A Splendid DefianceBy Stella Riley
Audiobook performed by Alex Wyndham
Publication Date: December 6th, 2012
Publisher: Stella Riley
Page Length: 371
Genre: Historical Fiction / Historical Romance
For two years England has been in the grip of Civil War. In Banbury, Oxfordshire, the Cavaliers hold the Castle, the Roundheads want it back and the town is full of zealous Puritans.
Consequently, the gulf between Captain Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford, the sister of a fanatically religious shopkeeper, ought to be unbridgeable.
The key to both the fate of the Castle and that of Justin and Abigail lies in defiance. But will it be enough?
A Splendid Defiance is a dramatic and enchanting story of forbidden love, set against the turmoil and anguish of the English Civil War.
Excerpt
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER
The cobbled depths of Pebble Lane stank of rotting vegetation and, from up ahead, came the sound of inebriated laughter punctuated by inane persuasion. Justin quickened his pace.
‘Little dove … give Jackie a kiss. No need to be frightened. We’ll not hurt you.’
‘No – hic! We like pretty doves.’
Justin recognised the voices and, though irritation was uppermost in his mind, reluctant amusement tugged at the corners of his mouth.
‘Potts! Danvers! What the devil do you think you’re doing?’
Two dishevelled and far from sober troopers sprang to unsteady attention while their quarry tried to hide in a corner. Observing the white cap and plain linen collar that told him everything he needed to know, Justin’s gaze returned coldly to Messrs Potts and Danvers.
‘Well?’
Trooper Potts licked his lips uneasily.
‘We didn’t mean no harm, Captain.’
‘Save your excuses,’ came the stinging reply. ‘I take it that you are off-duty?’
‘Aye. Course we are.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
The trooper flushed. ‘Yes, Captain Ambrose. Sir.’
‘Thank you. And you’ve been in the Reindeer. Is that your only excuse?’
They agreed that it was. Then Potts added, ‘But she were on her own, Captain – and she smiled at us.’
‘I don’t care if she was naked as Eve and enticing as the bloody serpent,’ retorted Justin. ‘You have orders to leave the townswomen alone. Now get back to the Castle. I’ll see you in my quarters at eight o’clock – and if you present yourselves looking as slovenly as you do now, you’ll regret it.’
‘Yes, sir.’ They spoke in gloomy unison.
‘Well? What are you waiting for?’ Justin suppressed his grin until they had set off back down the alley. Only then, did he remember the girl.
She was huddled against the wall and scarlet with an embarrassment caused more by her rescuer’s words than the troopers’ importunities. She prayed he didn’t know who she was and would go away without speaking to her.
He had been into the shop twice about cloth for the garrison and thereby caused her brother hours of soul-searching on the matter of principle versus profit. She had expected principle to win for, with Jonas, it usually did. But now, she wasn’t sure. Captain Ambrose looked as though he could overcome anything.
He was a tall man and built with lean compactness. Walnut hair fell in waves about his shoulders and framed a sculpted face too forbidding to be considered handsome. But it was his eyes, now resting on her with polite indifference, that produced an involuntary shiver. Fringed with heavy, sepia lashes, they were a remarkable, light grey … as clear as spring water and as cold.
‘Well, Mistress? Are you hurt?’
The crisp voice, edged with impatience, made her jump.
‘N-no.’
‘Good. Then please accept my apologies on behalf of the garrison. We do our best to prevent such incidents, of course … but if you’ll take my advice, you won’t smile at soldiers even when they are sober.’
‘I didn’t.’
‘What?’
‘Smile. I only said ‘Excuse me’ – so they’d let me pass. But they d-didn’t.’
‘On any future occasion it might be better not to speak to them at all. That way, you’ll be saved from annoyance and I from the trouble of administering a reprimand. I trust that makes the position clear?’
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Stella Riley
Winner of four gold medals for historical romance and sixteen Book Readers’ Appreciation Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the 7 book Rockliffe series, the Brandon Brothers trilogy and, most recently The Shadow Earl, are all available in audio, performed by Alex Wyndham.
Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord. She also has a fondness for men with long hair - hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.
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