Twin Curse
by Rinelle Grey
BLURB
Born together, wed together…
The ancient law is a curse to Brianna,
whose twin sister has fallen in love with a man Brianna can’t bring herself to
marry. To avoid disappointing her family, she fakes her death and escapes Eryvale
to hide in the dazzling city of Bymere…but the city doesn’t live up to its
promise.
Lonely and homesick, Brianna regrets her
decision until she meets Lyall, a handsome mage. Their instant bond grows
deeper, and despite knowing she can never marry him, Brianna accepts Lyall’s
offer to leave Bymere before travellers from her village discover she’s still
alive. Journeying to the exciting Isla de Magi, Brianna makes plans for a new
life and is shocked to find she possesses mage magic as well.
However, when a chilling dream warns of
an impending threat to her village, Brianna must leave the Isle and rush home
to help her sister. Soon Lyall follows, chasing after the same threat and
longing to reunite with Brianna. But can the two work together to stop the
danger? Or will Brianna be forced to choose between her love for Lyall and the
safety and happiness of her sister?
EXCERPT
Brianna threw another pitchfork full of spoilt hay into the
wheelbarrow, then glanced over her shoulder. The stable courtyard was as empty
as it had been last time she looked. When she realised what she was doing, she
scowled. She’d offered to muck out the stables this morning to avoid seeing the young man from last
night.
It would be far better for both of them if he headed off to whatever
task had brought him to the city without them seeing each other again. There
was no point pining over something that couldn’t be.
She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Though the rain of
the previous night had passed, its evidence was left behind in the form of wet,
smelly hay. There was more than enough work to keep her busy for several hours.
After a while, the monotony of the task soothed her racing mind. She
settled into a comfortable rhythm. Dig, lift, throw. Move onto the next stall,
and repeat. Dig, lift, throw. She worked without pause.
Until a voice startled her. “I thought being a serving maid was
beneath you—mucking out stables is even more so.”
His voice set her heart racing even before she glanced up and saw
the man from last night, leaning against a pole watching her. He was dressed as
neatly as the night before, a stark contrast to her muddy and smelly overalls.
She turned back to dig one more forkful of hay, trying to give herself a few
moments to calm the thumping of her heart before she turned to look at him
again.
His dark hair was a little longer than the men in her village, and
it arched in even curves on both sides of his forehead. He raised his right
eyebrow slightly, his head tilted to one side. It didn’t help her composure
any.
Leaning on the shovel, she focused on his words, not his looks.
Feeling almost defensive, she said, “Nothing is beneath me. How can you
possibly understand a job, or ask anyone to do it for you, if you have not done
it yourself at least once?”
He looked taken aback. But after staring at her blankly for a few
moments, a smile crinkled the corner of his mouth. “Wise words, beautiful
Brianna. In that case, I think perhaps it is time I gave it a go then.”
That was not what she had meant. She couldn’t imagine him mucking out
the stable in his spotless breaches and creaseless shirt.
But he was rolling up his sleeves.
“That isn’t what I meant. I…” Her voice trailed off as he came
across and took the pitchfork from her. She was too surprised to stop him.
“You’ll have to give me some instruction though. I’ve never done
this before.”
He shoved the fork into the muck, straight up, clearly proving her
point. She felt a guilty sense of satisfaction as he struggled to force it
through the thick hay. For a few moments, she watched him, too amused to offer
any help. He wriggled the fork until the prongs went into the hay a little,
then tried to lift it, but the prongs broke through the wet hay, and he ended
up with only a few strands of hay still clinging to it.
He looked over at her. “Yes, I see exactly what you mean. I realised
it was an unpleasant task, but obviously there is some skill to it that I lack.
Are you going to teach me, or are you going to stand there and laugh?”
LINKS
1 comment:
Congrats to Rinelle!
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