The Gybford Affair by Jen Black

The Gybford Affair: the heiress and the fortune hunter

The quiet life of Frances, Lady Rathmere, is disrupted forever the day Jack, 4th Marquess of Streatham, arrives from London and almost rides her down. At the same time a stranger arrives in the locality, makes a play for her young cousin and scandalous letters accusing Frances of an illicit liaison appear in the national press. Is Jack their author? Frances is convinced he is, and has no idea the trouble those letters are going to bring in their wake.

http://tinyurl.com/jost988 or http://tinyurl.com/gvtfk77

EXCERPT:

Frances loved Cloverdale with its odd shaped windows and the ill-matched gargoyles perched at each corner of the roof almost as much as her beloved Gybford. Most of the furniture in the drawing room had been removed to show off the wide polished oak floorboards, the small square Turkey carpet in the centre of the room and allow guests space to circulate. The sight of a tall gentleman whose bright red uniform dominated the soft grey stone fireplace and clashed with the pale gold curtains made Frances wince.

“Is he not handsome?” Mary whispered.

The stranger did not lack for admirers. Mama stood to one side, Uncle William, his navy jacket stretched tight across his broad chest, to the other. Aunt Jane, in an elegant high-waisted gown, was there with her son Charles and his wife, Catherine.

“I cannot see his face,” Frances said, amused by Mary’s obvious partiality for the stranger. “He is certainly tall and men always look well in uniform.”

Mary’s attention was fixed on the soldier in a most obvious way. Catherine’s glance flickered to Mary and, with a slight shake of the head, on to Frances. Everyone, it seemed, was aware of Mary’s feelings.

The stranger turned and smiled. His boots gleamed black against the pale hue of his breeches, and the scarlet jacket, white waistcoat and gold buttons seemed over bright in her eyes. Military uniforms brought back uncomfortable memories of Rathmere for Frances.

Charles touched her arm. “Allow me to introduce my friend Mr Andrew Holbrook, late of Cambridge and as you see, currently an officer with the 30^th Regiment of Foot. Andrew, this is my cousin Frances, Lady Rathmere.”

Holbrook exhibited not a trace of shyness, but bowed with style and revealed excellent teeth. At close quarters, his height and breadth made Frances feel small and dainty. Lines bracketed his mouth, though Frances imagined he could not be more than thirty years of age. Black hair waved back from his broad brow, sharp blue eyes examined her, and then he favoured her with a delightful smile. He was certainly attractive. Well aware of the fact, too, Frances decided.

“I am happy indeed to make your acquaintance, Lady Rathmere.”

Frances dipped a slight curtsy. “I am delighted to meet a friend of my cousin, sir.”

Holbrook turned toward her. “I understand you live at Gybford Hall, no more than three miles from here.”

By turning he had cut Mary out of the conversation, and seemed unaware of any misdemeanour. Mary’s fine skin flushed and, crestfallen, she retreated from the circle, turned and hurried to the window at the far side of the room.

Though everyone in the district knew Gybford Hall was her home, Frances found she resented him knowing it. He would soon be asking if she had plans to marry and what her annual income might be. She chided herself for being silly, for no one would be so abominably rude.

Guest blog: Elise Cyr - Writing Medieval Romance: A Debut Author’s Perspective

I didn’t realize just how much I didn’t know when I first started writing my medieval romance Siege of the Heart. I came at it in a roundabout way: the origins of the book were distinctly fantasy but I found the worldbuilding too overwhelming. Better to fit my story events into a historical time period—a readymade framework to build my book around.

My heroine Isabel was no damsel in distress, my hero definitely a knight, and I wanted a period in history full of drama and upheaval. I settled on the Norman Conquest of England.

I found researching the time period particularly difficult because of its transitional nature. I focused my efforts on the late Anglo-Saxons and the post-Conquest era, and often had to make inferences on what happened in between. To compound things, since history is often rewritten by the victor, it was sometimes difficult to take the accounts of the Norman Conquest at face value. I’m a history enthusiast, not a trained historian, so I often found myself swamped by facts, but unable to find the ones I needed to serve the story.

In some cases, I just needed to do some more digging. But in others, I came to realize the information I was looking for simply didn’t exist. At first, those gaps in my research scared me. How could I write about something I did not definitively “know”? But at some point along the way, I stopped seeing the gaps as obstacles and started seeing them as opportunities to make my story as uniquely mine as possible.

That’s why I’ve come to love the medieval time period so much. Despite the difficulty in researching this part of history—with so much of the historical record lost to the passage of time or skewed to certain subsets of society—writers have a lot of latitude in bringing their stories to life by navigating that line between historical fact and fiction. At the Romantic Times convention this year, author Sarah Zettel said (paraphrasing) it’s the constraints that make writing fun. She was talking about the science in science fiction, but the history in historical romance works the same way. 

Writing Siege of the Heart, I learned a tremendous amount, about the time period and about myself. I hope everyone enjoys the manner in which I was able to bring the historical setting and my characters to life.

About Siege of the Heart:

He fought for king and country, but that battle was nothing compared to the one he’ll wage for a woman’s heart.

Still reeling from the news of her father’s death during the Norman Conquest, Isabel Dumont is unprepared when trouble arrives at the castle gates. Alexandre d’Évreux, a Norman knight with close ties to England’s new king, has arrived to secure the land and the loyalties of the Dumont family. Desperate to protect her people, Isabel strives to keep the confounding knight at arm’s length and hide the truth about her father’s death.

For Alexandre, the spoils of war come with more than just a generous gift of land. They come with Isabel Dumont. Vowing to marry only for love, Alexandre finds himself in a difficult situation as a conqueror granted dominion over the land and its people. Isabel is the one person capable of helping him win the regard of those living in the war-torn country…if he chooses to accept her.

Just when Alexandre finds a spark of hope that he and Isabel have a chance at love, she vanishes. His quest to find her plunges him deeper into the conquest’s fallout. Was she taken? Or did she leave?

CONTENT WARNING: Entering into this novel may cause extreme affection toward knights of old, admiration for strong-willed women, and the overwhelming belief that love really can conquer all.

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Kensington Books

EXCERPT:

December 1066
Northern Gloucestershire, England

At least she now knew the truth.

It was little comfort though, as Isabel Dumont watched the messenger ride out of the bailey. She let out a breath, a feathery cloud on the cold air. The messenger had declined her offer of hospitality, and she did not ask him to reconsider. Instead, she had seen to it his horse was watered and had pressed a gold piece into his palm to ensure his silence.

Snow had threatened all morning. Now it fell around her in fat flakes, but she did not move. She did not think she could. Her limbs felt heavy, almost waterlogged. Like the time Julien had knocked her headfirst into the river in a moment’s foolishness. And then pulled her back to shore.

That had been ages ago. Her brother’s message now had the same effect, leaving her winded and frozen in place.

Captain Thomas, who handled the training of Father’s men-at-arms, stamped his feet beside her. “My lady, if you wish it, I will make the announcement—”

“No!” The word ripped through her chest and rang in her ears. “No. You will say nothing. To anyone.”

His eyes widened. “But this cannot be kept secret.”

His disapproving tone cut through the numbness that suddenly filled her. She twisted away from him and looked out past the gates. The graying countryside swallowed all sign of the messenger. If only his words were as easy to erase.

“Your father—” Captain Thomas began.

She balled her hands into fists. “Do not say it,” she whispered.

Captain Thomas shook his head. “I must. Your father is not coming home. I know it was not the news you hoped for, but Julien’s message…”

He lifted a hand toward her shoulder, and she gave him a sharp look. He stopped mid-motion, his fingers dangling awkwardly, before resting his hand on his belt. She turned on her heel.

Captain Thomas hastened after her. “Wait!”

She wrapped her woolen mantle more securely around herself. She would not discuss it further. She could not. Not when she could scarcely think.

“My lady, please—”

She slipped her hand to the hilt of her sword—one of her father’s cast-offs—and the brush of the leather-wrapped handle against her palm made it easier to rein in her breathing. “You said there were reports of the Welsh attacking tenant farms to the west?”

“Yes. I was going to have Kendrick and some of the other men scout the area, but—”

“Good. I will join them. Tell the men to make ready.”

Captain Thomas’s mouth tightened. For a moment she thought he would disobey her, but he slowly turned toward the castle to do as she bade. Lord Bernard Dumont, thane to the king, had fallen. Now it fell to her to ensure the safety of the Dumont lands. Captain Thomas, of all people, should know what that meant.

About Elise Cyr:

Elise has always loved adventure, romance, and happy endings. She writes primarily in the medieval period. Because there’s still so much we don’t know about that time in history, the writer’s imagination is essential for fleshing out the research and making it come to life on the page. Plus swords and castles are just plain fun.

She lives in New Mexico with her husband and the sweetest dog ever. When she’s not writing, she hikes, bikes, cooks, and (of course) reads. Siege of the Heart is her debut medieval romance. You can follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, or check out  her blog.

What is a writer?

I've always had a vivid imagination and can remember when I stayed with my best friend telling her stories in which we were the main protagonists. Going to bed and resuming whatever tale we were involved in was often more exciting than the time spent mooching about the small seaside village where she lived. However this storytelling wasn't translated into physical writing until I was in my late twenties. Being trapped in a rural cottage with a small child, and no such thing as daytime TV in those days, I started to write a steamy romance just for myself. I was the heroine and became totally absorbed in the story pouring out my frustrations and fantasies in this book. It was then I decided that I was a writer and one day my books would be published and other people could read my stories too.
This is my personal list of what makes a writer.
1. To be a good writer you have to be articulate. If you've ever been to a writing conference/festival/or an RNA party, the first thing you hear is people talking. They're not gossiping, they are sharing writing experiences, explaining the latest plot of their books, bemoaning the state of the publishing industry or giving an unpublished writer some sound advice. (Of course – a certain amount of gossip will no doubt be shared as well.) I've never met a writer who couldn't talk fluently.
2. A writer also has to be able to listen. This might seem a contradiction as we are all such big talkers but if someone is talking then there must be someone listening. It's essential for a writer to observe in order to make their characters real.
3. A writer has to be single-minded. It's a lonely occupation – many hours spent in front of the computer. It's especially hard in the summer when it would be far more pleasant to the outside. Sometimes the book itself will drive you on and it will be hard to drag yourself away even to have a cup of coffee. At other times its deadlines, editors, or agents that keep you pinned to the keyboard.
4. You have to be borderline obsessive about writing. House work, sleep, food, socialising, even family become secondary when you're in the middle of a project. It doesn't matter if this particular manuscript never sees the light of day or is sent to a publish – writing it consumes you totally.
5. A writer must love what they do for its own sake and not for the monetary rewards. Believe me many of us could earn considerably more working in a supermarket. Being published is fantastic but the real reward is knowing thousands of readers are sharing, and hopefully enjoying, your story.
6. It is inevitable that you face rejection and bad reviews. There are very few of us who sent out the first manuscript to an agent or editor to receive an immediate offer to represent all publish. Therefore, another thing the writer needs is a thick skin and an optimistic approach to life. You must always believe that if one book fails the next one will be successful.


This is my personal take on what makes a writer. I think of all these points the most crucial is that you write because you have to, because you can't stay away from the keyboard. Of course we all want to be paid for our work, to be recognised as good at our craft, but for the vast majority of us this isn't why we write. We would do it anyway – being published is a bonus.
It used to be said that money should only go one way – to you – the writer. That you should never pay to have your book published; if it is good enough it will be picked up eventually. With the arrival of Kindle self-publishing has never been easier. Of course you will pay a professional editor and artist to prepare your script and cover. This is quite different from paying a vanity publisher and ending up with a garage full of unwanted hard backs.
If you have any other definitions of hat makes a writer I should love to hear them.
Fenella Miller
www.fenellajmiller.co.uk