Trifling Favors
by Heather Hiestand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Romance
(Victorian)
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BLURB:
Greggory Redcake's
plate is full. Widowed young and left with two small children, the manager of
the Kensington location of the illustrious tea shop is besieged on all sides
between the bakery and family matters. If only his remarkably efficient shop
assistant, Betsy Popham, could manage his home life, too! But Greggory can't
linger on thoughts of Betsy's fetching smile when a dead body is discovered in
the bakery…
Betsy has no time for
romance, not even with the delectable Mr. Redcake, whose kisses are all too
unforgettable. Haunted by a specter from her family's past, Betsy is terrified
that the man blackmailing her has turned to deadly violence. Yet the only way
to save her position--and possibly her life--is to accept Greggory's help as
their delicious attraction sweetens into the tantalizing promise of true love…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Why didn’t you marry?” Betsy asked. “You must have had
followers.”
Grace clasped her hands together in front of her apron. “I
loved a boy, too, but he had scarlet fever when he was twelve and was never
well after that. He died in his sleep about two years ago.”
“I’m so sorry.” Betsy touched her shoulder in sympathy.
Grace sighed. “One of my friends married his twin brother.
At least they weren’t identical twins. That would be too much to bear.”
“How old are you?” Betsy asked.
“Eighteen.”
“That’s right.” A year younger than Violet Carter, but she
seemed older. “At least there is plenty of time to find someone else.”
“I wanted him,” Grace said softly. “He wrote the most
beautiful poetry and he had a lovely singing voice. I could have listened to him
for days. You should have heard the weeping when he died. I wasn’t the only
girl who loved him. At least as a friend,” she amended. “He was a popular boy.”
“I hope you were able to keep his poetry.”
“I memorized my favorite parts,” Grace said. “But he’d made
me a little book of his poems for my birthday, just a couple of months before
he died. That’s why I know I was special to him.”
Betsy nodded. “What’s your favorite line?”
Grace’s gaze seemed to leave the corridor where they stood.
“I think it is this one. ‘My heart sees, my eyes remember, those slender
youthful dreams, your sun-kissed cheek, my sturdy legs, our hearts wee and
tender.’”
“That’s very sweet,” Betsy said sincerely.
“He wrote it about all of us, the children on the street.
But he was the first boy I ever held hands with, the first who kissed me. You
never forget that.”
Betsy shook her head. “No.” In truth, for herself, she
scarcely remembered her first kiss. Some stripling from the factory had stolen
a kiss from her one day when she’d brought her father his lunch. But the first
kiss from someone she loved, that she remembered achingly well. Ewan. His warm
lips and cool hands. That hair that fell into curls any girl would be proud of.
He had asked her to take a walk with him on a Sunday. She’d slipped out of the
house without telling her father where she was going, or with whom, and they’d
walked the footpath on the Serpentine’s bank. What a perfect day that had been.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Heather
Hiestand was born in Illinois, but her family migrated west before she started
school. Since then she has claimed Washington State as home, except for a few
years in California. She wrote her first story at age seven and went on to
major in creative writing at the University of Washington. Her first published
fiction was a mystery short story, but since then it has been all about the
many flavors of romance. Heather’s first published romance short story was set
in the Victorian period, and she continues to return, fascinated by the rapid
changes of the nineteenth century. The author of many novels, novellas, and
short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon and Barnes and
Noble. With her husband and son, she makes her home in a small town and
supposedly works out of her tiny office, though she mostly writes in her easy
chair in the living room.
For more
information, visit Heather’s website at www.heatherhiestand.com. Heather loves
to hear from readers! Her email is heather@heatherhiestand.com.
Social media:
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/heatherhiestand/
Buy Links:
BN:
Amazon:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Heather will be awarding a $25 Amazon
or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
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ReplyDeleteHappy to be a part of this tour, thank you for sharing!
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