First Kiss Friday with E.L. Johnson
Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. Today I’d like to welcome Dragonblade Publishing author E.L. Johnson who has a first kiss scene from her story The Poisoned Clergyman. Happy reading and enjoy, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
Poppy, Aunt Rachel and Mr. Ingleby returned home that evening much contented. Mr. Ingleby had already made subtle suggestions on how the remaining funds could be used to benefit the parish, and Aunt Rachel was yawning when there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll answer it,” Poppy said, rising.
“Very well,” Aunt Rachel said, halfway up the stairs. “But if it is a caller for Mr. Ingleby, tell them to call back tomorrow. He’s already gone to bed.”
Poppy smiled as her aunt disappeared inside her room. She set a candle down on a nearby side table and opened the front door.
There in the darkness stood Constable Dyngley. “Miss Morton.” He bowed, stiff and formal.
“Constable,” she began, “Is there something the matter? Why are you here so late?”
“I must speak with you.” He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“No, it is bloody well not all right.” He glared at her, his dark eyes boring into hers. “I will not move until you say why you have been avoiding me all this time. For days, I have felt like a leper. What have I done to offend you?”
Poppy stepped back and let out a breath. She could bear it no longer. She had to tell him.
“Miss Everly forbade me to talk to you. It was the only way she would agree to tell me about my mother. She wanted me to break off our connection entirely, and threatened to spread the news about my mother if I didn’t agree.”
“What news?” he asked.
“My mother is…” She looked at the floor. “She is a kept woman. She lives in London, unmarried, as a—”
“She is a mistress,” he said bluntly.
“Yes.” Poppy blushed in the candlelight. “I would understand if you no longer wished to speak to me—”
His brows knit into a frown. “Surely you would allow me to make up my own mind about whom I wish to talk to?”
“Yes, of course. I did not mean to offend,” she said.
“You did not offend. It is I who have been in the wrong. For too long, I chose to believe Caroline’s rude words because I didn’t want to believe the alternative. I’ve been such a fool. I didn’t want to think that maybe… I came to you that afternoon to talk to you about it, you see… And then tonight at dinner, I couldn’t think of how to broach the subject.” He stepped toward her.
“You’re the son of a baronet,” she said, “Miss Everly alluded to it.”
“And you’re the daughter of a mistress,” he said, confused. “What of it?”
“You never told me,” she accused.
“Does it matter?”
“No.”
“Then that makes two of us. Dash it, Poppy, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Poppy. I must know. Did you mean it? What you said?” He asked, “When you said that you…?” He stepped forward with purpose, pulled her close about the waist, and kissed her.
Poppy felt on fire. Her entire body felt alive as if she had been doused in flames and now came out drinking fresh water. If she had been stumbling through the desert, Dyngley was her oasis. His hands caressed her hair as he pulled her toward him tighter, and a note of longing came from her throat. The kiss melted into one, then another, until…
“Ahem.” A young man cleared his throat.
Poppy sprang away from the constable like he was a hot coal. Blushing to the tips of her ears, she looked at the floor in embarrassment. Dyngley grunted in annoyance and released Poppy’s hand.
Mr. Ingleby faced them, looking tired on the stairs in his long nightgown and sleeping cap. “Forgive me for interrupting, I just wanted a glass of milk. Excuse me.”
Poppy waited as Mr. Ingleby left for the kitchen, and she met Dyngley’s gaze, her cheeks aflame. She shivered beneath his gaze.
Even in the dim candlelight, his expression was intense, and his dark brown eyes smoldered. “Forgive me. I’ve wanted to do that for quite some time.” He swallowed, bowed courteously, and left, not offering her a second glance or goodbye.Poppy stood there, her heart beating madly.
The Poisoned Clergyman (The Perfect Poison Murders Book 2)By E.L. Johnson
Poppy adores Constable Dyngley, but he is engaged. When his fiancée hires Poppy to clear her name, can Poppy put her jealousy aside?
Welcome to book two in the exciting new series The Perfect Poison Murders from bestselling author E.L. Johnson!
When Poppy’s uncle is called away, in his place arrives Mr. Ingleby, a pretentious clergyman with a passion for pies, a penchant for puddings, and a distaste for poor and sick parishioners. It’s not long before Poppy wishes he was gone, especially when she learns he has been gossiping to the neighborhood about the humble fare served by her and her aunt.
But when the tart-loving clergyman dies at a local baking competition, it is clear that Mr. Ingleby has been poisoned by one of the bakers present. But who?
Poppy and her favorite constable, Henry Dyngley, must work together to find the poisoner among the bakers. But her romantic hopes for their future are dashed when he introduces her to his fiancee, who begs for Poppy’s help to clear her name as a murder suspect.
Can Poppy and Dyngley find the true poisoner, or will the murderous baker pull off a sweet crime? Can Poppy overlook her jealousy to save Dyngley’s fiancée, at the risk of losing the man she adores? It is a bittersweet feeling to know you may do the right thing, only for someone else to reap the benefit.
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1NZ97DX?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_1&storeType=ebooks
About the Author:
E.L. Johnson writes historical mysteries for Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 ebook publisher of Historical Romance on Amazon. A Boston native, she gave up clam chowder and lobster rolls for tea and scones when she moved across the pond to London, where she studied medieval magic at UCL and medieval remedies at Birkbeck College. Now based in Hertfordshire, she is a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and the founder of the London Seasonal Book Club.
Follow ELJohnson on twitter at @ELJohnson888 or catch the latest updates on her
website: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/
Find E.L. Johnson at these Social Media Links:
Website: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/
Twitter: @ELJohnson888
Insta: eljohnson_writes
Facebook page: @theELJohnson
Tiktok: @alecto99
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18090432.E_L_Johnson
