I am currently toiling away at the
sequel to Emmaline's Groom- the second in The Ravenswood Manor
Series.
This is my first time at trying my hand
at a series and I am feeling a little bit like I painted myself into
a corner. Not too much, because I had in mind from the beginning that
this would be a series, but stuff I did not take into account has
taken up a lot of time and research.
I gave Emmaline a hopelessly-in-love
brother, Wesley. He serves as a catalyst for getting Emmaline to
admit her true feelings for Leo and for them ending up together.
I made him heartbroken, he had fallen
in love with a married woman, and then we learn she is pregnant.
So my story line for Wesley had to begin
with him either moving on past this woman I had him so hopelessly in
love with- or navigating a very modern day situation in the Victorian
era.
Thus began my hours of research. Then
my research about Victorian era marriage laws and divorce starting
leading to other research based on little bread crumbs I found in
this research. (Does anyone else get themselves stuck on Wikipedia
threads for hours on end?)
I have Wesley's story about a third of
the way written. I am also up on all my Victorian marriage and
divorces, the end of the century bicycling craze, as well as
underwear of that time.
Every night when my husband and I catch
up about our day at dinner, I tell him all about my research. I think
my nerdiness turns him on a little. Which would make sense- he fell
in love with me before being nerdy was cool.
I think its the same as when he starts
telling me about some new recipe he wants to make me. He gets so
passionate and excited in his descriptions that it turns me on a
little. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be married to Bobby
Flay?
Either way, we have been sharing links
and having rousing discussions about the Victorian era for so many
months now, it has become our norm.
It makes me wonder what the hell we
talked about before.
Anyway, I am off to get back to
writing, or researching. I will leave you with this part from
Emmaline's Groom, where we first meet Wesley:
“I
am not a baby anymore, Wesley,” she retorted and snatched the flask
back from his hands, taking another drink before he had the chance to
catch up.
“I
can see that,” he answered, taking the flask back and tucking it to
his side and out of her reach. “You were never a baby, even when
you were. What has you tied up in knots?”
Her
eyes burned with the remainder of her unshed tears. She would not cry
in front of Wesley. He could seem sincere, but he had been her
resident tormenter her entire life, she doubted much had changed.
When she did not answer his question, he slipped an arm around her
shoulders. She had begun to shiver as the damp, cold ground seeped
into the seat of her pants. Now his arm around her made her warm, or
it was further effects from the liquor. She allowed herself to lean
her head on his shoulder.
“Have
you ever been in love?” The question slipped past her lips and she
braced herself for his ridicule.
Wesley
made a rueful sound and took up the flask again. He took a healthy
drink and passed it back to her with a nod.
“Doubt
thou the stars are fire
Doubt
that the sun doth move
Doubt
truth to be a liar
But
never doubt I love.” He leaned his head back against the wall and
closed his eyes.
Emma
let her mouth hang open as she stared back at him. “Are you quoting
Shakespeare?” She let out a braying laugh as she brought the flask
back to her mouth. The liquid had just breached her lips when he
snatched it away from her, causing the alcohol to spill down the
front of her.
“I
am baring my soul and you laugh at me?” He threw his hands up in
the air.
She
could not decide if he was serious or pulling her leg. She also
wondered how much he had drank before she came upon him.
“Does
this have something to do with Lady Trimble? I heard she is
expecting.” She ventured a guess, based on town gossip and the bits
she heard from the staff.
“Ah,
my dearest Lena,” he said with a sigh.
That
confirmed her suspicions about Wesley being Lady Trimble's paramour
before he fled to America. Not that she could blame Lady Trimble, the
gossip in her social circles was that her husband was a social
climber who blackmailed Lena into marriage. But she had the urge to
defend her brother against this woman who took his love and broke his
heart.
Emmaline's Groom is on sale now!
