Category: Bluestocking Belles Page 29 of 51

BISHOP DECRIES MAGIC TOKEN

On November 28, 2018

TEATIME TATTLER: Your Grace, London is humming with the news of your most recent sermon. You spoke with some concern about a magic ring that purportedly brings lovers together.

THE BISHOP OF HESKINGTON: The Devil’s work, sir. I do not scruple to say a pernicious evil that tempts foolish people onto the path to Hell.

TEATIME TATTLER: But Your Grace, in the stories I’ve heard, the ring brings true lovers together in the bonds of Holy Matrimony. Is this not a good thing?

HESKINGTON: (Snorting with disdain) Carnal love, sir. Carnal love. Hardly a suitable frame of mind in which to approach that most holy of institutions with reverence. Marriage is not about carnal love, except that those who are susceptible to its curse might, from time to time, in darkness and with due dispatch, find release from their sinful urges. This ring is from the Devil, I tell you.

TEATIME TATTLER: May I tell your readers that you believe in its power, then, Your Grace?

HESKINGTON: I believe in the power of the Lord to overcome even this devil-ring, and to guide the poor souls who have given themselves over to its evil into a state of rational grace. I pray that they will be delivered from their subjection, though I fear that the ring continues to exercise its malign effects long after it passes from their hands.

TEATIME TATTLER: Ah yes. Because the ring, its job done, goes to work its magic on others. But of whom we know seem to stay in love, do they not?

HESKINGTON: (Shakes head sadly) Indeed. Indeed, they do. I have heard terrible tales of people brought together even through time; of married couples settled in a relationship of benign neglect acting like giddy children; of brave soldiers wanting the courage to turn away an unsuitable match. It breaks my heart, sir. Who knows where it shall end? I can speak of it no more.

(He leaves.)

TEATIME TATTLER: So, gentle reader, which view is correct? Is the ring indeed a tool of the devil? Its magic beneficial, smoothing the way of true love? Or is the presence of the ring merely a coincidence in a love story that would have happened without it?

Decide for yourself as the Bluestocking Belles tell some of the stories of the ring. You’ll find short scenes in the week of December, on this page, on the individual blogs of the Belles, and on a special section of this website. See also the novellas in Follow Your Star Home, where eight pairs of lovers feel the power of the ring. Or do they?

No but a Tacksman?

By Aunt Augusta

On November 10, 2018

In Lizzi Tremayne, Teatime Tattler

1814 Golburn, Sutherland, Scottish Highlands

“Young Robbie, he’s got an eye to your daughter,” said Màiri Gunn, as she drove her hoe into the ground, “and he’s smart and a right handsome young man, so tall for his age.”

“Robbie?” Sofia Gray’s mother frowned. “They grew up together, but since she’s becomin’ a woman, I’ve kept ‘er in the bothy and away from ‘im. He’ll be no but a tacksman,” she said with disdain.

blackhouse “No but a tacksman?” Màiri stopped and leaned on the wooden handle. “A tacksman is as high as a daughter of yours is bound to go. What, do you have plans to wed her to the son of the laird or something?” She laughed.

Sofia’s mother gritted her teeth and practically growled as she attacked the ground with renewed fervor. “We’re the biggest tenant farmers on this tack. They’d be lookin’ hard t’ find a better match fer their sons, but especially young Archibald.”

Màiri stared at her and gritted her teeth for a moment. “You forget yourself, woman. How do you intend to make this come to pass?”

Sofia Somewhere Like Home Mrs. Gray drew herself up. “Why, by sendin’ Sofia up t’ the manor into service. The sons won’t be able to resist her, and she’ll be wed before the year’s out,” she said, her voice edged with triumph. “An’ the whole family’ll benefit.”

“You have rocks in your head, woman.” Màiri wouldn’t bother going into all the reasons why it would never happen. “She’d end up like poor Fenella. Just returned from the laird’s to the village, and her so far along.”

robbie somewhere like home “Sofia isn’t a slut like her.” Mrs. Gray turned up her nose. “And we’re related to the laird.”

“We’re all related to the laird.” Màiri snorted. “No doubt it wasn’t for Fenella’s lack of trying to resist. Fenella’s a lovely girl. Your Sofia is too, but she’s a lot softer than Fenella ever was—she wouldn’t survive up there.” Màiri shook her head at the audacity of the woman. Everyone knew about the laird’s eldest son. Pray young Sofia wasn’t sent up into that lion’s den.

scottish

This has been a deleted scene from Somewhere Like Home, Lizzi Tremayne’s contribution to the Bluestocking Belles’ 2018 Holiday Boxed set! Hope you enjoyed it!

somewhere like home blurb

From the Highlands to Waterloo—can love prevail over fate?

1813, Scottish Highlands

When Robert refuses to become clan tacksman after his father, he is disowned and off down the road to build a life for himself and his beloved Sofia.

Sofia’s waiting turns to despair when her mother buys safety during the clearance of their village at Sofia’s expense, leaving her at the mercy of the laird’s degenerate son.

Rob emerges from the hell of Waterloo wanting only to see Sofia again…and his father.

Follow Your Star Home is available now!

If you like Somewhere Like Home in Follow Your Star Home, be sure to join Lizzi Tremayne’s VIP List here to be notified when Somewhere Called Home, the full novel, is released in May 2019!

The Bluestocking Belles 2018 Holiday Boxed Set

Divided sweethearts seek love and forgiveness in this collection of seasonal novellas.

Forged for lovers, the Viking star ring is said to bring lovers together, no matter how far, no matter how hard.

In eight stories covering more than a thousand years, our heroes and heroines put this legend to the test. Watch the star work its magic as prodigals return home in the season of goodwill, uncertain of their welcome.

The Bluestocking Belles are proud to present eight never before published novellas in their latest Holiday collection. As always, we will donate some of the proceeds of the box set to a cause dear to the hearts of the Bluestocking Belles, women’s education. 25% of all proceeds will be donated to the Malala Fund.

Eight original stories, more than 600 pages of diverse characters, complex relationships, and happily ever afters.

Only $3.99 US for this massive book! Enjoy!

The Novellas

A Yule Love Story, by Nicole Zoltack

When Sonja stumbles upon fallen bodies littering her beach, she heals the lone survivor. After all, her late mother had been a healer.

Unbeknownst to Sonja, that survivor is none other than Anoundus. At one time, he ruled alongside his brother as co-kings of Sweden, but no longer. He has been banished.

What kind of life will he face here? What role will Sonja play? Can the two dare to find love this Yuletide?

Paradise Regained, by Jude Knight

James Winderfield yearns to end a long journey in the arms of his loving family. But his father’s agents offer the exiled prodigal forgiveness and a place in Society — if he abandons his foreign-born wife and children to return to England.

With her husband away, Mahzad faces revolt, invasion and betrayal in the mountain kingdom they built together. A queen without her king, she will not allow their dream and their family to be destroyed.

But the greatest threats to their marriage and their lives together is the widening distance between them. To win Paradise, they must face the truths in their hearts.

Somewhere Like Home, by Lizzi Tremayne

Things are heating up in the Scottish Highlands. When Robert refuses to become clan tacksman after his father, he is disowned and heads for the city to build a new life for himself and his beloved Sofia.

Sofia’s waiting turns to despair when her mother buys safety for herself and the remainder of the family during the clearance of their village—and leaves Sofia to the lusts of the laird’s degenerate son.

Rob emerges from the hell of Waterloo wanting only to see Sofia again…and his father.

But Sofia is dead, or is she?

A Wish for All Seasons, by Rue Allyn

The last thing Caibre MacFearann wants is to return to Scotland let alone be forced to stay there. But the chance to rekindle the lost love of his youth is too tempting to resist.

Losing Caibre MacFearann’s love once hurt so much that Aisla MacKai wants nothing to do with him when a blizzard brings the man to her doorstep. Kindness and human charity require that she give him shelter, no matter that her poor heart had never mended.

From the Umbrella Chronicles: James and Annie’s Story, by Amy Quinton

His Grace, James Quill, will not be a bachelor-in-poor-standing for very much longer. For I, Lady Harriett Ross of the Infamous Umbrella, have avowed to orchestrate his betrothal to his former best friend, Miss Annie Merryweather, whether either of them wishes it.

Surprisingly, His Grace has agreed to my proposed 10-step plan.

Not-so-surprisingly, Her Soon-to-be-Grace is determined to resist the notorious prodigal son.

Will they find love and forgiveness this holiday season?

Time will tell.

Lady Harriett Ross,

Self-proclaimed Motley Meddler * Mistress of Destiny * Wielder of the Infamous Umbrella

I’m just an old woman with opinions. On everything.

The Last Post, by Caroline Warfield

Love for Rosemarie Legrand gave Harry the will to go on during the horror of trench warfare. Now, army orders trap him in a camp awaiting repatriation. A bout of the Spanish flu lays him even lower, but he is determined not to leave without her. He’ll desert if he has to.

Rosemarie waits for word on her cousin’s farm where she took refuge when war reached the outskirts of Amiens. She wrote to tell him. Has he forgotten her? When the slimmest of information arrives, she sets out to find him.

Can these two lovers reunite before it is too late?

A Fine Chance, by Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Helen Watson arranged a job for an out-of-work former soldier at her workplace, unaware that she’s the miracle Robert Fairmont needed.

Robert has returned from the Great War a new man with a new name. A job in his father’s factory is the first step toward reconciliation.

Can Helen forgive him for hiding his true or will Robert end up losing his father and his one true love?

All he needs is a fine chance.

One Last Kiss: The Knights of Berwyck, A Quest Through Time novella, by Sherry Ewing

Banished from his homeland, Thomas of Clan Kincaid lives among distant relatives, reluctantly accepting he may never return home… Until an encounter with the castle’s healer tells him of a woman travelling across time—for him.

Dare he believe the impossible?

Jade Calloway is used to being alone, and as Christmas approaches, she’s skeptical when told she’ll embark on an extraordinary journey. How could a trip to San Francisco be anything but ordinary? But when a ring magically appears, and she sees a ghostly man in her dreams…

Dare she believe in the possible?

Thrust back in time, Jade encounters Thomas—her fantasy ghost. Talk about extraordinary. But as time works against them, they must learn to trust in miracles.

Can they accept impossible love before time interferes?

Hope you love the stories!

Once again, if you like Somewhere Like Home in Follow Your Star Home, be sure to join Lizzi Tremayne’s VIP List here to be notified when the full novel, renamed Somewhere Called Home is released in May 2019!

Until next time!

Lizzi Tremayne

A Rose Thief meets a Bear

By Bluestocking Belles

On October 28, 2018

In Jude Knight, Teatime Tattler

That Rosa Neatham. They say that she hurt her ankle. I ask you, is that likely? How did she come to hurt her ankle fifteen minutes walk or more from her home? And her with a sick father to look after?

I say sick, but we all know he is deranged. And no wonder, poor man, after what his wife and then his daughter put him through.

She just happened to hurt her ankle on the doorstep of the most eligible bachelor to come this way in a month of Sundays. Now their banns have been called, and you cannot tell me she didn’t plan it all.

Just wait until he finds out who her aunt is. That’s what I say. Or is the woman her aunt? Some say the scandalous trollop is her mother!

House of Thorns

His rose thief bride comes with a scandal that threatens to tear them apart.

Retired spy, Bear Gavenor has fled the marriage mart for the familiarity of his work; restoring abandoned country manors to sell to the newly rich. Never does he anticipate that his first task will be to deal with the thief he’s caught stealing his roses.

Evicted from her home and ruined with claims she has a lover, Rosa Neatham fears she will soon be unable to care for her invalid father. When she returns to her former home to gather roses to brighten his room, her fortune worsens. She’s startled by the home’s new owner and injured in a fall.

Bear takes her in, but when the rector confronts him about living with an unmarried woman, Bear decides to halt the rumormongers’ attempts to ruin her further and marries Rosa.

He needs an heir.

She needs a home.

Love needs to overcome the scandal, secrets and self-doubts that each brings to this marriage of convenience.

Buy links

Jude Knight’s book page ♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon UK ♥ Amazon Ca ♥ Amazon Au

Excerpt

The intruder stealing his roses had lovely shaped calves.

Bear Gavenor paused at the corner of the house, the better to enjoy the sight. The scraping of wood on stone had drawn him from the warmth of the kitchen, where the only fire in this overgrown cottage kept the unseasonable chill at bay. He had placed each foot carefully and silently, not from planned stealth, but from old habit. The woman perched precariously on the rickety ladder seemed oblivious to his presence.

Or—his sour experiences as a wealthy war hero in London suggested—she knew full well, and her display was for his benefit. Certainly, the sight was having an effect. Her skirt rose as she stretched, showing worn but neat walking boots. Her inadequate jacket molded to curves that dried his mouth. Wind plastered her skirts to lower curves that had him hardening in an instant, visions of plunder screaming into his mind.

It had been too long since his last willing widow.

Disgust at his own weakness as much as irritation at the invasion of his privacy, fueled Bear’s full-throated roar, “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing with my roses?”

She jerked around, then cried out as the rung she stood on snapped free of the upright. Bear lunged toward her as the ladder slid sideways. One upright caught on the tangle of rose branches and the other continued its descent. The woman threw out both hands but the branch she grasped snapped free and—before Bear could throw himself under her— she crashed onto the ground.

If the fall was deliberate—which would not surprise him after some of the things women had done to attract his attention—she had made too good a job of it. She lay still and white in a crumpled heap, her head lying on a corner of a flagstone in the path. He dropped to one knee beside her and slipped a hand into the rich chestnut hair. His fingers came away bloody.

As he ran his hands swiftly over the rest of her body, checking for anything that seemed twisted out of shape or that hurt enough to rouse her, a large drop of rain splashed onto his neck, followed by a spattering of more and then a deluge. He cursed as he lifted the woman and ran into the house through the garden doors that opened from the room he’d chosen for his study.

She was a bare handful, lighter than she should have been for her height, though well endowed in all the right places. He set her on the sofa and straightened. He needed a doctor.

Hers for the taking…

By Sherry Ewing

On October 13, 2018

In Sherry Ewing, Teatime Tattler

Fira stomped her foot, frustration etched its way across her face. Why, oh why, whenever she started to have feelings for a man did he turn around and give his affection to another. She stormed into Berwyck’s kitchen but not before she turned back to gaze into the hall one more time.

There she was… another woman who found her way to the castle to create a buzz as several knights began vying for her attention. A lady, Fira had been told, but the stranger did not act like any lady she had served before. Most demanded Fira’s time to fulfill their every little whim. This woman had yet to ask anything of a mere serving girl.

“He is a handsome one, isna he, Fira?” One of the women in the kitchen sighed while the rest giggled.

Sir Gaillard de Rowen was indeed a man who knew how to catch a woman’s eye. Did he not just yester eve hint he would like to get to know her better? “Oh, aye,” Fira answered with a dreamy smile. “Gaillard makes me swoon just thinking of him.”

The women broke out in laughter causing Fira to frown.

“Have ye no eyes in yer head, lass?” Cook chimed in. “We were talking about Sir Thomas.”

Fira went back to the entry to the hall. Hope lingered in her heart thinking she might still have a chance. Where Sir Thomas was dark, Sir Gaillard was fair. Her attention focused on the trio across the hall. The two men were now with Lady Jade and Sir Thomas did not look pleased. As Fira watched the woman take Sir Thomas’s hand as he led her to the raised dais, Fira’s heart soared. She still had a chance with Sir Gaillard!

“I prefer the other knight,” Fira finally replied.

One woman spoke up from the table as she kneaded dough. “Ye best stay clear of the likes of him, if ye know what’s good for ye, Fira” she said with a smirk.

“He is good for me,” Fira retorted, “and has been nothing but kind.”

“He only wants one thing from ye,” another called out, “and he can get the same from any of the whores in the village.”

Fira whirled upon the group with a raised fist. “I tell ye, he does care for me!”

“Why would he settle for a serf when he can have some rich liedy?” another asked.

“The only thing Sir Gaillard is good for is eating, drinking,…”

“…and puttin’ a babe in yer belly,” another finished whilst the women once more erupted in laughter.

Fira ignored them, along with their crude comments that continued to cause laughter in the kitchen. Grabbing another pitcher of wine, she put a smile on her face and went back to serving. If she played the game well, she just might find herself wed to Sir Gaillard before the new lady at the castle realized what a catch the man really was!

You can learn more about Sir Thomas, Jade, and Gaillard in One Last Kiss: The Knights of Berwyck, A Quest Through Time novella found in the Bluestocking Belles’ 2018 box set, Follow Your Star Home.

Sometimes it takes a miracle to find your heart’s desire…

Scotland, 1182: Banished from his homeland, Thomas of Clan Kincaid lives among distant relatives, reluctantly accepting he may never return home… until the castle’s healer tells him of a woman traveling across time…

Dare he believe the impossible?

Present Day, Michigan: Jade Calloway is used to being alone, and as Christmas approaches, she’s skeptical when told she’ll embark on an extraordinary journey. But when a ring magically appears, and she sees a ghostly man in her dreams…

Dare she believe in the possible?

Follow Your Star Home
Release Date: November 4, 2018
Special pre-order price of $2.99

Divided sweethearts seek love and forgiveness in this collection of seasonal novellas.

Forged for lovers, the Viking star ring is said to bring lovers together, no matter how far, no matter how hard.

Buy Links:

Bio:

Sherry Ewing picked up her first historical romance when she was a teenager and has been hooked ever since. A bestselling author, she writes historical and time travel romances to awaken the soul one heart at a time at night. You can learn more about Sherry and her published work at the links below.

Find Sherry Ewing at:

Website & Books: www.SherryEwing.com
Bluestocking Belles: https://bluestockingbelles.net/
Hearts Through Time: http://heartsthroughtime.com
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TrWtoy
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherry-ewing
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A letter of retraction

By Sherry Ewing

On September 24, 2018

In Sherry Ewing, Teatime Tattler

Mr. Clemens:

I can stand silent no longer, Sir. The recent flurry of activity in your paper with regards to the Bluestocking Belles has been not only outrageous but without cause. To see their name tarnished by closed minded individuals has caused me to rise to their defense!

One might think of me as one of those forward speaking women, and if this includes the Belles then I know I am in good company. There is nothing scandalous in their novels and I have even heard they give part of their sales to a charity. A charity, Mr. Clemens! Now how can anyone complain about people who will give their hard earned monies to those who are less fortunate?

I pray that those who previously published such unkind words regarding the Bluestocking Belles will make a retraction in the Teatime Tattler. I, for one, will be looking forward to their next release.

Sincerely,
Lady Elinor Lacey

To our esteemed readers:

In case you wish to see for yourself what all the fuss is about, be sure to check out the Bluestocking Belles’ page for information on their next box set, Follow Your Star Home.

S. Clemens