I’m pleased today to give you a peek inside The Lady’s Mission by Mary Davis, the next book in The Quilting Circle series of historical romance!
THE LADY’S MISSION by Mary Davis
SERIES: The Quilting Circle #5
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Mountain Brook Ink
RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2022
PAGES: 303
When the main door to the workshop creaked open a fraction, [Lamar] stepped into the shadows but kept a view of the level below.
Cordelia squeezed through the opening.
His eyes had adjusted to the dim interior, but it would take several minutes before hers did.
What was she doing here? Should he call to her? He was about to but halted upon hearing the voices of two or more of the tenacious Moseley young ladies milling about.
Cordelia glanced around frantically. Apparently, she’d heard the Moseleys too, so she must have come to hide from them as he had. She hurried to the large wicker basket he would use on his hot air balloon and hoisted herself to a sitting position on the rim. When she lifted her legs, presumably to climb in, she tumbled back in a heap. With no time to right herself before the others entered, she pulled her feet down and dragged the layers of her dress on top of herself.
She resembled a lump of frilly laundry.
When the entry door opened fully, he stepped deeper into the shadows but where he could keep watch on the drama—or comedy—about to ensue.
All three Moseley girls scuttled through the door. After glancing around, they all heaved a sigh in unison as though they were one. Couldn’t they have an independent thought?
The younger of the two sisters said, “He’s not here.”
“That servant assured us he would be here.” The cousin.
The older sister spoke now. “Father will see to it the servant is properly reprimanded.”
“Where do you think he could be?”
“Maybe he went to the stables?”
“Let’s go.” The trio left.
That was a close call. Time to head down and let Miss Cordelia know she hadn’t gone completely unseen.
Cordelia listened intently for any sign that the Moseley girls had changed their minds and decided to take another perusal of this building. Their voices drifted into the distance. Fortunately, this oversized basket was lined with canvas so they hadn’t been able to see her through the gaps between the weaves.
Time to unfurl herself from this uncomfortable position. Placing her palms on the wooden floor, she pushed herself up slightly but froze. Was that a footstep from within the workshop? She listened.
Whistling suddenly flitted through the air.
Someone was still in here? Who? It couldn’t be any of the Moseleys. Had Lamar Kesner been in here after all? It had to be him. She remained perfectly still as the whistling progressed closer.
Please don’t see me.
The footsteps came nearer.
Holding her breath, she dared to peer through a grommet in the canvas lining.
Lamar’s profile hovered just beyond the wicker. He moved away.
She slowly released the air in her lungs.
He seemed to be walking about the area. An occasional tool clinked to punctuate the tune. How long would she have to remain crumpled like this before he left?
He ventured closer again, leaned his backside against the basket, and poked his elbows out to rest on the lip of it.
She didn’t dare breathe.
He spoke. “How long are you going to remain there?”
Who was he talking to? Was someone else present?
He spun around and gazed straight down at her. “What possible reason could you have to hide from that trio of charming ladies?”
He obviously knew she was in here the whole time.
Her embarrassment slipped right into indignation, and she extended her arm. “Be a gentleman and assist me.” She giggled as he would expect that.
“First tell me why you were hiding.”
“Who said I was hiding?” She gave a goofy smile. “I lost my balance and toppled in.”
He pointed to the second level. “I saw you from there. You definitely climbed in on purpose. Granted, your tumble inside was less than graceful.”
And he’d merely watched? She gritted her teeth. “Oh, just help me out of here.”
He chuckled.
“Never mind. I’ll do it myself.” She shifted around onto her hands and knees and stood. Then, backing to the edge opposite him, she hopped onto the lip.
Like before, she tottered on the rim.
Lamar hurried to the other side. As she lost her battle for balance, he caught her. “Whoa, there.” With one arm around her waist, he tucked his other behind her knees and lifted her. After a few seconds, he lowered her feet to the ground but didn’t remove his arms.
Standing in his embrace for a long moment, she enjoyed his gray gaze. His steely eyes exuded power and strength that seemed to hold her captive. She couldn’t let this man get entangled in her thoughts, so why couldn’t she pull away? She wanted to, didn’t she?
Mary Davis, The Lady’s Mission
Mountain Brook Ink, © 2022. Used by permission.
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Other Books in This Series
Bestselling, award-winning author Mary Davis has over forty titles under her belt in both historical and contemporary themes and all featuring a little to a lot of romance. She’s had characters running around in her head as long as she can remember but never considered being an author until adulthood. Her first two novels were published in 2000, and she has been going steady ever since. She strives to glorify the Lord with her stories and show God’s love. She’s been married for thirty-eight years, has three adult children, three adorable grandchildren, and a geriatric Norwegian forest cat. When she’s not writing, you can find her doing one kind of craft or another.
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Mountain Brook Ink is offering an ebook copy of The Lady’s Mission – or any other (1) ebook in The Quilting Circle series by Mary Davis to one of my readers! (Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What makes you want to read The Lady’s Mission by Mary Davis?
I would love to read this book. I have read 2 of the books in this series and loved them.
that’s great!
nice excerpt