Hello, lovely Readers, and welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. I’m going to cheat a little today and instead of giving you a first kiss scene, I’m sharing an excerpt of one of my all time favorite scenes I’ve ever written. Hearts Across Time is a special edition box set of For All of Ever and Only For You giving you the complete love story of Katherine Wakefield and Riorden de Deveraux (first seen in my debut novel If My Heart Could See You.
In this scene, Katherine and Riorden are having their first conversation but there’s a twist… they’re both ghosts. Happy reading and enjoy!
Excerpt:
He placed his hand upon the latch to his chamber to open the door, but halted. He knew with every fiber of his being she was inside. He could feel her presence, as if she were waiting for his arrival. He opened the door, closing it behind him, and went to the hearth to rekindle the embers into a low flame. He exhaled slowly, more to get his thoughts together than to appear as if he could not handle a situation such as this. Truly, what was there really to be afraid of?
He turned and looked towards his bed. She stood there, touching one of the posts admiringly, just as he had seen her the first time but days ago. He had the pleasure of idly watching her, since it appeared she as yet did not know he was here. In truth, to his way of thinking, he had never seen a woman as lovely as she. Her beauty did not come from an outside appearance that may have appealed to him with other women in his past. Nay…hers came from the depths of her soul and from being good at heart.
His contemplation of her only intensified whilst she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. It appeared as if she was looking towards the heavens and the guardian angels above to at last come and claim her soul. He did not want to admit it, even unto himself, but he did not wish for her to leave as yet to join God, for with her nearness, he felt a soothing comfort fill him as never afore.
Riorden reached for a nearby pitcher of wine and poured some into a chalice. His nervousness must have shown, for he almost tipped over the now filled cup. It rattled upon the table and at last drew Katherine’s attention towards him. Her face transformed to one of pure radiance, and he felt he could stare into her glorious eyes for a lifetime, if the chance were given to them.
Riorden took a long drink of his wine before giving her a small bow. “Glad tidings to you this day, mademoiselle.”
Katherine nodded her head. “And may I wish you the same, Sir Knight.”
He watched her standing there, seeming to drink in the sheer sight of him, as he continued to take several deep sips from his chalice.
“You know, if you continue downing that in such a manner, you’re going to have a nasty hangover in the morning.”
He frowned at her strange words and took a deep breath. “I know not what you speak of, my lady,” he declared, watching her every move.
She rolled her eyes and gave him an impish grin that surprised him. Apparently, she must have realized her words confused him, for she touched her finger to her forehead and tapped it. “You’ll have a bad headache.”
“Your speech is passing strange,” Riorden commented. He put the cup back down on the table and placed his hands behind his back. Neither of them made any further comments whilst an awkward silence persisted between them. They only stared one unto the other. She, at last, came closer to stand before him. He found that, for the life of him, he could not move away. Instead, he stood his ground, wondering what she would do next.
“You look so very real today,” she declared softly.
“As do you, Lady Katherine,” he said, giving her a small grin.
The smile she gave him in return was most serene. Even her eyes lit up at the reference to her name as it passed his lips. She reached up to touch him. Neither of them should have been surprised when her hand went right through him. She stepped back sadly and put her hands inside some odd fabric sewn into her hose.
Seeing her sorrow, he took a hesitant step towards her. Holding his hand palm up to her, he watched in fascination as she removed the white glove she had been wearing. She seemed uncertain, ’til she at last gave in to the impulse. Ever so slowly, she placed her hand but inches from his own. A tingling occurred in his palm, and from her expression, she must have felt it too, since she wrenched her hand back and rubbed her fingers together.
“What I would give to feel your heartbeat next to mine.” She gasped when the words left his mouth, before he realized he had said them aloud. Once suggested, the words hovered in the room, as if to give them some semblance of hope, even as both realized ’twas obvious they could never be together. ’Twas too late to recant his hastily spoken words, but he would have done so, if only to lessen the hurt flashing momentarily in her eyes.
“I would cross time itself, if it were possible, just to find you, Riorden de Deveraux.”
“You know my name,” he drawled the obvious.
“Yes.”
“Who are you?” he asked solemnly.
Her face lit up again whilst she gazed upon his face. “I’m someone who loves you.”
He kept his features expressionless. “I guessed as much, my lady, and yet you know nothing of me.”
“That’s true, and yet I’ve dreamed of you my entire life, enough to know you pretty well, I’m guessing.”
He was taken aback. “How is this possible?”
“I feel we are connected somehow,” Katherine began hesitantly. “I think perhaps our souls were meant to be together, but the centuries of time between us are keeping us apart.”
“Centuries? Surely, you jest, mademoiselle,” Riorden said with a raised brow of disbelief.
“I would never joke…err…jest about something as important as this. The fact we see each other as spirits speaks for itself, don’t you think?” Katherine asked quietly.
“Are you attempting to tell me you are from the future?” he questioned aghast.
Katherine smiled slightly. “Yes, I suppose I am, from your perspective.”
“Impossible,” Riorden said gruffly.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Apparently, it’s not as impossible as we may think, given we’re both having a conversation with a ghost.”
Hearts Across Time: The Knights of Berwyck, A Quest Through Time (Books 1 & 2)
By Sherry Ewing
On Sale for 99c through May 20th
Sometimes all you need is to just believe…
For All of Ever: Katherine Wakefield has dreamed and written of her knight in shining armor all her life until she and her three closest friends take a vacation to England. Yet, how could they have known they’d find themselves thrown back more than eight hundred years into the past? Riorden de Deveraux travels to Bamburgh answering the summons of King Henry. But nothing prepares him for the beautiful vision of a strangely clad ghost who first appears in his chamber. Centuries are keeping them apart until Time gives them a chance at finding love. Will the past of one consume what their future may hold, or will Time take the decision from them and hurdle Katherine forward to where she truly belongs?
Only For You: Katherine de Deveraux has it all but settling into her duties at Warkworth Castle is not easy & downright dangerous to her well-being. Consumed with memories of his father, Riorden must deal with his sire’s widow. Yet how could he know how far Marguerite will go to have the life she feels they were meant to live? Torn apart, Time becomes their true enemy while Marguerite continues her ploy to keep Riorden at her side. With all hope lost, will Katherine & Riorden find a way to save their marriage?
Buy Links:
Amazon US | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Books2Read
Amazon AU | Amazon BR | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon ES | Amazon FR | Amazon IN | Amazon IT | Amazon JP | Amazon MX | Amazon NL | Amazon UK