Forgotten No More
A Lady Forsaken,
Book Two
by Christina
McKnight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A
lady forgotten by all...
Ruby
St. Augustin must find the truth of her past to determine what her future
holds. She only has a short time in London to uncover the identity of her real
father and the secrets behind her birth. If anyone learns of her mission, she
will disgrace everyone she holds dear. What she doesn’t expect is to draw the
attention of a man who doesn’t care about his reputation or her past.
A
man mesmerized by one...
Harold
Jakeston is a man without wealth or title. Resigned to a life he loathes,
Harold has the chance at a few weeks of freedom before being trapped in a
future he wants no part of. When he’s drawn into the mysterious quest of a woman
from his past, he embraces the opportunity to forget the life that awaits him.
What he never anticipated is falling in love with a woman who ignites his
desire to create a new future for himself and for her.
A
love neither can abandon...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
London, England
January 1816
Ruby
took a deep breath before trying the final drawer that could hold all the
answers to her past, her true heritage. Her lungs expanded; she held the air
inside. She didn’t exhale until it burned. With trembling fingers, she reached
for the last drawer and pulled.
Her
nicely trimmed nails nearly snapped when her grasp on the handle slipped from
the force of her tug. The drawer hadn’t budged.
Locked!
“Oh,
poppy cocks!” she hissed. Moving her hands to the folds of her evening gown,
Ruby procured a small pouch tucked neatly into a hidden pocket. Setting it on
the desk, she pulled out her array of lock-picking devices, really only
hairpins and small wires she’d collected since her first night—and her first
failed attempt at breaking into a desk—to help her disengage the drawer.
She had
to know what secrets this lord held.
Would she find an envelope inside labelled ‘Abandoned Daughter,’ or a report
from the Bow Street Runners with details about herself—her hair color, the
particular green shade of her eyes, places she’d been, perhaps the details of
her activities over the course of her life?
Nothing worth finding was that
simply ascertained.
No man, married or not, would
leave record of their nefarious past. It was more likely her father had not
spared her, or her mother, a second thought after throwing his pregnant
mistress from his townhouse in the middle of the night with no coat and no means
to get home.
Ruby was
anything but a fool, but she found herself continuing to search regardless. She
didn’t need a signed confession—she just needed that letter opener.
Picks in
hand, she knelt before the locked drawer and eyed the keyhole, blowing a
wayward strand of hair that had fallen across her face. She’d been unsuccessful
more often than not when attempting to open locked drawers. But luck may have been
on her side this evening. She’d entered the ball with little fuss, shortly
after the host and hostess had quit the receiving line. It was surprising how
similar the layout of most London townhouses were. Ruby had navigated the halls
of the second floor and found the room she sought fairly quickly, encountering
not a soul.
The pins
slipped into the lock and her tongue darted out of her mouth to lick her lips
as she concentrated on moving them exactly right to click the lock over. She
fought to keep her hands steady when sweat broke out across her forehead. She
was running out of time.
Ruby
applied a bit too much pressure and the pin snapped, falling uselessly into the
locked drawer. “Damn you to hell, mother!” she cursed and sat back, wiping her
slick brow.
She’d
always viewed herself as a sensible girl, a dutiful daughter, and an honest
friend. She could only imagine the horror on Vi’s face if she saw her now. A common
thief. A midnight prowler. A defiler of privacy.
Although,
it could not be helped.
She
sought answers and at the moment all she had was an endless list of questions.
Gaining
her feet once more, she bundled her kit and slipped it back into her pocket.
She turned her attention to the long table against the wall behind the desk.
Leaning over, she ran her hand along the underside of the ornately carved
piece, feeling for hidden compartments or—if her luck returned—a forgotten
folder of papers.
“Sherry,
Miss Ruby?” an oddly familiar voice asked behind her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christina
McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her mother encouraged
her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since. Currently, she
focuses on Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.
Christina
enjoys a quiet life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots
of coffee. Oh, and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found
writing, reading, or traveling the great state of California.
Follow her on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CMcKnightWriter
Keep up to
date on her releases: www.christinamcknight.com
Like
Christina’s FB Author page: http://www.facebook.com/ChristinaMcKnightWriter
Add Forgotten
No More to your Goodreads List:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1Ey852b
Amazon Print - http://amzn.to/1ujssNu
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Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/1tDvaYZ
B&N - http://bit.ly/1EBFyZL
Kobo - http://bit.ly/113cnQw
Apple - http://bit.ly/1GPxGWq
Smashwords - http://bit.ly/11eXqvt
Createspace - http://bit.ly/1v0yzZ6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway:
Christina will be awarding a $25
Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner, and a $15 Amazon GC to another winner,
both via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour HERE
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeletesounds interesting, will have to pick this one up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Angie!
DeleteWhat a great and fascinating excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jane
Deletei enjoyed reading the excerpt
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Angela
DeleteI enjoyed reading the excerpt, sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI liked the suspense I felt when Ruby was trying to pick the lock on the drawer. *shiver* :-) I like a mystery or suspense with my historical romance...makes it ever so much more exciting! Thanks for the post. jdh2690@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting series.. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by Victoria :-)
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI loved the excerpt
ReplyDeleteThank You
nice cover
ReplyDelete