Book Blast - The Duchess’ Necklace by Mariah Lynne

Amelia Augusta Ethrington, 18th century Duchess of Abbington, fourth in line to the English throne, is considered by society an old maid at thirty two. She refuses to marry and relinquish her royal authority to a husband. Instead, she finds romance in trysts with total strangers.  Amelia’s sole entitlement to her duchy lies in an intricate and valuable necklace, The Abbington Jewels.  An unscrupulous Traveler wishing to steal the jewels and sell them at future prices seduces her, catches her off guard, and snatches the necklace.


Amelia must now risk everything to Travel to the present with the aid of a kind gypsy seer to find the thieving scoundrel, kill him and retrieve her title before her jealous male cousins lay claim to her duchy. Complications arise after she meets a handsome shy man, a museum appraiser named Ryan Redstone who was sent to acquire the jewels for The Smithsonian. Amelia falls in love with him but realizes she must focus on her quest to regain both her necklace and title. The Duchess is now faced with the most difficult decision of her life.  


Available at:

Taliesin Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Excerpt

It didn’t take long for his carriage to reach the riverfront. We stopped. Ryan leaned over and kissed my cheek whispering in my ear.

“Let’s go back to my room. It’s just upstairs. You can tell me what your secret is in private. I trust you and hope you trust me.”

Ryan helped me out of his carriage. We climbed the one flight of steps up to his room. Once inside, I sat down on the bed and stared out the window before giving him a serious look.

“This is not how I planned to tell you. I hoped to wait until we saw if the necklace was genuine. You must listen to me before passing judgment. I hope that you will still want to keep me in your heart afterward. ”

Ryan closed the drapes before sitting down next to me.

“Amy, how could I help but keep you in my heart no matter what your secret is?”

He squeezed my hand as I touched his lips with the gentlest kiss. Ryan filled me with a deep passion. I was ready to reveal my desire for him. I hoped he felt the same way.

I knew what I wanted and decided to show him how I felt in a special manner. Standing up, I slowly removed Starr’s silk floral sash and placed it around his neck. I stepped back to dance the seductive dance of the gypsy women who camped outside my childhood manor house grounds. They had always looked graceful, bracelets jingling, ribbon colored skirts twirling as they turned and twisted by their campfire in the moonlight. They seduced traveling knights and lesser royals hoping for romantic trysts out of their coin. I had heard the gypsies’ haunting songs and desired to get a better look. I became quite good at sneaking out night after night, hoping not to get caught. I watched them dance, hiding in some nearby bushes. One night, a beautiful gypsy spotted my hiding place and grabbed me. To my surprise, she had me stand and taught me their dance.

I wanted my necklace but strange as it sounds, I wanted Ryan more. I removed my blouse first, touching his face with its soft perfumed cotton. I swirled, kicking off my shoes and stepping out of my skirt. I seduced him, taking off each undergarment until I stripped myself bare. His face flushed with reluctance but finally gave in. He stared at my naked body, his eyes intoxicated with passion. I have been with enough men to know he liked what he saw. Holding onto my hand, I pulled him up and helped him disrobe. His body was as muscular as a bull’s. We lay down together. His touch was gentle, making my body desire him more. We made sweet love until we became so tired, we both fell asleep. Our nap was all too brief. Ryan was the first to wake up. He whispered my name, “Amy, wake up sweetheart.”

I stretched remembering where I was and what I needed to tell him. My feelings for him now made it more complicated.

About Mariah Lynne

Ever dream of traveling through time? Mariah Lynne does. She writes stories that take her readers along on exciting journeys. Travel to distant times and beautiful places with strong-willed independent heroines whose memorable tales will entertain with twisted plots that dabble in the paranormal. Both of her novellas, THE LOVE GYPSY and THE DUCHESS’ NECKLACE, fit that description to a T.

A Graduate of Syracuse University, Mariah lives on a beautiful Florida Gulf Coast Island where she wrote weekly entertainment columns for two island newspapers. She loves where she lives and has Southwest Florida take center stage in her stories.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Southwest Florida Romance Writers who recently published an anthology: “From Florida With Love Sunsets and Happy Endings.” Mariah’s short story “Love At First Flight” is included.
When she is not writing, she enjoys swimming, traveling and spending time with her husband and dolphin hunting dog, Max.

To learn more about Mariah and her Time Travel adventures visit her at:
http Website: www.MariahLynne.com
Twitter:@mariahlynne1
E-mail:[email protected]
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mariah-Lynne/295721153858612

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