The
Lady and the Highwayman (Historical Romance)
Published:
April 1st, 2013 Entranced Publishing
Lady Elizabeth Bennington has the perfect life: she's the daughter of an earl
and betrothed to her childhood friend, William Hartley, the second son of a
duke. But, when her sister's indiscretion leads to an unplanned pregnancy, and
the subsequent disgrace of Elizabeth's entire family, her idyllic life is
thrown into disarray.
First, her fiance is prohibited from
marrying her. Then she receives word that William has been killed by thieves.
To top it all off, she gets abducted by a highwayman. Can Elizabeth find love
again, and with the most unlikely of people?
Excerpt
Every morning, at exactly half past
noon, Lady Bennington began her traverse of the entire
length of Rathbonne, the Bennington
family estate. She did this at the insistence of her Mama, who recommended that
she do so in order to have a desirable marriage. It was advice that she took
very seriously — that is to say she took only half of it very seriously. She
refused to refrain from pastries and pies, both of which satisfied her
demanding sweet tooth.
The estate did not make for an easy
walk. It spanned over twenty acres and took her the
better part of half an hour to
complete, if she moved at a leisurely pace. She always moved at a
leisurely pace, getting lost in her
thoughts and fantasies of faraway lands and foreign cultures.
Sometimes, rather than walk back to
the house, she would bring a book and stay in the high field amongst the
shepherds and their grazing sheep, and read.
This morning she decided that rather
than reading in the high field, she’d go to the brook
behind the property that divided
Rathbonne from the neighboring Highborne estate. Highborne was the country home
of the Duke of Staffordshire and his family, with whom the Benningtons were
well acquainted. She removed the blanket from under her arm and smoothed it out
on the grass beneath the tall oak, making herself cozy enough to lose herself
in Paradise Lost.
“Lady Elizabeth, I bid you good
afternoon,” a familiar voice yelled in the distance.
Elizabeth looked up from her book.
Lord William Hartley, her childhood friend and the
second son of the Duke, was
approaching on horseback. Will, like herself, was a younger child and the two
of them had been raised closely. Unlike Elizabeth, he would inherit property in
his own right, and his father’s title if something should cause the death of
his brother. Elizabeth’s fortunes relied entirely on her marrying well.
Ashley
M. Christman writing as Charlotte Davila
Concerts can be very expensive, who do you think is worth the splurge?
I recently saw Amanda Palmer. It was a four hour concert…totally worth the money (tickets were like 35 bucks).
If you could learn to prepare (cook, bake, etc.) any dish as well as the restaurant that makes it best, what would it be?
Bread pudding. I love that stuff and I can’t make it quite the same at home.
What is your favorite board game? Card game?
Monopoly, but my rule is to never play with people I actually like. When I was younger, I’d actually played a game with my younger brother and cousins that lasted all weekend (it was the same game).
Do you have any special talents? (Singing, dancing, juggling, gardening, etc.)
I sing and act. I also am a sewer.
What is your go-to cocktail?
Grey Goose- Red Bull or Cranberry Vodka
Bio:
As a child, Ashley M. Christman
spent many hours in imaginary worlds, exploring the depths of mythology and
immersing herself in a breadth of classics. After spending so much time
reading, she decided to try her hand at writing.
An avid fan of film noir, she
combines fantasy, noir style heroes and heroines, and the paranormal in a
modern day setting in a way that hopefully would make even Bogie proud.
When not writing, she can be found
in the wilds of Minnesota enjoying great cuisine, avoiding the gym, and being
walked by the dog with her partner, Tom.
Find Ashley online at:
Author Website and Blog: www.ashleymchristman.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-M-Christman/270726188001
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/AMChristman
Email: Ashley@ashleymchristman.com
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