Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. Today’s guest is A.E. Walnofer who has an excerpt from her novel With Pensive Admiration. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
Belinda was very aware that they were in the room alone together now. This had only happened twice before in the months since they’d met, and then but briefly. When Mr Alwyn spoke again, her heart fluttered at the dusky sound of it.
“Miss Everson, please understand that I must focus my every effort on preparing for the 29th of September when I will sit before the Court of Examiners.”
As she puzzled over this wealth of oddly specific information, Belinda’s discombobulation grew, for Mr Alwyn had moved from his chair to sit beside her on the settee.
“Once I am licensed, I will be able to pursue other matters of great importance,” he said softly, holding his hand out to her.
As if propelled by a will of its own, her hand reached forward to rest lightly on his upturned palm. Her heart was in her throat as he ran his thumb over the back of her fingers, then bent forward to graze her knuckle with the lightest touch of his lips. Then, he turned her hand over as if to admire the softest part of her wrist.
No. Surely, he won’t…she thought.
A slurry of sensations and half-thoughts engulfed her as he tenderly kissed the spot where her pulse was racing. As he straightened up slowly, his gaze was ardent.
Is it possible he does love me? Belinda marveled, the damp spot on her wrist attesting to the notion. He must — he is no rake, used to taking liberties. Of that, I am sure.
Thrilled in a way she had never felt in all of her twenty years, she wished that Mr Alwyn would speak plainly. He did then open his mouth, but a faint sound of disgust was all that she heard.
It came from across the room.
Turning, Belinda saw her youngest brother standing on the staircase, his little, freckled face crinkled in distaste at the scene before him.
“Ah, Bertie.” Mr Alwyn let go of Belinda’s hand and got to his feet. “I was just making my goodbyes to your sister. Allow me to bid you farewell, as well.”
He extended his hand to the boy.
Eyeing it with suspicion, Bertie shook his head.
With Pensive Admiration
By A.E. Walnofer
Dashing, devoted, and deftly disguised, he needs to tell her his secret. Just not quite yet…
Though William Alwyn, a doctor’s apprentice, longs to propose to Belinda Everson, he knows he may be accused of trickery when Society discovers his true identity. So, he decides to hold his tongue on all matters of importance until he can irrefutably prove his honour and merit.
Secretly smitten, Belinda has watched Mr Alwyn tend to her ailing mother for months. While bidding her farewell, he kindles her hopes with an unexpected kiss, then disappears entirely in the weeks that follow. Determined she will not languish for a man who has forgotten her, Belinda goes to London with her aunt. But when a sudden malady brings Mr Alwyn to their doorstep, she fears her heart may break again.
Seeing Miss Everson in town, Alwyn feels pressed to lay bare the truth of his love and lineage. Just as the confession is on his lips, a grudging gossip appears, set on revealing him to all the world. When finally, Alwyn declares himself to Belinda, he cannot know if she will spurn the offer of his heart, or entrust her own to him forever.
Brimming with Victorian charm, With Pensive Admiration is a clever-words, kisses-only tale of a match that must be made!
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GH33RD43
About the Author:
When she isn’t guiding patients through their physical therapy treatments, you’ll likely find A.E. Walnofer (Aimee) in her home office, hard at work on her next historical novel. Aimee’s passion for storytelling began early, rooted in childhood favorites like The Little House on the Prairie series and Johnny Tremain. Her love for the genre deepened in high school when her discovery of Pride and Prejudicesparked a lifelong admiration for Jane Austen’s work. Today, she still makes time to get lost in a historical novel almost every day. When she does step away from her e-reader and desk, Aimee heads outdoors with her husband to hike up green mountains, past sparkling lakes to the views that await them at the top.
Website: https://aewalnofer.com/
Social Media Link: Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/aimeeisalwayswriting