“She could have written to me! She could have told me she changed her mind, that she wanted him. Obviously love wasn’t enough, she wanted money. Everyone knows Marston is as rich as Croesus,” Owen spat bitterly. And she carried Marston’s child! It could not be his child, for he had been gone five months. The knowledge hit him like a knife to the gut.
“We are not paupers, son! We have a great deal of money!” Reginald said then lapsed into a coughing fit. When he recovered he said, “You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said, Owen. There is more to this than meets the eye, I’ll wager. This is the Squire’s doing. There is a ball in Bideford in three days time. It is in honor of Lord and Lady Marston. I suggest you go to the ball,” Reginald Darrington held up his hand, “if you think you can control yourself. I think it would be helpful if you talked to Grace in person, discreetly of course. At least you would have an answer. I’m telling you Owen, that girl loved you as much as you loved her! But as she is married, there is naught you can do now. My guess is her father forced her into it.”
When his father began coughing again, Owen helped him to his study.
Owen saw her across the ballroom. There was no mistaking the shine of her golden brown hair, or her lovely figure. Dressed in a bronze-colored gown, Grace looked beautiful. Owen flinched from the sudden ache he felt in his heart at the painful reminder of his great loss. He watched as she excused herself from the circle she stood in and started across the ballroom. She seemed to have a purpose. An elderly woman stopped her.
Grace turned her head to talk with the woman and when she turned her head back around she stopped abruptly for there was a broad chest directly in front of her. She looked upward.
“Owen!” She felt the blood drain from her face. She was suddenly unable to breathe. Owen stood as strikingly handsome as ever before her. But he looked very angry. His anger confused her.
Owen was not prepared for her reaction. She visibly paled. Tears filled her dark brown eyes that sported dark shadows beneath them. She actually trembled. He feared she might faint. He placed his hand beneath her elbow. “I wish to have a quick word with you, Lady Marston, if you would be so kind as to oblige me.”
He led her to a quiet alcove. “I just wish to hear from your own lips, Grace, why you married Marston when you accepted my proposal? And why did you not reply to my letters, not once in the five months I was gone? You could have at the very least told me you favored Marston.”
“I did not wish to marry Marston, Owen, as you well know. I told you in my letters…”
“What letters? I never received any letters from you, Grace, not one,” Owen ground out.
Grace began to sob. She jerked her arm from his hand. “Of course you did, I sent dozens of letters. You gave me no choice, Owen. I sent letter after letter. You never answered, nor acknowledged...” She began to cry harder and sobs prevented her from speaking clearly. “You never answered, Owen. It was almost too late. I had to. Papa found out…I no longer had a choice, Owen. There was no choice left to me.” She trembled and leaned against the wall for support. “My father arranged everything…I never wanted to-” A loud, heart-wrenching sob escaped her.
Owen watched as Grace leaned heavily against the wall for support. She trembled, she sobbed. She looked about ready to collapse. She looked about as heart-broken as he felt. He forced himself to let go of the pity he felt for her. He reasoned it was more than likely guilt she was feeling. He had surprised her. That much was evident.
Instinctively he reached out to assist her.
“Lady Marston!” Marston’s sister Lady Doherty rushed up to them. “Lord Greyton, Lady Marston has been unwell. How dare you upset her so.”
“It was not me who upset her, Lady Doherty. I merely…” Owen ruffled his fingers through his hair. He just wanted answers. Obviously he wasn’t going to get anything but gibberish and tears. “Oh, Bloody Hell. Forget it. Good evening, Lady Marston, Lady Doherty. I am clearly not wanted here. I shall take my leave directly. I am finished here.” Owen glared at Grace before he turned and left.
He hadn’t understood all her nonsense. Why did she have to look so damned beautiful? Why did he love her and want her in his arms still? It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Grace betrayed him. She was Marston’s wife now. He was done with her. Beauty or not, she made her choice. He wanted nothing more to do with her. Ever again.
Chapter Eight
Sterling Manor, near Bideford, Devon June 1834
“Let’s sing, Mama!”
“Shall we sing your favorite, Alice?” Grace smiled at three-year old Lady Alice Rose Sterling, her daughter, when she nodded. They sat upon the floor of the nursery together.
Today, as every other day for the past eight months, she wore her widow’s weeds. She never loved her husband, nor did he love her. She did not miss him. The only man she ever loved and still missed was Alice’s father, Owen. She could never forget him, not when she’d carried his child, nor since she gave birth to Alice. For almost every time she looked at Alice, she saw Owen. Alice had Owen’s dark hair and his sapphire blue eyes.
Grace began to sing Alice’s favorite song. Alice chimed in and sang along.
Tears stung her eyes as she sang with Alice. Today was the fourth anniversary of the day Owen left her in the Viscountess’ bedchamber at Roseland Abbey to go to Italy. She did not know why she remembered the date every year, but she did. Perhaps because it was the day her life changed drastically. It was the last day she had ever dared to dream. Oh, she loved her daughter dearly, and was so happy to spend every day with her. The current Lord Marston, her husband’s nephew, allowed her to live in a comfortable house on the estate.
Grace sighed as their song ended. She watched Alice sing to her dolly. She would never dream of silly things like love again. What was the point? She had Alice. Her daughter was the only thing that mattered to her.
She had seen Owen from afar just a few times in the last four years. He never made eye contact with her. He never looked at Alice, either. That hurt her more than anything. Was he not even curious about his own child? She talked with his father once at a social gathering before he passed away. He had been polite. She had spoken to Owen’s sister, Libby, several times in Hartland and Bideford. Libby was always kind to her and Alice.
She had been so wrong about Owen Darrington, now the Earl of Fitzlewis since his father’s death three years ago. She had been completely blinded by love. She always told herself she had been quite a fool. No gentleman wanted to marry a Lady who gave herself out of wedlock. What more could she say?
Grace started when she heard a loud boom from downstairs. A gunshot in her home? She jumped to her feet and gathered Alice in her arms. She heard shouting followed by the thud of boots on the staircase. Grace backed into the corner and held on to Alice tightly.
“Mama? Mama?” Alice looked at her in confusion.
“Shh, quiet, sweeting.” Grace held Alice close and kissed her cheek.
She sucked in her breath when three large men in brown coats and hats entered the nursery.
“We’ve come for the child,” one man said as he scratched his scruffy chin. “Give her to us and no one else will get hurt.”
“No one is taking my child anywhere,” Grace said sternly.
The man removed a letter from his coat pocket and left it upon the dresser. “You give this to Lord Fitzlewis, and you’ll get her back if he does as the letter says.” He looked to the other two men. “Get her.”
The two mean pounced on her, they tried to pry her arms away from Alice. Alice screamed in terror. Grace shouted while trying to kick, hit and claw at the men. The last thing she saw was a fist coming toward her. She felt a searing pain as it connected with her cheek. She heard Alice screaming in her ear. Suddenly everything went black.
The elderly butler, Nivens, and housekeeper, Mrs. Philpot, were standing over her when she woke. They helped her to her feet. “Alice?” Grace called out loudly.
“She’s gone milady,
those men took our little angel they did.” Mrs. Philpot wiped the tears from her cheeks with her handkerchief. “Six of them, there were. Three of them held us at gunpoint below stairs while they made off with Lady Alice.”
“Prepare the carriage,” Grace ordered. She reached out to steady herself by leaning against a chair.
“My Lady, you need to see a doctor. You can’t travel,” Mrs. Philpot protested.
“Have the carriage brought around!” Grace demanded as she looked at Nivens. “I have to get my baby back.” She must speak to Owen. She walked to the dresser and picked up the letter addressed to him. “I’m going to Roseland. I shall seek help from Lord Fitzlewis. I will find her! I must find her.”
Grace was going to speak to Owen. And she didn’t care what he felt about her or Alice. She would make damn certain he did whatever he needed to do in order for her to get Alice back. She would get her back! Owen Darrington would take the responsibility he had long neglected toward Alice and do what these men asked so she could have her baby back with her where she belonged. She was certain at that moment she would sell her soul to have Alice returned to her. And she would see that Owen Darrington, the Earl of Fitzlewis, did as well if it were necessary. He owed her this much.
Keep reading for an excerpt of the continuation of Owen and Grace’s story in Lords of Honor, book 2 of the Lords of Avalon Series.
I hope you enjoyed Owen and Grace’s story which takes place four years before the beginning of the Lords of Avalon series. The rest of Owen and Grace’s story can be found in Lords of Honor, Book 2 in the Lords of Avalon Series by K. R. Richards. Lord of the Abbey, Book 1 in the Lords of Avalon Series and Book 2, Lords of Honor are both available on Amazon.com now. Book 3, Lords of Retribution, will be released in December, 2012/January, 2013 and the last book of the Lords of Avalon Series, Lords of Atonement, will be out in mid 2013. Look for more Lords of Avalon Series Novellas to be released in 2013. The next Novella will be Lord Amesbury’s Last Seduction; the back story of Lyon and Sophia from Lords of Honor and will be out in early 2013.
Coming in late 2013: the first book of a new as yet unnamed Series involving some of the still single Avalon Society Members as they pursue a new quest!
Keep reading for an excerpt of Owen and Grace’s story in Lords of Honor.
Excerpt from Book 2 of the Lords of Avalon Series,
Lords of Honor
He stepped inside the parlour to see Lady Glaston conversing with Lady Marston. “Lady Marston.” His voice sounded much softer than he wished it to.
Owen noted her widow’s weeds. If memory served, Lord Marston died of an ague some eight months ago. Grace turned to face him. He felt a stab of pain near his heart. She was still beautiful, even more so than he remembered.
Her golden brown hair gleamed like sunshine. Grace’s classic and delicate facial features and large brown eyes still caused his blood to race in his veins. Owen was not prepared for her beauty. He certainly was not expecting to see dark shadows beneath her eyes, nor a dark purple and green bruise on her cheek. She looked pale, perhaps a little thinner. She was still beautiful despite that.
“Lord Fitzlewis!” Grace stood immediately.
Lady Glaston rose and walked past him. “Your tea will be served momentarily, Lord Fitzlewis.”
Owen nodded to her then returned his attention to Grace.
“What has happened, Grace?” He did not intend to address her by the familiar. It just happened.
“Owen! I do not understand what is going on. The day before yesterday six men forced their way into my home and took my baby. My little Alice!” Grace choked back a sob. “They said I should find you and give you this letter. I went to Roseland yesterday and Tompkins told me I could find you here.” She removed a folded and sealed piece of foolscap from her reticule. She handed it to him. “What does this mean? What is this about? Will I ever see her again, Owen?”
Owen broke the blank seal and opened the letter. His mouth set into a grim line as he read it.
“I’ll get Alice back, Grace. My comrades and I are already working on how. This is the second time since last evening that someone has referred to your daughter, Lady Alice, as being my daughter.” Owen held up the letter. “I want to know the truth. Is Alice mine or Marston’s?”
Grace faltered. She wanted to lie. He seemed angry. She could see the coldness in his eyes. But, she owed him the truth, though she tried frantically to tell him all those years ago. If she told him face to face, then she would be free of the guilt and the regret.
“Grace?” Owen implored.
Read Lords of Honor, book two in the Lords of Avalon Series, for the rest of Owen and Grace’s story. Keep reading for Acknowledgments and About the Author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Of course I want to thank my family, my close friends, and my spiritual friends, who support me day in and day out! I thank you in every book. You all know who you are. You mean the worldto me.
One of the best parts about my writing journey is that I have gathered fans and made some new friends who now support me and my endeavors on a regular basis. Thank you for liking my posts and making comments on my Facebook page. I love the comments! Thank you for giving me reviews on Amazon.com. Reviews are incredibly important to any author on Amazon.com. For those of you that have taken the time to leave them, a huge “Thank You” to you. Thank you for sending personal messages and e-mails to me after you read a book telling me what you thought of it. I appreciate all of your comments and value your opinions. It gives me the drive to keep writing, to improve and to keep working hard.
A wise man I respect and admire says that his fans are his bosses, and that’s the way I look at it. You all are the reason I’m sitting here doing what I’m doing. I can’t thank you enough. I love hearing from all of you. I wish I could name each and every one of you here, but I can’t, there’s too many of you now. Thank you for being on my K.R. Richards page on Facebook and Amazon.com! I value you all.
I have to single out some friends who help me a great deal. I want to thank Kerry Huber, Wanda Cadle, Keeley Newman Rogers and Heather Reed for reading for me when I need it. You are wonderful!
I want to thank Louis and Kathy Riles, Elizabeth Seer, (fellow Amazon author), Shari Walrath, Ronda Douglas and those of you in my very large Deppland (a term we lovingly use in the Johnny Depp Fan site world – I am a Co-Admin on Johnny Depp Addiction on Facebook) and actor Danny Lopez International Families: Elizabeth Lairmore (Creator and Admin on JDA), Beth Dodd-Smith, Michelle Heberle, Hache L. Jones, Michele Eid, and Rusudan Gloveli for sharing my Lord of the Abbey, Lords of Honor and my K. R. Richards’ pages, posts and promos on your pages. Thank you so much for being so loyal to me. To Hache L. Jones, film reviewer, thank you for your lovely review which I’m saving for when my books go into print.
A shout out to the regulars, fans and friends, who support me by liking or commenting or just saying hi on a weekly if not daily basis and put up with my endless rounds of Promo: Kerry, Liz R., Liz L., Beth, Michelle H., Michele E., Rusudan, Hache, Ronda, Keeley, Katie, Heather, Kathy K.W., Janet C., Yvonne, Kelly, Sally, Melinda, Mindy, Felice, Veronica, Peggy L.M., Linda F.S., Pam W., Kia, Wanda, Ann, Kaye, Kathy R., Louis R., Shari, Jennifer J., Marci, Renee, Michelle S., Tanya, Steve, Somayeh, Mahnaz, Jeff G., and Tim M. Thank you all!
Namaste, Peace, Love and Light!
K. R.
About the Author
Photo: Photography by Maddy
Taken at Natchez Trace Trail
Chickasaw Indian Village, Tupelo, MS
K. R. RICHARDS is the author of the March, 2012 e-book release, LORD OF THE ABBEY, Book One of the LORDS OF AVALON Series and the July, 2012 e-book release LORDS OF HONOR, Book Two of the LORDS OF AVALON Series on Amazon.com.
She is an enthusiastic Anglophile, who loves reading, writing, history, archaeology, researching and Rock and Roll! She was a member of Romance Writers of America and the Phoenix Desert Rose Chapter for thirteen years. Recently, she w
as blessed with the opportunity to seriously pursue her dream of writing.
K. R. has definite New Age beliefs and appreciates the beliefs and beauty of many religions. She is an Intuitive Medium who has taught many classes on subjects from Angels to Psychic Development.
She has long wanted to incorporate her love of history with her love of the Psychic and Spiritual Realm into her writing, hence the LORDS OF AVALON Series.
K. R. is a desert rat and although she calls Arizona home, she is temporarily living in northeast Mississippi. She has two spectacular sons, a lovely daughter-in-law, and two beautiful grandchildren.
LORD GREYTON’S FALL FROM GRACE (Owen and Grace from Lords of Honor) is the first Novella in the LORDS OF AVALON NOVELLA SERIES. The second Novella in the series, LORD AMESBURY’S LAST SEDUCTION, (Lyon and Sophia from LORDS OF HONOR) will be released in early 2013. Book Three in the LORDS OF AVALON SERIES, LORDS OF RETRIBUTION will be released in December, 2012/January 2013. The final book in the LORDS OF AVALON SERIES, LORDS OF ATONEMENT will be released in mid 2013.
The first book in a new as yet unnamed series including some of the remaining, single members of the Avalon Society will be released in late 2013.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Lord Greyton's Fall From Grace (Lords of Avalon Novella Series) Page 10