Danielle’s
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(group member since May 19, 2014)
Danielle’s
comments
from the Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group group.
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Adriyanna wrote: "1. Romance is somewhat important to me, I mean it's unrealistic for zero romance to exist but I like when it's separate from the plot. I didn't mind that (at least to me) very little romance happen..."I also like a few steamy scenes ;-)
Jen wrote: "1. I love stories with romance laced throughout them, but as long as their is a teeny tiny smidgen of romance, then I am good. I love looking for those hidden actions that may or not lead to someth..."Hi Jen,
Sabine sure isn't a fan of Tristan, but they do develop their own sort of relationship as time goes on. She never cuts him any slack, which was one of the things I liked most about writing her.
Brittani wrote: "1. I REALLY like romance, but it's not completely necessary. One of my favorite series, the Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell, has no romance in it and I recommend it all the time (it's super great an..."Hi Brittani!
I'll have to put it on my to-read list! Connections and relationships between characters, whether they be romantic or otherwise, are really important to creating depth in a story, imho.
Ashley wrote: "1. While I do enjoy romance in my stories, I tend to become bored if that’s the sole focus of the story. I like it more when there’s a little bit of everything. I don’t mind so much if the romance ..."Hi Ashley,
Great answer to #5! That's crazy that you have troll nightmares. I was terrified of gremlins when I was a kid because one of my cousins showed me the movie...
One of the sales pitches I often hear for Stolen Songbird is that Tristan is to trolls like David Bowie was to goblins in the movie Labyrinth :)
Katie wrote: "Danielle Jensen Discussion Questions1. I like for romance in a novel to MEAN something. If it's forced, I don't want it. If it's there just for the sake of having romance, nope nope nope. But a g..."
Hi Katie,
As much as possible, I try to give my villains backstories or reasons for them being evil (or doing evil things). They must have motivation. The end of Hidden Huntress reveals Anushka's motivations for her actions, and Warrior Witch does the same for the other villains, particularly the King.
Kelsea wrote: "1. I don't think a romantic plotline is all that important to me as long as the story line is interesting. I really enjoyed the Queen of the Tearling and that really doesn't have much of a romantic..."Hi Kelsea,
I am actually reading Queen of the Tearling right now and am LOVING it! I'm about 2/3 through and no romance yet, but I'm hoping there will be some with the Fetch :D
Perla wrote: "1. Romance is an essential element to my reading. I'm a romantic through and through. Sure it isn't uncommon for me to read a book with little or no romance, but I need it. It doesn't bother me w..."
Hi Perla,
I figured you for a romantic ;-) And I hope the big romantic scene was worth the wait :)
Melissa wrote: "1. I love romance in my books, generally because I'm always scouting for another book boyfriend to add to my ever-growing pile *pets bbfs adoringly* and the swoons I get makes other dark moments in..."Hi Melissa,
I can just imagine your face when you read that scene ---- WHY WHY ISN'T THIS GOING WELL? WHERE IS MY ROMANCE? ;-)
Lillian wrote: "1.) Romance in a book is nice, and I wouldn't mind if it wasn't the main focus. In fact, I sometimes prefer if it's on the side, because the romantic problems seem to bother me a lot more than the ..."Hi Lillian,
Not me! Hee hee, I like a good tortured romance :D My work in progress has two romances, and the one with less drama has been so much harder for me to write.
Chapter 43 Cécile wakes up and Tristan is already out of bed. He tells her something has changed in Trollus because he hasn’t heard from his father. Cécile decides they need to find the necklace and they send Chris out to find the man she sold it to. Sabine is also out trying to learn if anyone has connected Esmeralda’s body to Tristan and Cécile.
While they wait, they start to discuss Anushka’s affair with King Alexis, and Tristan reveals details about Alexis’s wife, Queen Lamia. She survived her husband’s murder, but went mad, and her son had to kill her. There is a knock on the door and Sabine comes in. Esmeralda’s body is gone and someone tried to cover it up, but they did a very poor job. Before they can figure out who could have helped them, Chris enters as well. He found the stockman, but the necklace was sold an hour before he arrived. It was sold to a woman who was riding in a carriage with the Regent’s colors. An invitation to Lady Marie’s Longest Night ball (where Cécile will be performing) has also arrived for Tristan, and Chris notes that this is no coincidence.
The invitation is addressed to Tristan using his royal titles, confirming Chris’s supposition. All of them know it’s a trap. As Cécile is staring at the invitation, she realizes that the party is on the solstice and that there will also be a full moon. It is a night perfect for powerful magic, and Cécile looks at the list of dead women again. She wonders if there is a connection between the deaths, the Solstice and the full moon. None of them are knowledgeable enough about astronomy to know how often the two events are simultaneous, but there is one person they know who is: Pierre. But that requires them going back to Trollus. When Tristan says there’s no way for her to get past all of the guards, Chris reminds him that there is a third entrance to the underground city.
Chapter 44
Before they make their way to Trollus, they disguise Cécile as a half-blood. Tristan takes her out over the rock fall covering the city, then, concealing her with magic, lowers her into the moon hole. Despite her fear, she is reminded of how beautiful Trollus is. She notices the Dregs have been barricaded, and she wonders what is going on. Once she is on the ground she notices that there is tension in the city, everyone sticking in close groups and giving other groups wide berth.
When she reaches Pierre’s home, he is happy to see her. He tells her that after Tristan left, the half-bloods went to the King to demand their autonomy and for him to reinstate Tristan as the heir. When he refused to receive them, the half-bloods stopped working and barricaded themselves in the Dregs. Violence has broken out between those for and against half-blood autonomy, and many have been killed. After giving her all of the news, Pierre asks her why she came. She explains her theory about the solstice and the full moon. Pierre confirms her theory that her ancestors all died on nights where the solstice aligned with the full moon, and she realizes that tomorrow night Anushka will try to kill her mother. Then there is a knock on the door.
Someone has seen Cécile go into his home, and since they assume she is a half-blood, they intend to cause trouble for Pierre. He tells her to go sneak out on the top floor. She starts to refuse, but he reminds her that it was only a matter of time before they came for him, he never hid his support for Tristan. Frantic, Cécile tries to come up with a solution to save him. He tells her that his life is not as valuable as hers and tells her to go. Once she has escaped, the home explodes and she blames herself for her friend’s death.
She doesn’t have much time to think about it however, because she runs directly into Roland. He has just killed a half-blood. He looks ready to come after Cécile, but the Duke arrives. Assuming she is a half-blood, he orders Cécile to bring the box that the dead half-blood had been carrying. She grabs the knife that Roland left on the ground before she follows them.
Once they arrive, Angoulême starts to lecture Roland and asks Cécile to leave. She knows she should go immediately, but she stays to listen to the conversation. But someone comes up behind her.
Chapter 45
It is Lessa, still disguised as Anaïs. Lessa grabs Cécile by the throat, intending to kill her, but Cécile uses her own power and fights back. She remembers the knife she took from Roland and she uses it to perform the spell to bind Lessa’s magic. When she has a clear shot she rams the knife between Lessa’s ribs. She yells that Roland has injured Lady Anaïs and uses the confusion to get away. But she doesn’t get too far before they realize it’s her.
She is lifted by magic over a wall as she is running. Elise saw Cécile go into Pierre’s home and recognized her mannerisms – she has come to help. They switch cloaks after Elise explains that no one will harm her since she belongs to the Duchesse and the Queen. As Cécile is running to the spot where Tristan will lift her out of Trollus, she hears Elise scream. Tristan pulls her out, protecting her from the attacks of Angouleme and his men. Once out, she breaks down into tears as she tells him everything.
Chapter Summaries Chapter 36
Tristan carries Cécile up to her room with magic. The iron rot inflicted by the manacles is agonizing, and he wonders if he will ever heal completely. The idea that he may never be able to touch Cécile without feeling pain breaks his heart. Once he lays her down on the bed, he examines her more closely. Her health has declined – he can see it in her face.
He decides to wander around the house to learn more. After some snooping in her mother’s room, he finds the letters Cécile’s father sent to her mother, begging her to come join them in the Hollow. Tristan isn’t sure what to think about Genevieve. When he goes downstairs he finds an office with an iron safe. He unlocks it, and discovers information revealing that Genevieve is an exceptionally wealthy woman and that she is a majority owner of the opera house. Cécile has never mentioned this information, and Tristan wonders what other secrets Genevieve is keeping.
Putting everything back where he found it, Tristan goes upstairs. He pulls a small book out of his pocket that he retrieved from Catherine’s body. It’s a grimoire with a map and a paper with Cécile’s handwriting tucked inside. Cécile awakes, and she explains how all of those women are related to her. It is then that Tristan comes up with a plan to lure Anushka to them by becoming Cécile’s patron.
Chapter 37
Tristan goes to meet Chris, as they’d planned, but is troubled by the bright sun, which hurts his eyes. Chris teases him about his watery eyes, and they banter, their friendship growing. Using the carriage and horses Chris has procured, they travel to meet with Tristan’s father. As Tristan approaches the entrance to the River Road, he senses his father’s presence and keeps his distance. The King wants to know how close Cécile is to finding Anushka. Tristan doesn’t reveal everything Cécile has told him about her hunt, but he does tell his father that he intends to be bait to draw Anushka out. His father’s reaction tells Tristan he doesn’t like the idea, but he reluctantly agrees to provide the gold Tristan requires.
Chapter 38
The plan is in motion and Cécile plays her part. She is in a fitting and waiting to hear from Sabine. The seamstresses are measuring her and they mention that Cécile has lost quite a bit of weight. Cécile knows it is due to the promise she made the King. Sabine finally arrives and whispers in her ear that Chris and Tristan have arrived at the hotel. Cécile feigns excitement and tells Sabine to set up a meeting with the man who has arrived in town, knowing it will make the seamstresses curious.
As soon as Sabine leaves, the seamstresses start asking question about who Cécile is talking about. Cécile makes a big show of talking Tristan up, suggesting that he is a very rich man looking for a wife with title and how she spent time with him during her summer in Courville (which is the lie about where she was during her time in Trollus). When the seamstress asks his name, Cécile hesitates. Revealing his name will make him a target for Anushka. Before she can say anything, Genevieve arrives, and having overheard the conversation, presses for the mystery man’s identity. Cécile is uneasy as she reveals Tristan’s name, knowing that there is no going back now.
Chapter 39
Tristan and Chris are in a suite at a fancy hotel. Chris makes himself at home eating desserts. Tristan has trunks full of gold and he tries to offer some to Chris as recompense. At first he refuses, but Tristan insists as Chris is putting himself in danger to help them. In this moment, Tristan realizes he has come to trust Chris.
Sabine comes in and tells them that the plan has been set in motion. She also tells them that Genevieve has returned. Tristan can tell that Sabine is uncomfortable around him. She doesn’t hold in her feelings for very long and starts telling him how much she hates what he has done to her friend. Chris tries to calm her down, but it doesn’t do much good. They are interrupted by a knock at the door. Chris goes to answer it and returns with several invitations to dinner parties. Unsure of which to accept, Tristan looks to Sabine for advice. She tells him to accept Monsieur Bouchard’s (a banker) party invitation. Tristan agrees and then asks Sabine to tell him everything he needs to know about his hosts.
Chapter 40
Chris and Tristan are on their way to the party and Chris is nervous about pretending to be a manservant, both of them wishing Sabine could’ve done the duty. Tristan enters the party feeling completely out of place. But despite his discomfort he manages to be the talk of the party. He plays his part well by dancing with the young women and talking business with the men.
While he is playing cards he is accused of counting, which he is. Rather creating trouble, he folds. That is when Genevieve comes in, much to the delight of all the men there. She is intrigued by Tristan and strikes up a conversation with him, which makes him uncomfortable. He goes to get her a drink and they talk by the fire together. When he mentions how lovely Cécile’s voice is, her glass breaks. Tristan is having a hard time reading her reaction. He can see however, that Genevieve doesn’t have much concern for her daughter’s well being beyond how it impacts her. She tries to pry more information from him about Cécile’s disappearance, and he tells her that only Cécile can answer those questions.
As the conversation continues, Tristan tells Genevieve he would like to be a patron to Cécile. Genevieve doesn’t seem to like the idea but he has no idea why. They are interrupted when a servant comes over to tell Tristan that his manservant has passed out drunk. Relieved to have an exit, he leaves with Chris. Once they’re in the carriage, the extremely intoxicated Chris tells him what everyone thinks. Most people believe that he is here to rekindle a love affair with Cécile and frivolously spend his father’s money. After he delivers the news, Chris throws up in the carriage as they make their way back to the hotel.
Chapter 41
Cécile is at home when she receives her first invitation from Tristan. He asks her to accompany him to a ballet. Although the note is for show, Cécile enjoys the idea that she is being courted. Her mother asks her if she is actually considering accepting the invitation, and is angry when Cécile says that she is. Genevieve warns her that she has met Tristan. He’s the type of person who will break her heart. Cécile ignores her mother’s warnings and Sabine helps her get ready for the night out with Tristan.
Genevieve answers the door when Tristan arrives, and after a bit of chit-chat, they depart. As they are on their way to the carriage, he tells her how beautiful she looks. Once they are in the carriage with Bouchard and the other men, Cécile has to remind herself to not give into her emotions. She feels a very strong desire for Tristan even from the slightest touch, and wonders if he’ll take her back to the hotel afterwards.
When they arrive at the ballet, they secretly hold hands as the performance begins. Her lust for Tristan is the only thing that is distracting her from her compulsion to find Anushka. At intermission, they both head out to see who has attended the performance. Tristan becomes angry when he realizes Aiden is in the crowd with Fred in tow.
Aiden asks to speak with Tristan and Cécile privately. When they are alone in the box, Cécile and Fred have heated words. He tells her that his actions were motivated by a desire to help her. When she accuses him of being motivated by anger that she wasn’t behaving the way he wanted, just like their mother, he reveals that it was Genevieve who created the conflict when she asked for him to side with her against his father. Aiden angrily demands why Cécile and Tristan killed Catherine, seemingly unconvinced when they explain it wasn’t them. Aiden threatens to kill the entire troll race. Those comments make Tristan angry and he attacks Aiden with magic. Cécile stops him, recognizing that Aiden is baiting them. She tells Aiden to leave immediately or she’ll cast an uncomfortable spell on him as punishment.
Tristan’s mood changes after the incident. Cécile can see that he’s worried about the fate of his people. After the performance, they go to the foyer to meet the dancers, and Tristan notices the portraits of Cécile’s ancestors. He asks what Cécile what she did with her necklace, as maybe it would work for a tracking spell. She tells him she sold it to a passing merchant for coin, but Tristan sees through her lie and is angry she isn’t telling the truth. Finally, she snaps and tells him that it bought her the ox she used to set him free. She walks away, upset that the night has gone poorly. Outside, a familiar voice greets her, but when she turns to the individual, she finds a pistol pointed at her head.
Chapter 42
Esmeralda stands before Cécile ready to shoot her. When Cécile asks why, the woman tells her that her debt has been called due. Esmeralda fires the gun. Cécile expects to feel the pain and blood, but she doesn’t. Tristan arrived just in time to stop the bullet with magic, but he has also a killed Esmeralda, his power having punched a massive hole through her chest. Tristan is wracked with guilt once he realizes what he has done. Cécile slaps him to pull him out of shock, then drags him from the scene before they can be caught.
Tristan is angry with himself for killing Esmeralda, and Cécile decides to go back to his hotel with him whether he wants her to or not. After he discards his bloody clothes, he tells Cécile that he could have stopped the woman without killing her. But he thought that it was Anushka and his instinct was to kill her. He asks her if she regrets their relationship. Cécile thinks back on everything they have gone through and she knows she doesn’t. She loves him, and knows she always will. She tells him she forgives his actions.
She goes to Tristan, seeing the scars from when he was whipped and from the manacles his father kept on him. But when she touches them, he pulls back. He doesn’t understand how she can stand to look at him. Cécile unfastens her dress to show him the scar that now runs along her ribcage. She asks him if her scar will make him stop loving her. He immediately says no. He tells her the scar is a reminder of how much she can endure and survive. Only the top of her body is exposed, and as Tristan takes hold of the fabric of her shift, she thinks he intends to cover her back up. Instead, he removes the garment. They start to kiss and Tristan tells her that he doesn’t want to wait anymore; they have almost lost each other too many times. He asks her if this is what she wants, and she says yes.
INFO ON WARRIOR WITCH SKYPE CHATS https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...Discussion Questions
1. Sex in YA is pretty common, but every author handles it differently. Some have it happen off screen, while some get pretty explicit. When I was writing Tristan and Cécile’s first time, I tried to find middle ground. As a reader of YA, how do you prefer sex scenes be handled?
2. Tristan and Chris develop a pretty solid friendship in this novel, and I really enjoyed writing their banter. Do you have some favorite friendships in novels/TV/movies?
3. Tristan disguises himself as a rich young man looking for a wife in order to bait Anushka. Do you think he had other motivations for choosing that particular plan other than the goal of finding her?
4. Pierre tells Cécile that her life is more important than his, and Cécile allows him to sacrifice himself to save her own life. Likewise with allowing Élise to put herself in danger. How did you feel about her decisions? Would you have done the same?
5. Tristan killed Esmeralda believing she was Anushka. Did that cause you to believe that he now wanted the trolls free of the curse, or did you think it was just something that happened in the heat of the moment?
I flipped through the pages detailing balances in her accounts, investments, and property holdings. She owned no less than sixty percent of the Trianon Opera House, and parts of several of the smaller houses in the city. All of it was held through a company of which she was the sole owner, the fact of which seemed to be hidden by layers of lawyers and paperwork. Nearly all of it she inherited from her mother – Cécile’s grandmother – who had owned it all as far back as the records went. Genevieve was filthy rich, even by my standards, yet she pretended to be entirely dependent on the Marquis for money. Which begged the question of why?When Cécile first came to Trollus, I’d had her mother thoroughly investigated by those in my employ, and none of them had turned up this information. Which meant it was an extremely well-guarded secret. So well-guarded, in fact, that her own daughter didn’t even know.
I bit my lip, thinking of how Cécile would react to learning about her mother’s hidden wealth. She’d told me a bit about her modest upbringing, about how she’d never had more than two dresses at a time before coming to Trollus, about how her whole family laboured to run the farm. Though she’d never admitted it, I knew there would have been bad years when she and her family had gone without. How would she feel to learn that during the times she’d gone hungry, her own mother had been hoarding her wealth in secret like a blasted dragon would.
The front door slammed, making the whole house shudder.
“Madame,” I heard the maid say, “We did not expect you.”
“Shit,” I swore. Cécile’s mother was home.
“Where is Cécile?” There was an edge to Genevieve’s voice.
“Gone for her fittings, Madame. She left late this morning.”
“Good.”
“Madame,” The girl’s voice was shaky. “There is a ghost in the house playing tricks. Locking us in and out of rooms. Fussing with the drapery.”
“Nonsense!” Genevieve snapped. “And if I hear any more such talk from you, ghosts will be the least of your concerns.”
Heels thudded against the wooden floor, coming my direction. My fingers shaking, I shoved the ledgers and papers back into their places in the safe, shutting it even as I heard her hand land on the handle of the door. My heart racing, I let my light blink out, pressed my back against the wall, and cloaked myself in magic.
The door swung open, and Genevieve stepped inside. I was immediately struck by the resemblance between her and Cécile: both had long crimson curls, ivory skin, delicate features, although Genevieve was taller and more filled out in form. I held my breath as she passed by on her way to the safe, only a few inches of space between her and the magic concealing me. If she so much as lifted her hand, it would pass through the illusion, and I would be caught.
Genevieve set the lamp she carried on top of the safe, the light illuminating her face. Her eyes looked puffy and bruised as one who has gone a long time without sleep, and her mouth was stretched tight into a thin line. Her fingers swiftly turned the dial on the safe right, then left, then right until a soft clunk marked it as open. She shoved the ledgers aside, showing none of the caution or care I’d expected of one who kept such meticulous records, and from behind them, she extracted a small, leather-bound book. Tucking it into the satchel she carried, she slammed the safe closed. Snatching up the lamp, she wheeled around towards the door. The force of her motion made her cloak fly out, and it swept through my illusion, brushing against my knees. I flinched, my heart hammering as I waited for her to notice.
But she did not pause.
One hand reached out for the handle of the door, and then she froze. Sweat ran down my back as I watch the skin on her bare arm prickle up with goose bumps. Her breath caught, making a soft little noise. Then her head turned, and before I could think of anything to do, she looked right at me.
If you haven’t read the end of the novel, don’t read this spoiler.
(view spoiler)
This is an example of a scene I partially deleted and partially repurposed, pulling chunks and using them in different places throughout the novel. This scene originally was placed after Cécile leaves for her dress fittings, but before Tristan goes to meet Chris so they can go see the King. The second Cécile was gone, I jammed the door shut against the intrusive maid and started towards the glow framing the curtained window. It was alluring. It was terrifying. My fingers lingered on the lavender velvet while I worked up the nerve to let in the sun.
All I saw was light, and it burned. Burned like hot pokers were pressing into my eye sockets, making them flood with tears. I clapped a hand over my eyes, letting the curtain fall back into place as I backed away from the daylight. Perhaps the human myth that trolls turned to stone when exposed to sun was not so far from the truth. For all we’d been born and bred from Summer, five hundred years caged under the mountain had exacted its toll. We were well and truly creatures of darkness now.
Sitting down at Cécile’s desk, I rested my head against the wood and closed my eyes, trying to block out the glowing haze that still obscured my vision. As it faded, it was replaced by the memory of me running down the River Road, faster than the water surging next to me. As fast as I had ever run, as though speed might somehow tear me through the barrier that had bound my people for so long. Terror had lurked deep in my chest as I approached the invisible divide between our world and the outside, knowing it would hurt when I hit it, and knowing that I would do it again and again, with magic and fist until my heart stopped. In that moment, I’d never loved or hated Cécile more, because in one simple command, she’d found a way to end us.
But the curse hadn’t stopped me.
I’d felt it snatching and grabbing at me, trying to hold me back. But something stronger pulled me through, and then I was stumbling, falling onto the sand of the beach. Rolling onto my back, I’d looked up at the night sky, more vast, open, and unending than anything I could ever imagine. Astonishment and wonder had rendered me immobile as I stared up at the tiny pinpricks of light scattered across the sky, their number and brilliance growing as I watched.
It was my father’s voice that had pulled me back to reality, the edge of panic in it. “Tristan?”
I’d sat up, watching as an expression I’d never seen swept across his face. Joy. “Go find her,” he shouted, and suddenly I was running.
He meant Anushka, I knew, but even if Cécile hadn’t called my name, it would have been her I’d gone to first. Like we were attached by a silken string, I was drawn in her direction, my passage down the dark road and into the city a blur I barely remembered. Even before I was close enough, I swore I could hear her singing, the crystal sound of her voice in my ears as I’d walked through the empty theatre and found her sitting on the stage, surrounded by flowers. There were moments in life that burned themselves into memory, forever vivid in the mind’s eye. For me, seeing her again on that stage was one of them.
A commotion outside the bedroom door caught my attention. “It’s stuck. Jammed shut!”
I listened to the two women shove at the door while I polished off the rest of the food on the tray, retrieved the rest of my clothes, and ensured any evidence I’d been here was hidden or erased. Then I let them in.
Blind to my presence, both women stumbled into the room. “Ain’t that the darndest thing,” the second woman said, opening and closing the door half a dozen times.
“She had a man in here last night, mark my words,” the first declared, eyes searching the room for evidence of her claim.
“How do you know?” the other asked. Judging from the flour dusting her apron, she was the cook. “Did you see him?”
“Didn’t need to.” The maid tapped her temple with one finger. “I’ve a sixth sense for that sort of thing. And besides, I don’t know why you’re surprised. Given the way her own mother carries on with the Marquis, it was bound to happen. The apple does not fall far from the tree, they say.”
The cook wrinkled her nose. “All those opera girls are naught but coquettes, the lot of them. How else can they afford to sleep ‘til noon and stay out half the night. Not a one of them knows a thing about honest hard work.”
I scowled at their ignorance over how hard those girls likely worked at their art.
“Only thing to do is to close the opera houses down,” the maid declared. “Force those girls to get real work where they aren’t tempting all the men in the city out of their coin.”
Or pay them what their talents are worth so they don’t have to, I thought, walking out the door on silent feet so that I didn’t have to hear any more of their spiteful gossip. I slammed the door behind me, smiling at their yelps of surprise.
The rooms next to Cécile’s were devoid of anything but furniture, but at the end of the hallway, I found the master chambers belonging to her mother. The curtains were mercifully shut, and jamming the door so it wouldn’t open, I availed myself of the cooling bathwater to get rid of the prior day’s filth.
Genevieve de Troye’s room was very much a boudoir, decorated with ornate furniture, plush burgundy fabrics, and artful clutter. The walls were covered in paintings of women in repose, many of them work I recognized as having originated in Trollus, and all of it expensive. Trinkets of glass and porcelain filled the tabletops, and a stack of gilt embossed books sat next to a chair by the fire. I knew well enough how little an opera singer – even a star – was paid, and it came nowhere near close to enough to pay for all this opulence. Her benefactor was the Marquis, well known to be a patron of the arts, and he must be generous indeed to endow her with all of this.
Cécile had only rarely spoken of her mother, and I’d never been able to decide whether she loved the woman to the point of adoration, or hated her. Having never met Genevieve, my opinions were all based on hearsay, but what I’d heard, I hadn’t liked. Past and current behaviour suggested she was at the least, selfish, and at the most, a narcissist. But that might all be a front, an image cultivated to fit the perceptions of how an opera star should behave. From what I knew, she’d risen from common stock and modest means, which suggested that there was more to her than what the gossipmongers whispered. I was curious about her, and I wanted to know more about the woman who held such a hold over my headstrong wife.
I began to rifle through cabinets and drawers, making certain I left everything as it had been. I found little of interest other than stacks of love letters from would-be suitors and pages of badly written poetry in what looked like a man’s hand. Her closets were full to the brim with expensive clothes, shoes, and all accoutrements a wealthy woman was likely to own, the whole of it dominated by a spicy perfume that tickled at my nose. The drawer in the bedside table I opened, immediately closed, then opened again, my curiosity stronger than my moral fibre as I assessed the collection of silken cords, feathers, and bits of lace. Interesting.
It was only as I was about to close the drawer again that I noticed something was off about the depth of the space. A quick inspection showed me how to pop the false bottom up, revealing a stack of age darkened letters hidden beneath. It was a clever place to hide something from high-minded servants, I thought, listening to the sounds of the two trying to pry open the door while swearing that the very house had turned against them.
Turning my attention back to the letters, I skimmed through them. They were from Cécile’s father to her mother, all written in the five year period following their separation, and each and every one of them pleading with her to come join her family. Questions as to why she changed her mind about accompanying him. Words begging her to come to Goshawk’s Hollow, describing how much he and their children missed her. Desperate sentences explaining that he would sell the farm and bring the children back to Trianon if only she would answer his letters. In the last year, they decreased in frequency, but the plea never changed right up to the point they stopped. Was that when she finally answered him, I wondered? Was that when she said no? Or, after five years of pleading, had he finally realized it was hopeless? And what did it mean that she had kept these letters all these long years? Were they trophies like the love letters I’d found, or deep down, did Genevieve de Troyes really care?
I thought about taking the letters to show to Cécile, but something stopped me. How could seeing written evidence of her father’s unanswered pleas to her mother do anything but hurt her? She had enough to deal with without me digging up old wounds.
Replacing the letters in their hiding place, I cloaked myself in magic and let the door open. The two servants hesitantly entered, faces uneasy. I waited until they were over by the bath before exiting, catching the handle with a bit of magic on my way by so that it slowly shut behind me. Then I secured it shut, enjoying the shouts of dismay when they realized they were locked in.
Downstairs, I wandered through the great room, the parlour, the kitchen, and even poked my head in the cellar before releasing the magic holding them in and stepping inside the small, windowless study I found under the stairs. The women’s feet pounded down the steps above me, and I grinned when they shrieked at discovering all the draperies were closed. Expanding my ball of light, I started going through the contents of the desk, sorting through uninteresting correspondence, invitations to parties, sheaves of opera music, and stacks of bills, all of which she seemed to pay on time. Then my eyes lighted on a small safe bolted to the floor in the corner. It was made of solid steel with a modern looking combination bolt. I was loath to put my ear against the toxic metal, but there was nothing else for it if I want to get inside. Ignoring the itching burn, I listened for the sounds of the tumblers falling as I slowly rotated the dial, and within moments, I had it open. I’d expected to find jewellery, but instead my eyes landed on stacks of ledgers. I began flipping through them, my jaw all but falling open at what I found.
Genevieve de Troyes was a wealthy woman in her own right.
Nicole wrote: "1. It is pretty important, as the romance often is one of the things that keep me reading. But I usually don't like it when the romance is all that matters, probably because I like reading fantasy ..."Hi Nicole
Great answer to #4. While Cecile probably wasn't excited at the prospect of admitting she was descended from the witch who cursed Tristan's people, I think she was more worried about what he'd choose to do with the information. And whether he'd consult her in those plans. She knows her mother is at risk, and I think she's a bit afraid that Tristan won't prioritize saving her mother in the same way that she would. Especially given his resistance to freeing the trolls.
Erika (The Nocturnal Fey) wrote: "1. It depends for me. Well, I mean, for high fantasy, for me romantic plotline is just a bonus entertainment. If the main plot of the story is great, it won't become less of how great it is just be..."Hi Erika,
I adore you for inserting such awesome photos into your answer! Yes! Perfect answer - Sabine was expecting Tristan to be a creature she could pity. If his life was horrible, she could understand why he (and the trolls) did what they did to Cecile. But instead she meets a boy who is beautiful, powerful, and privileged, and all that pity goes out the door. It isn't until later that she understands that life for Tristan and the trolls is really kinda shitty, but even then, she never cuts Tristan much slack. Which is probably good for him.
Mi-Mi wrote: "1. It really depends on what the characters are like in a certain book. If I'm reading a book and I think two characters are a good match, I'll obviously root for them, but there are books where I ..."Hi Mi-Mi
That's an interesting point about unnecessary romance. I actually know a few authors who were instructed by editors to insert a romantic plot line into their novels, and I find you can always tell when that's been done. The romance tends to fall flat.
Abby wrote: "1. I'm not going to lie, I usually require a book to have a little romance in it because for me, personally, I'm a huge romantic and I love a good love story. It doesn't bother me when the romance ..."Hi Abby!
I suspect you are not alone with having feelings about THAT. I got more than a few emails from people who were not too pleased that they didn't fall happily into each other's arms during that reunion scene.
One of the reasons I didn't go that direction was that it would have ended the romantic plot arc halfway through the novel, which was to early, imho. For the romance to remain interesting, there must be conflict, otherwise you just have a collection of sappy kissing scenes that serve no real purpose. For the first part of the novel, the romantic conflict was primarily their forced separation. At the moment of their reunion, the conflict shifts to tension between the two of them. Once that tension resolves later in the novel, the romantic plot arc is pretty well complete, and thus much less of a focus for the rest of the series :)
Nicole wrote: "1. It's... not necessary. Like most people, I enjoy romance. I like shipping couples because it gives me something to fangirl about. BUT I have NEVER read a story where romance is the main focus. L..."Hi Nicole!
Awe, I don't believe you're heartless for one second :) I don't read romance novels very often, but I DO like a racy historical romance when I'm on a beach vacation. Warrior Witch is certainly the least romantic of the novels, but hopefully people will understand why it had to be that way :)
Pili wrote: "And YES!! I am extremely grateful that you saved the doggie! I can deal with a character death better than with a pet death!!"I think most people feel this way!
