First Kiss Friday with Jude Knight
Thanks for dropping by my First Kiss Friday blog! With Christmas just days away, The Bluestocking Belles have a special treat for you. And this cover! I have no words it’s just so beautiful. Belle Jude Knight has an excerpt from her contribution today. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene from A Countess by Christmas. Happy reading, my lovelies, and Merry Christmas!
This excerpt is from A Countess by Christmas, my story in Christmastide Kisses, from the Bluestocking Belles and Friends. My heroine and her hero are courting under the watchful—and suspicious—eyes of her parents.
Excerpt:
The next day was Christmas Eve. Apart from the most basic of tasks to keep body and soul together, all work at Fairleigh Court was set aside as the entire household dedicated itself to decorating the stately old building.
Ben led an expedition of footmen and grooms—and Louisa’s father—to collect greenery. Mama and Louisa marshalled the female servants to gather everything necessary to make swags, wreaths, and kissing bows. They set up tables and chairs in the grand ball room, and the cook and her helpers brought in wassail and trays of Christmas bites to feed the workers.
Just in time, as the cartloads of men and foliage began to arrive.
Soon, the workers were spreading out in pairs and groups all over the house to transform it into a wonderland and fill it with snippets of Christmas carol, outbursts of laughter, and the occasional shriek of pretend outrage when someone got caught under a kissing bough.
Not Louisa. She was certain no footman would dare the combined wrath of Ben and her parents, but she also made certain not to tempt any of them. She would not have minded a kiss from Ben, but her parents, as usual, kept a close watch over her. Until just before dinner, when the house was at long last quiet, everyone having returned to their accustomed tasks.
As had become their custom, Ben and his secretary and guests—or Louisa and her secretary, her parents, and her guest—had gathered in the drawing room for quiet conversation until the dinner bell sounded.
“The drawing room looks lovely,” Louisa commented. The shabbiness of the room was completely hidden by the decorations, assisted by the candlelight.
“Your workers have done a marvellous job,” Ben agreed. He did this often—reminding her that the whole place was hers and that everyone worked for her. At first, it had frightened and irritated her, but tonight she felt a warm glow. She was beginning to think that she could do this. She could be a countess.
“Look up,” Ben added.
Louisa tipped back her head. She was standing under a kissing bough, and Ben was right beside her.
“Ben,” her father growled.
“William,” said her mother. “It is a Christmas custom, and hardly indecorous, considering her parents are right here.”
Ben smiled down at Louisa, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Happy Christmas, Ben,” she said in reply, and tilted her head back further, pursing her lips.
He put his hands on her waist, and she raised hers to rest on his arms. His mouth touched hers. Just gently, and she longed for more. Yes, being a countess would not be all bad. Not with Ben at her side.
She wished the rest of the people in the room somewhere far away. She hardly knew what came next, but she was certain that she would enjoy it.
When Ben released her, she wanted to frown like her father, but not at all for the same reason.
Christmastide KissesA Bluestocking Belles With Friends collectionSix charming holiday season romances from award-winning and best-selling authors.
The Bluestocking Belles and Friends brighten your holidays with:
A beleaguered uncle whose wards have run off every governess–what he needs is a wife, if only he can persuade the latest applicantA country solicitor who becomes an earl and then finds a secret that changes everythingA very proper clergyman battles very improper urges when he and a lady with a murky past find themselves snowboundA viscount whose search to unearth generations-old family secrets kindles the fire of love for his lovely search partnerA former army captain wonders if the best friend of his ex-fiancee is the woman he should have marriedA vicar with a misspent youth and the duke’s daughter who brings out the best in himSix gentlemen and the ladies with whom they discover the power of a Christmastide Kiss.
Buy linksBooks2Read: https://books2read.com/u/m26VG6
Meet The Bluestocking BellesThe Bluestocking Belles (the “BellesInBlue”) are a group of very different writers united by a love of history and a history of writing about love. From sweet to steamy, from light-hearted fun to dark tortured tales full of angst, from London ballrooms to country cottages to the sultan’s seraglio, one or more of us will have a tale to suit your tastes and mood.
Website: https://bluestockingbelles.net/
Meet Jude KnightJude always wanted to be a novelist. She started in her teens, but life kept getting in the way. Years passed, and with them dozens of unfinished manuscripts. The fear grew. What if she tried, failed, and lost the dream forever? The years since 2014 have brought 17 novels, 16 novella, 6 volumes of short stories, a number of awards, and hundreds of positive reviews. The dream is alive.
Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/
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