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Excerpt from The Vital Principle The muffled sobs of Lady Crowley faded as the guests whispered to each other. Their movements caused the flame in the center of the table to flicker wildly. Dark shadows leapt in response, dancing around the table and leaning over their shoulders, pressing forward toward the meager light. Pru fluttered her lashes and exhaled, making a show of coming out of her trance. She glanced at her left hand and dropped the pencil as if startled by the sight. “Oh, Lady Crowley! Did we communicate with your husband after all?” Pru asked. “Yes, thank you!” Aware of Mr. Gaunt’s gaze, she could not help a quick look at his face while Lady Crowley spoke. His black eyes caught and held hers, raising a flush to her cheeks. He stared a trifle too long before one of his brows arched. “Bravo,” he murmured, his voice soft with sarcasm. She glanced away, unwilling to respond to his remark. “Did you--” The single candle in the center of the table flickered and died. The room went entirely dark. The curtains, drawn earlier to eliminate drafts, effectively blocked the light from the pale moon. The air felt cold and heavy around them, as oppressive as the musty interior of an open tomb. A woman screamed, her voice shrill with hysteria. Lord Crowley’s nervous fiancée? Pru glanced in her direction. She could see nothing, not a single flicker of light or paler patch of gray. “Miss Spencer!” Pru called. “Please, there’s nothing to fear. Please hush!” At the sound of her voice, Miss Spencer’s shriek broke off, only to start again, keening more loudly as several other women gasped in unison. Their agitated voices rose as their fear fed off one another’s shrill, spiraling screams. “Something touched me!” Miss Spencer cried, her voice shaking. Chairs thumped over the carpet, thudding as they hit the table’s legs. The table trembled when someone bumped into it, fumbling in the inky blackness. “There’s something here! In the dark! Oh, my God! Something’s here!”
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I Bid One American is now available from The Wild Rose Press and getting wonderful reviews!
A lady rose smuggler meets her match...
SMUGGLED ROSE was awarded 4 stars by the Romantic Times! ...a witty, refreshing read...
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