had some help along the way from him…and for that, he would be forever grateful.
HAPPILY NEVER AFTER
RAVENHURST
MY wedding day arrived and with it an uncanny sense of déjà vu. I took special care with my appearance. Now that Tabby was back, she was able to help me dress and fix my hair in the most elaborate of styles.
When I glimpsed my reflection in the mirror, I found, for once, I was not surprised with the image that reflected back at me. My image was an exact replica of the portrait I saw the night I transported back through time, to this place. The black and red of the gown contrasted against my pale skin.
I had no idea why I chose the dress I wore now. There were so many to choose from. Perhaps it was because it was the only gown I could call my own. Maybe I wanted to tempt fate, to see if I really did belong here after all. I even took it a step further and decided to wear the necklace as well. I put it around my neck. It felt warm against my skin and hung heavily against my chest as I descended the stairs. Milford was waiting at the bottom, right beside Joey, the gargoyle.
I stopped in front of them both. Milford lifted his arm and I wrapped my own around his. Reassuringly, he patted my hand gently and when he smiled at me, the act lit up his face. A strange calmness passed over me as we walked arm in arm, towards the library.
All the worry and trepidation I had faded away. Maybe I needed to tempt fate to realize, finally, that I was not an imposter. To recognize the fact that I was the one who was truly meant to be here all along.
Grayson smiled as I passed by, and Isabelle, who stood by his side, even looked happy. Devlin, the rogue, actually winked as I passed and my face heated as I smiled in return.
Once in front of the fireplace, we stopped. Milford squeezed my hand and leaned forward to give me a fatherly kiss on the cheek. Relinquishing his hold, he placed my hand into Sebastian’s outstretched one.
We looked into each other’s eyes and repeated the words that would bind us together for as long as we both shall live.
Images flitted through my mind as I recounted every moment of my adventure through time. The way I felt when he was near. His vivid eyes, his dimples, his heart-stopping smile, our first kiss. The first time we made love, the second, the third, and every other. His face inches from my own, he held me in his embrace. As he smiled down at me his dimples appeared once more.
Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Katherine.” His warm breath whispered across my face.
“I love you, Sebastian,” I said with all the emotion I felt and then he kissed me.
Our hearts beat as one as we melded to each other…the necklace began to glow…
Visions flew into my mind and for once, I expected the jolt when it hit. I held Sebastian tighter as my vision cleared in another time and place…
FLASH*PRESENT DAY*NEW YORK CITY
The fancy apartment loomed behind my closed eyes. Marguerite walked quickly down the hall. Her sturdy boots echoed on the marbled floor as her cloak dragged behind, swishing sound against the tiles. She stopped at a side table and lifted the lid off a candy dish. She looked in and inhaled. Smiling, she picked it up and emptied the contents into the folds of her cloak. She was wearing clothing from another era altogether. She looked like she came from a simpler time, an enchanted realm, with knights in shining armor…
Another jolt coursed through us both, like a wave that staggered us like we were being knocked down in the ocean’s surf. Sebastian held tighter while my mind flashed to yet another time and we both became spectators in another world...
FLASH * KING ARTHUR’S REALM
An army of men gathered in a distant realm, their armor-clad bodies glinting in the sun.
Marguerite stood on the opposite ridge as she watched the assemblage of men across the valley…once more resigned to her fate.
The knight, Darias, was there as well, seated upon his massive warhorse while hundreds of men brought about their own horses, and lined up behind him.
The dark knight lifted his face to the sky. The sun beat against him. Sweat ran down onto his armor and splashed a drop at a time. Clouds roiled above. Every moment that ticked by, the wind picked up strength. A shroud of darkness began to cover the countryside as a large cloud blocked the sun, as if answering a silent prayer. The knight gave a nod of acceptance to the darkened sky as he pulled his broadsword from its scabbard. The metal rang with chilling clarity.
He raised the majestic sword high above his head, and roared out the shrill cry of battle.
She watched as we did. Her cloak billowed out from behind like angels’ wings.
The ground shook as a reckoning force of men and horseflesh thundered down the hillside.
A smile spread across her lovely face as she laughed aloud. The sound echoed across the hillside and into the valley below.
Blocking out Marguerite’s face, the battle, every other world I had seen, I held onto Sebastian with all my might…with everything I had.
The vision dissolved.
We both opened our eyes at the same time. Sebastian smiled down at me with a knowing smile.
“I love you now and forever,” he whispered.
And with those words, the amulet’s fire faded completely and sealed our fate together in a place where time could not forget…RAVENHURST.
KEY ELEVEN
XI
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LORRAINE’S OTHER SERIES
EDENBROOKE HOLLOW SERIES
“A defective spell book, a dress with a mind of its own and a date to die for…what could possibly go wrong?
As a resident of Edenbrooke Hollow, Melody Granger is no stranger to magic or the world beneath the town where zombies inhabit the sewers, but when she acquires a spell book from a charlatan at the local Potions, Broomsticks and Beyond, and her spells start to backfire, she realizes someone may be trying to derail her carefully made plans to join the elite circle within her coven.
As for the mysterious man that has suddenly shown an interest in her….will he end up being her downfall or the love of her life?
www.Edenbrookehollowseries.blogspot.com
BRIARCLIFF SERIES
“A paranormal romance for those who are not afraid of the dark” Sookie Stackhouse Reviews
The paranormal romance that centers the story and pulls you into its embrace like a lover you had forgotten how much you enjoyed kissing. There is mystery and more than anything there is the need to find out what dark secret lies at the core of it all.
Briarcliff Township may look like any other town snuggled deep within the forests of the New England coastline but it harbors a dark secret. When the winds change, old stirrings arise from forgotten misdeeds and a thirst for vengeance. Something wicke
d this way comes…
www.BriarcliffSeries.blogspot.com
LOST IN THE HIGHLANDS SERIES
A Bewitching Interactive Scottish Time Travel Romance—Magic, Mystery, Steamy Romance, Treasure, A Loch Monster, and a whole lot of Hunky Highlanders –from #1Bestselling Time Travel Romance Author Lorraine Beaumont.
When Paige Walsh attends the annual Highland Games on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and makes a deal with a Gypsy she has no idea that her illustrious plans to find a Hunky Highlander for her own would backfire and instead of one man wearing a kilt, she somehow ends up in the past facing an entire clan of Hunky Highlanders.
Interactive game included inside.
”Irresistible characters, fresh voice and a hero to die for…what’s there not to like!” Jamie Scott, Award Winning Author
www.lostinthehighlandsseries.com
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lorraine Beaumont is a #1 Amazon bestseller in Time Travel and #1 International bestselling author of her popular Ravenhurst Series. All of her books are written with an ensemble cast of characters, filled with plenty twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. She writes New Adult, Young Adult, and Contemporary Romance with a supernatural twist.
She lives in Maryland and is busy writing her next novel. Connect with her online: She loves hearing from her readers!
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Introduction
Dear Reader,
I am always trying to come up with ways to show my appreciation for my readers. And since I am also a big fan of games and unexpected surprises, I decided to combine these things to give you a one of a kind experience through the pages of my books.
How to play:
I have hidden several keys in this book, use these keys to unlock hidden doors. These doors will give you clues for a chance to a mystery prize. Collect all the clues to ultimately solve the riddle at the end for a chance to win the treasure *ahem* a (really great Mystery Prize) for your very own. #CuriousityBuilds #WonderAwaits
Also, for your enjoyment, there are several words that are ALL IN ALL CAPS. If you tap the word it will give you added information about the subject in the book if you should choose to use it.
* Be sure write the clues down somewhere. You will need them at the end. I hope you have fun and I wish you the best of luck!
CLUE ONE: ADVENTURE
BACK KEY ONE
*If you do not like games, fun little extras, or chances to win prizes, simply disregard the keys and read the book in the normal way.
SAFETY COFFINS
Safety Coffins were in fact used during the 18th and 19th centuries during cholera outbreaks and other epidemics when the fear of being buried alive peaked. Dr. Taberger really did design a (safety coffin) in 1829 which would alert the cemetery night watchman if the person buried was still alive. The coffin had a housing around the bell above the ground which would prevent it from ringing accidentally. There were improvements made to the original design of the housing that stopped rainwater and insects from getting inside the coffin.
If the bell rang, a watchman was instructed to insert a second tube inside to pump air with a bellows down into the coffin until the occupant could be dug up.
GO BACK TO STORY
Congratulations! You have officially found your SECOND clue.
CLUE TWO: KNIGHT
BACK KEY TWO
HOPE DIAMOND
The Hope Diamond really was sent to the Smithsonian in a plain brown wrapper by normal registered mail.
Fun Fact: The Diamond was also purported to be cursed.
Legend has it that the owner of the Diamond and anyone who touched it, would suffer from not only bad luck but also death. There were several claims to attest this was in fact true, however many are unsubstantiated.
This was mostly caused from a story that surfaced centuries ago about a man named Tavernier that took a trip to India and stole the large blue diamond from the forehead of the Statue of the Hindu goddess Sita. According to legend, for this transgression and after Tavernier sold the diamond, he was torn apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia.
The Hope Diamond claims another victim: An actress named Mademoiselle Ladue, borrowed the Hope Diamond from her lover Ivan Kanitovski, a Russian Prince to wear the first time she appeared on stage. As luck would have it, the day she made her debut on stage that very same gentleman shot her to death.
He was later murdered by Russian revolutionaries.
Even the unsuspecting mailman who delivered the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian was said to have suffered from the curse as well. After he delivered the diamond his leg was crushed in a truck accident, he also injured his head in an automobile accident and then lost his home in a fire. Was it the curse?
BACK TO STORY
Congratulations! You have officially found your THIRD clue.
CLUE THREE: CURSE
BACK KEY THREE
LET THEM EAT CAKE
The questions is , did Marie Antoinette really utter the words “Let them Eat Cake? Qu'ils mangent de la brioche".
Surprisingly enough, there is some speculation that she did in fact utter those words, although, the French translation of “brioche” at the time did not exactly translate to mean cake but a much more probable word such as pastry. Even still there is evidence that the phrase was used during that timeframe so there is a possibility that she did utter those callous words to her starving people.
Fun Fact: Marie Antoinette was said to have worn the Hope Diamond as well. She was executed by Guillotin October 16, 1793 for aiding the enemy and inciting civil war. Could it have been the curse ?
BACK TO STORY
Congratulations! You have officially found your FOURTH clue!
CLUE FOUR : CAKE
BACK KEY FOUR
GUILLOTINE
The Guillotine -If a Noble was to be executed before the French Revolution the mechanism for death was beheading due to the accuracy and swiftness of death if done accurately. While the rest of society had to endure a long gruesome and painful death.
After the revolution began Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, proposed a machine which would execute everyone equally and quickly, which was developed into the Guillotine.
To this day the Guillotine is the most visual representation of the revolution.
BACK TO STORY
Congratulations! You have found officially found your FIFTH clue.
CLUE FIVE : BEHEADING
BACK KEY FIVE
JACK THE RIPPER
Jack the Ripper –was originally known as the Whitechapel Murder or "Leather Apron’ – a serial killer that murdered and mutilated at least five prostitutes in the East End of London in 1888. Since there was no one arrested for the murders, to this day, over 100 years later, crime buffs and many authors are still fascinated with the Jack the Ripper case.
Fun Fact: There were hundreds of letters sent to the police and local press purporting to be written by the Whitechapel Murderer. Most turned out to be hoaxes, but some were believed to be from the actual killer which included a Dear Boss letter, A Saucy Jack postcard and a From Hell letter which was probably where the title for the 2001 American thriller mystery film starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham originated.
BACK TO STORY
A Knight Such as This: Enhanced with Interactive Content: (Time Travel Romance) Book 1 & 2 (Ravenhurst Series) Page 33