Will the treacherous journey split them asunder forever?
Genre: Medieval Romance
Publication Date: November 18, 2015
What foul devilry is this? They told her he was dead. After six long years without a word, her knight falls onto his knees and sings poetry. Then he denies their son? Heed this well. She’s no longer an innocent who’ll giggle and tarry on his every word. The sharp edge of her tongue and knife is the only welcome he’ll get. She’ll not marry him. The pain would be too much to bear should he ever leave again.
Her attitude is beyond understanding. What voice did he have? The king commanded and he obeyed. Regardless of her hatred, the Templar knight weds. This time she will travel with him and he will win back her favor. It’s a long road from London to Hadrian’s Wall. Evil deeds weave a plot laced with castles, kidnappings, and missives. Will the treacherous journey split them asunder forever? Mayhap only in heaven will he rekindle the passion they once shared.
HOW TO MARRY YOUR WIFE Excerpt:
“My lord, your castle
awaits to the north and your relatives may be held captive. We must turn back.”
The words were spoken by Harold-the-Younger who would be forgiven, just this
once, for his impertinence.
“And my wife is missing.
Thank you for stating the obvious. If you can’t be more helpful, I suggest your
mouth be best used for taking in breath.”
Jacob pointed down the
river. “There. What’s that?”
Thomas’ heart sank. A flat
bottomed boat lay bobbing upside down against the bank of the river. A woman’s
body lay beside it in a pool of blood. He swallowed hard and dug spurs into
Demon’s side. His charger tossed his head, snorted, and veered, but Thomas
gained control and raced toward the grisly scene.
A dog chewed at a headless
mass of flesh and snarled. He kicked the animal away, squatted, and cursed.
Pieces of Merry’s bloodied tunic twisted among the innards. He dropped to his
knees and shouted with first raised into the air. “Be ye damned forever.” Part
of the curse was for whoever had just killed her, the other for God, and lastly
for himself.
Assessing the gore was the
hardest thing he’d ever done. What was left of the flesh had the length and
breadth of his wife. One arm was cleaved at the wrist. His soul refused to
acknowledge the scene in front of his eyes and he refused to mourn. Not yet.
He’d find the bastard who’d done this to her, cleave him in to small bits, and
let the vultures feed.
A horse whinnied behind
him and Jacob’s flat voice spoke, “The head is gone.”
“Let me be. I’ll bury her.
Alone.” He gathered stones and placed them beside the body.
“It’s way too opportune
that the poor woman’s head and hand are missing. I smell a ruse.”
The blackness that
threatened to devour his soul wouldn’t let in one ray of hope. “Do as you will.
I’ll bury what’s left of her.”
Thomas scoured the flood
plain for a sign of her. Was it possible? Crows circled above, but other than
that, the land lay bare. All signs and tracks around the body had been swept
away. The coward was clever. About a mile beyond, a forest loomed. Perhaps the
woman-slayer trembled there.
Having no shovel, but many
a stone, Thomas moved the body parts to a central area and covered them. With
none to watch, tears came unbidden as he placed the last round stone atop what
was left of her body. He gasped for air, knowing not how to go on, but knowing
he must for his little son.
“What say you, lass? You
were right. Better that I should’ve stayed dead.”
Memories, detecting the
flaw in his mail, attacked without mercy. Six years ago, he’d spied her across
the room with the devil in her eyes. She’d smiled boldly at him and giggled
with her friends. The first time they’d sat together at table, he’d fed her
like a baby bird and cut her food. All in the great dining room watched,
knowing that in the doing so he’d claimed her.
He recalled that fateful
night, when they’d hand-fasted before God. She’d begged him to take her and
he’d been too weak to resist completely. He’d promised to come back after
trading in London and marry her. How was he to know that Marcus would send him
abroad at the king’s request? His soul howled, never to be consoled again.
He sobbed, falling upon his knees, with his hands
covering his face. Forgive me. He’d loved with her
that night as much as he’d dared. So beautiful her lovely sighs, so bountiful
her breasts. She’d opened her legs and accepted his hand until she’d come
undone. Mayhap a holier man could have resisted her offerings, but oh no, not
him. Nay. He took all but her virginity and remembered how sweet the agony to
spew his seed between her legs.
He allowed one more moment
of self-pity, planted the final rock upon her grave, and squeezed his eyes as
they burned. He apologized for his blasphemy and prayed God to take his angel
into heaven and allow him to meet her there anon. First, he would seek revenge
and see to the welfare of his son.
His eyes popped open when
the grasses rustled in front of him and the ground opened up. A muddy black
demon arose with shiny eyes and yellow teeth. Grinning, it exited the hole with
a most ordinary sword held high. Then there was naught, but darkness.
I love Yoga, Zumba, and DIY house projects. My latest fun toy is a tile cutter. Wheee. What else can I tile?
I grew up in New England, in Vermont and have always enjoyed making up stories. When I was a kid, nothing was sacred. Crayons would fight other crayons for placement in the box. Street lamps, when they lost their bulbs, would cry. Needless to say, I still have an active imagination.
I love traveling. I'm one of those people that all other travelers hate. I lay back, when the plane takes off, and awake when the plane touches down.
I have two grown daughters, one lives in Brooklyn and one in Rome. My husband loves to edit my work, and my two cats jump on my keyboard when I'm not watching. Blame them if you see typos.
Cheers and thanks for reading.
Blast Info
Title: How to Marry Your Wife
Author: Stella Marie Alden
Publication Date: November 18, 2015
Genre: Medieval Romance
Synopsis
What foul devilry is this? They told her he was dead. After six long years without a word, her knight falls onto his knees and sings poetry. Then he denies their son? Heed this well. She’s no longer an innocent who’ll giggle and tarry on his every word. The sharp edge of her tongue and knife is the only welcome he’ll get. She’ll not marry him. The pain would be too much to bear should he ever leave again.
Her attitude is beyond understanding. What voice did he have? The king commanded and he obeyed. Regardless of her hatred, the Templar knight weds. This time she will travel with him and he will win back her favor. It’s a long road from London to Hadrian’s Wall. Evil deeds weave a plot laced with castles, kidnappings, and missives. Will the treacherous journey split them asunder forever? Mayhap only in heaven will he rekindle the passion they once shared.
Amazon | GoodReads
Author Bio
I love Yoga, Zumba, and DIY house projects. My latest fun toy is a tile cutter. Wheee. What else can I tile?
I grew up in New England, in Vermont and have always enjoyed making up stories. When I was a kid, nothing was sacred. Crayons would fight other crayons for placement in the box. Street lamps, when they lost their bulbs, would cry. Needless to say, I still have an active imagination.
I love traveling. I'm one of those people that all other travelers hate. I lay back, when the plane takes off, and awake when the plane touches down.
I have two grown daughters, one lives in Brooklyn and one in Rome. My husband loves to edit my work, and my two cats jump on my keyboard when I'm not watching. Blame them if you see typos.
Cheers and thanks for reading.
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