First Kiss Friday with Ruth A. Casie
Welcome back to my First Kiss Friday blog. Today I have my dear friend Ruth A. Casie returning with an excerpt from her novel The Lady and Her Quill. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies, and take it away Ruth!
Setting the Stage:
Justin had never set foot in Sommer-by-the-Sea before, but with Alicia as his guide, he felt like he was rediscovering his own heartbeat. As they meandered through the cobblestone streets, Alicia spun tales of the village’s past, each story a thread weaving the rich tapestry of the town’s history. After all, she was a renowned storyteller. There had been a kiss on the hand—oh, so chivalrous—and laughter.
Alicia brought him to the caves along the shoreline. The one they stood before was more than just a hollow in the cliffs; it was the legendary setting of ‘Margaret’s Miracle,’ a tale that had the villagers swearing by the power of love and secret tunnels.
Legend has it that a Scotsman with a heart the size of Loch Ness, whisked his bonnie lass from the clutches of a dreary dungeon by navigating the tunnels in this very cave. They say love finds a way, but in this case, it came through the tunnel
Alicia confides that as a young girl, she came here often even though her parents forbade her to enter the caves. Hiding from her sister, she fell asleep, and the tide came in. Her sister came to her aid, but only barely. Justin gives his account of tunnels and his war experience.
Are you trying to figure out where the kiss is? Read on…
Excerpt:
She turned to the sloping side of the cave. “Beatrice and I were playing on the beach. It was my turn to hide from her. She hid behind the large rocks on the beach. I came in here. If Beatrice did venture in, she would never go deep into the cave. I thought I was so clever.”
He didn’t have a good feeling about this.
“I went as far back as I dared, to the edge of the blackness.”
A chill brushed across his shoulders. He breathed deeply to quell his building unease.
“There was a boulder high on the slope. It was the perfect place to hide. The water would never come up that high.”
He let out a low groan imagining what happened.
“I sat behind the boulder and waited. I heard Beatrice calling my name walking all over the beach. As I thought, she didn’t come inside the cave and I didn’t answer when she came to the entrance. If she found me I knew she would tell Father where I hid. Eventually she went away.”
“And you came out of your hiding place,” he said.
“Not right away. I laid my head against the boulder, and waited a little longer. I listened to the rhythmic waves. It was hypnotic.”
“You fell asleep?” he asked in a wave of panic. He tamped his fear down when he realized Lady Alicia was reliving hers.
“I woke when the water soaked my feet and skirts. In a panic I made my way down the slope. When I reached the cave floor the water was up to my knees and rushing in. I had to waded in waist deep water to get to the entrance escape. Wave after wave broke on the shore. The boulders on the beach were under water. Without seeing them, I had no way to navigate to the cliff path. But I couldn’t stay where I was.” She looked up at him her breath coming in spurts, her chest heaving. “I had no choice. I set out as best I could, trying to remember where the boulders were. Each wave forced me closer to the cliff wall. Several knocked me down and tugged me away toward the sea. All I could do was get up and try again until finally, I found the path.”
As cool as it was, beads of sweat were on her forehead. Her eyes darted around wildly, looking for an escape route.
“Drenched and exhausted. I stood at the top of the cliff my legs shaking. Father found me on my way home. I tried to make nothing of my condition. I told him I was caught by a wave. He looked so concerned. I couldn’t tell him the truth and hated myself for it.
“As we made our way home. I told him I was laying on the large flat rocks on the beach and didn’t realize the tide was coming in. He scolded me good and proper. That was the first time I ever heard Father curse. You’re bloody lucky you didn’t get yourself killed. Before we reached home, I told him everything, especially how afraid I was. I think he was more afraid than I.”
“Did that stop you from going into the caves?” he asked.
She was quiet and let out a sigh.
“I’ve been to the beach often, but this is the first time I’ve been inside the cave since the incident.”
Neither of them said a word. For several moments all they heard was the crash of the waves outside the cave.
“My mother called me rambunctious,” he said. “My father called me a growing boy. I stole cakes from the kitchen, swam in the lake with my friends, and played a warrior who conquered haystacks. I was the youngest in the group, but the biggest and also the target. While I could fight, I didn’t.”
“I wish I had known you when you were a boy. Imagine the adventures we would have had.”
For a moment he was surrounded by an air of innocence tempered with strength and confidence. It was an idyllic time when he was a boy. What did he know of intrigue and war? It was a game. You pretended to kill your best friend and when it was all over, you both walked down the lane laughing ready to do it all over again the next day.
He glanced at her and smiled. She wouldn’t play the lady in distress, no not Lady Alicia. Not a squire either. She would be a warrior, a Scottish warrior woman standing beside him and not expect any special consideration. He indeed could imagine the adventures they would have had.
“You never fought?” she asked, her tone suggested she didn’t believe it.
“Finn, one of the boys kept goading me. It was one insult after another. My father had warned me that I would be picked on because of my size and taught me I was a Highland warrior’s son and had nothing to prove.”
“You withstood his abuse. I am sure that was not easy.”
“Everyone has their breaking point. I found mine when he pushed me into the well. Finn and his friends thought it was funny. At times I still hear his laugh echoing in the well as he closed the lid and left.” He gave a nervous chuckle.
“How awful. He came back and got you out, sent down a rope, or sent someone to help you.”
Justin’s eyes had a faraway look. He was back in the well.
“How I screamed, but no one came. I spent the night in the dark on a narrow ledge cold and alone. The following morning my older cousin Matthew came to draw water for the horses. He fished me out without saying a word. I was cold through and through. He wrapped me in a blanket. On the way home, I told him everything. He stood with me and told my father what had been happening. My father went into a rage.”
“What did he do?”
“We were at the mill several days later. Father was inside with the miller. Matthew stood at the door talking to the miller’s daughter. I waited in the yard not too far away when Finn and his friends arrived. He started with his name calling. I ignored him. Matthew got my attention. I’ll never forget his words. “Finish the little bastard so we can go home.” That’s the version I can tell in your company.”
“Did you?” She laughed.
“The first punch had him on his back. I lifted him and threw him into the horse trough. I turned to his friends and asked who was next. They ran down the lane.
“Father, Matthew and I went home singing. But the incident had a lasting effect. I’m still not fond of closed spaces, but when I went to war, I came face-to-face with my fear. I had no choice but to overcome it. On one campaign in Spain, I had to navigate a small cave, smaller than this one. Two of my men were held captive and I had to rescue them. There are still times when I am apprehensive.”
“I can’t imagine anything preventing you from taking action. How did you overcome your fear?” she asked.
“My men are loyal to me and I to them. I didn’t have a choice. I put one foot in front of the other. My men had no doubt I would come for them or die trying. It was never a question. They would do the same for me. I would not allow the terror stabbing my heart or the icy panic to take control.”
“I was right. Your loyalty and determination were stronger than your fear. It is commendable. Not everyone holds their values so dear.”
He gazed at her in a new light. The woman was insightful, her thoughts deep and heartfelt.
“You are brave. At first I found it too difficult to return to the beach, yet I was unhappy. I went to the cliff and stared at the rocks and sand but wasn’t able to go down the path. My father gave me a solution.”
She showed him her pendant with the tiger eye gem. “I rub the jewel. He called it a worry stone.”
She let out a slight chuckle.
“The stone is a simple device that helps me quiet my mind and look at the true nature of a situation. The stone helps me calm my fears so I can move forward. In this case, return to the beach, walk in the surf, but examining my feelings about the cave was a different matter.”
They stood in the cave quiet for several moments.
“I find it strange. I wanted you to see this place.” She looked at him. “I had no doubt nothing would happen to me if you were with me.”
She put her hand on his arm.
Surprised by the innocent gesture, he gave her a smile in return.
“Bringing you here seemed so right.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly.
She gasped but made no attempt to pull away from him.
He leaned down close, close enough for his cheeks to be bathed in her warm breath. He drove on and gently kissed her mouth.
Alicia didn’t resist. Her lips were softer than he had imagined, and sweeter. His heart pounded and a fire he hadn’t felt in a long time burned through him.
“I will not say I am sorry,” he whispered in her hair.
“You have no reason to apologize.” She nestled closer to him. “Neither of us do.”
She showed no signs of moving but rather nestled content in his arms. The stolen minutes were precious to him, but he wouldn’t compromise her.
“We had best return to your sister. She’ll begin to worry.”
“I know you’re right. It would be best.”
He released her from his arms, took her hand, and led her out of the cave.
“I’m glad you brought me here,” he said before they reached her sister. “But you must not return. Not alone.”
* * *
Alicia had been kissed before, by the baker’s son. She was thirteen and thought herself an adult. At the time she didn’t understand all the emotion and mystery associated with a kiss. To her, it was much like an old aunt kissing her, except the baker’s boy kissed her lips.
But the captain, the tenderness of his caress made her heart skitter. His deep voice was melodious and made her wonder how he would sound singing. The taste of his lips lingered and warmed her. The realization struck her that she wouldn’t have stopped him if he wanted more and if he didn’t pursue it, she would have.
No, she did not regret his kiss. Nor did she want her soothing stone to quiet her feelings. Banish these feelings? Not at all, she’d rather prolong them as long as possible.
His firm grasp and the warmth of his hand kept her emotions high. Before he released her hand, he gave her a small intimate squeeze and her heart thundered.
The Lady and Her QuillBy Ruth A. Casie
Her mind kept telling her to stop loving him, but her heart couldn’t let him go.
Renowned author Lady Alicia Hartley has lost her muse after a bad review that her heroines outshine her heroes. She blames it all on the author JC Melrose, who is mentioned in her review. A chance encounter with a handsome, witty Captain Caulfield has her heart racing and her muse seemingly back. Is the captain her savior?
The recently retired Captain Justin Caulfield is facing his own demons. He meets and falls in love with Lady Alicia. She has no idea he is the author JC Melrose. He never meant to keep his identity a secret, but she interrupts or changes the subject every time he attempts to tell her. He knows she has feelings for him, but what will happen when she finds out who he is?
“It’s very easy to get involved with our characters feelings in this historical romance. Both are right and wrong, and when they realize that the excitement and adventure really starts.” ~ Petula, Goodreads
Buy Link: Amazon
About the Author:
RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical adventures from the shores of medieval Scotland to the cobblestone streets of Regency London. Within the pages, you’ll discover ‘edge-of-your-seat’ suspense, mind-boggling drama, and heart-melting emotions featuring strong women and the men who deserve them. She currently has four historical series: The Druid Knight, The Stelton Legacy, and The Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea, and sheparticipates in The Connected World of The Pirates of Britannia as well as The Lyon’s Den Connected World.
Ruth lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms, and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at a major international bank where she was a product/marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing romance. Grab your favorite cup of tea, or an ale if you prefer, and join her heroes and heroines as they race across the pages to find their happily ever after. Ruth hopes her stories are your next favorite adventures!
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