Welcome back! I have another excerpt from my summer
regency, Love's Refrain. This time we meet the Montgomery sisters, Lady Laura and her
stepsister, Lady Juliet:
Lady Laura Montgomery, eldest daughter of the Earl of
Norwood, hurried up the staircase to answer her stepsister's frantic calls for
help. She truly loved Juliet, but she knew the young lady often found a crisis
where none existed. As she hurried toward Juliet’s room, the wails became
louder and more insistent.
"Laura! Where are you? I need you desperately!"
Before opening the door, Laura braced herself for what
she might find. Past experience told her it was probably something trivial. But
if Juliet was truly injured and she didn’t come, she’d never forgive herself.
Her father and stepmother had entrusted her with Juliet’s care, and though it
was often a trial, she’d vowed to do her duty. Juliet was beautiful and witty,
and hopefully someone would offer for her quickly, putting an end to her
responsibility. Cousin Reginald Montgomery, Lord Norwood's relative, had
graciously invited them into his home and with his widowed elder sister
Augusta, lent a measure of respectability for the two women.
Lady Juliet Montgomery sat at her dressing table, a
vision of loveliness in her new day dress. But upon closer inspection, Laura
observed the vision was somewhat marred by the messy state of her stepsister's coiffure,
and the fact that her right hand lay atop her head.
"What took you so long? I called and called,"
the younger girl whined. Laura supposed some might construe Juliet's pouting
lips as adorable, but to her they were an indication of her pettiness and
incessant pampering as the youngest in the family.
"Forgive me, Juliet. I was in the study. What do you
need?"
"Can’t you see? I’m stuck! I tried to fix my hair,
and my bracelet caught."
Laura took Juliet’s hand and stilled it. "Juliet,
please stop wiggling so I can untangle it. What happened to Francesca?"
The ladies’ maid had come highly recommended and Laura was quite happy with
her, but Juliet could be stubborn.
"She disappeared somewhere after making a mess of my
hair. Oh, Laura, help me!" She tried again to pull her hand away, only to
tighten the strands of hair around the beaded bracelet.
"Juliet, if you don’t stop struggling, I’ll never
get this untangled. Your hair is wrapped around the bracelet. Now be
still." She concentrated on releasing her sister’s fine tresses from the
jewelry then set about finding Francesca.
****
Thanks for stopping! Please leave a comment, and be sure
to go to Sweet Saturday Samples
to find more excerpts! Happy Father's Day to all the dads, grandpas, and father
figures.
They're going to have a lot of trouble unloading Juliet. What a whiner. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI'm supposing we'll later see some redeeming qualities?
I'm sure some wealthy gentleman with nothing better to do than indulge her whims would be happy offer for her, Jeff. But yes, she does have a conscience.
DeletePoor Laura! Sounds like Juliet is a drama queen. I pity the man who offers for her.
ReplyDeleteYes, Laura has her work cut out for her. Thanks for visiting, Sandy. When are you going to participate in Sweet Saturdays again?
DeleteI had to laugh. It never ceases to amaze me that a man can find something attractive (pouty "adorable" lips) when a sees something else entirely (pettiness, in this case). I look forward to reading the book and seeing how the male lead responds to the sisters and what he thinks of each of them. :)
ReplyDeleteSo true, Heather! Juliet has some growing up to do.
DeleteJuliet is annoying isn't she?
ReplyDeleteThat she is, Elaine! I suppose most of us think our younger siblings are annoying at one time or another, but Juliet has perfected the art.
DeleteLove this scene. You have set up so much for the story so quickly that you hooked me right in. What about Laura? Isn't she going to be concerned about finding a husband for herself??
ReplyDeleteLaura's in her late twenties, so she's spinster. She's content to be Juliet's chaperone - for now!
Delete