Read Winter Blockbuster 2012 Online
Authors: Trish Morey,Tessa Radley,Raye Morgan,Amanda McCabe
It was wondrous to Anna—the way the more they were together, the more she learned about him, the more she loved him and wanted to be with him.
They drew in their horses at the crest of the hill, and as Anna caught her breath she studied the landscape before them. The summer fields were as rich and green as a velvet counterpane, promising a good harvest in the autumn. Off in the distance one way was the little village, where they often walked to visit Mary Alden. Anna could see the church spire there, the curl of smoke from the bake-shop chimney.
And the other way lay the old Carrington estate—empty and abandoned since Thomas Sheldon had been arrested and his lands seized by the Queen. The gates were closed and padlocked, but she could make out the tall brick chimneys of the grand house, the rich gardens and groves of trees.
‘It’s a pretty prospect, is it not?’ Rob asked.
‘Very pretty, indeed,’ Anna answered. ‘I think it will be hard to go back to the soot and stink of London.’
‘What if we did not have to?’
‘Did not have to?’ she said in surprise. She twisted in her saddle to look at her husband, who gave her a mischievous grin. ‘What do you mean, Robert?’
‘I have a surprise for you, wife. I received confirmation of it today, when the messenger came from London.’ He swung down from his horse and reached up to take her by the waist and lift her to the ground beside him. ‘Walk with me for a moment.’
Anna looped her arm through his and let him lead her down the other side of the hill. ‘I’m not sure I can bear any more surprises.’
‘I think you might like this one.’
‘Tell me, then, before I burst from curiosity!’ she demanded.
He had already given her so, so much. What else was there in the world she could want?
‘Walsingham has been persuaded that I should be rewarded for my good work,’ he said. ‘And he has at last agreed—I am to be given a portion of the Carrington estate.’
‘The Carrington estate!’ Anna stopped suddenly, staring down at the abandoned woods behind the locked gates.
‘Not the house, of course,’ said Rob. ‘Not that we would want the cursed place. That’s to go to some crony of the Queen’s. We are to have the hunting lodge, along with a caretaker’s cottage for your father and a portion of the farm. If we can learn to be farmers, there should be a fine living in it. And I can finish my new sonnets.’
‘This is ours? Our home?’ she whispered. ‘Is this some sort of dream?’
Rob laughed. ‘No dream, Anna dearest, and no trick, either. This is our home now, if you wish it to be. I will show you the letter for proof.’
‘I need no proof, Robert, for I feel it in my heart. This
is
our home,’ Anna said, her throat heavy with happy tears. She twirled round to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder as the fresh, sweet air of their new home wrapped around them. A beloved husband, a home, a place for them—it was all she had once thought could never be hers, and her heart was bursting with it all.
‘And we will be happy here together for always?’ she said.
Rob laughed and held her close. ‘Yes, my love. For always.’
AUTHOR NOTE
In so many ways, writing historical romance is the perfect job for a ‘nerd’ like me! I can bring in many of my history obsessions and apply them to my characters, spend hours reading history books, and watch
Shakespeare in Love
over and over and call it ‘Important Research.’ What could be better?
Anna and Rob’s story was inspired by a wonderful evening at the new Globe Theatre in London, watching a production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
. I had long been obsessed with the Elizabethan theatre, and this trip was a dream come true—the closest I could come to experiencing a play the way sixteenth century audiences did. I knew I had to write a story set in the thrilling, dangerous environs of the Elizabethan underworld, and Robert, the writer/spy—inspired in part by the brilliant Christopher Marlowe, and by the famous actor Edward Alleyn, who married the daughter of theatre impresario Philip Henslowe—jumped into my mind right away. He was so dashing, and I fell a bit in love with him myself. Sadly, I had to relinquish him to Anna …
I was able to research several aspects of Elizabethan life for Rob and Anna’s story—theatre, Sir Francis Walsingham and his espionage work, life in Southwark and other suburban
—and lawless!—neighbourhoods, and the relations between the different classes of Elizabethan London. A backstage tour of the Globe and some books purchased in their shop gave me a very good start.
I also loved looking more deeply into the life of Spymaster Walsingham—one of the many fascinating characters of the Elizabethan era. He spent his life corralling information in a time when such an endeavour seemed impossible, managing a vast network of informants and agents in an effort to keep the Queen safe. He liked to use actors—such as the ill-fated Marlowe—due to their literacy, their powers of observation, their fluid movements, both geographically and socially, and the fact they always needed money.
Walsingham died in 1590, soon after the action of this story, but I enjoyed giving him a role in this tale, as well as his daughter Frances, Lady Essex—who, despite reputedly being rather plain, married first the famous poet Sir Philip Sidney and then the Court heartthrob the Earl of Essex.
And I also loved seeing what happened to Edward and Elizabeth, whom I first met in my
Undone
short story,
To Court, Capture, and Conquer!
They set me on this journey in the first place, and I’m glad to see they are still happily in love and having adventures.
Please visit my website—http://ammandamccabe.com—for more behind-the-book history!
Table of Contents
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue