An unhappy shape shifter can be a dangerous companion....
For Sneak Peek Sunday authors share six paragraphs from a published work or a WIP (work in progress).
My excerpt for this week is from my 2nd book, Deadly Enchantment. A shapeshifting wizard romance set in Victorian England published by New Concepts Publishing,
In this snippet, which occurs near the end of the first Chapter, Dominic Westcroft has returned from London to discover his sister has invited several young women to his home, so he can select a new bride. Except, Dominic has no intention of ever marrying again. However, when he suspects one of their guests possesses magical abilities she doesn't want them to know about, he decides to have them join him for dinner so he can rout out the culprit. Once the ladies are all seated, their napkins and silverware begin to act up.
The
table linens promptly ceased misbehaving when the servants filed back into the
room carrying the first course. A
soup. The master of Ravenswood directed
the servants to place an empty bowl before each guest, set the tureen on the
table, then leave. Serena had a sinking
feeling she knew why he gave that order and prayed she was mistaken.
“It’s
mock turtle soup, ladies. I hope you
enjoy it,” the Wizard of the West murmured in his rich baritone voice.
The
tureen, designed to look like a deeply set oyster shell, rose up on its large
turtle-like, stubby china legs and “walked” about the table, serving out a
ladle of soup to each of them. A few of
the women drew back in alarm while Caitlyn, Katherine and Georgina appeared to
be charmingly amused by the china’s antics.
Serena could see Allison struggling to master her own fear, so she
wasn’t the least bit amused by their host’s game-playing. However, if he continued grandstanding in
this manner, it might not be as difficult to expose him as she’d originally
thought. He was certainly making no
effort to disguise his magical talents, so all she had to do was keep silent
and wait.
When
everyone had been served, Serena observed the way Allison, Susan and Melissa
stared at their bowls with grave suspicion.
Not wanting to draw attention to herself by being the first, Serena
waited to see who would be brave enough to take the first sip. Katherine took the lead again by picking up
her spoon and taking a delicate taste of the steamy, thick broth. With a delighted smile directed specifically
at their host, she proclaimed the soup quite delicious. When the bowl didn’t
spit the thick liquid back into Katherine’s face, Serena, taking her cue from
the others, picked up her spoon and followed suit.
As
they ate, the master of Ravenswood turned to the woman who sat at his
right. Grateful Westcroft’s attention
was focused on someone other than she or Allison, Serena was relieved that
Allison sat at least a few places down from their host, although she would
rather have had her cousin sit where she did, all the way at the end of the
table, instead of directly on her right.
Being
first in their alphabetical lineup, Susan Baker had the misfortune of sitting
on Westcroft’s left. Susan was shaking
so badly that Serena was surprised the silver spoon wasn’t clattering against
her teeth. Yet Westcroft appeared to
practically ignore Susan for the tasty morsel on his right, who regarded him
with undisguised interest.
Dominic Westcroft is determined to flush out their deceptive guest and expose her for the deceitful liar he takes her to be.
M/F, Shape shifting wizards in Victorian England.
Read the first three chapters at: Deadly Enchantment
Available at NCP, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or ARe
Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoyed this brief excerpt and want more. Please click the link below to continue your hop Sneak Peek Sunday. Wishing you a wonderful journey.
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