Blurb:
Leslie Braddock feels responsible for her husband’s death. She is having trouble reentering the dating scene. Leslie travels back in time where she meets Sir James.
Sir James Winford is a three-time widower. He believes he is cursed, and is certain death to any woman he loves. He has vowed never to love again.
Emily, the ghost of Sir James's first wife has unfinished business, and still lingers at Winford Manor. She wants to see her husband happy, and she wants to bring her murderer to justice.
Rose has loved Sir James since childhood. She must live with the unspeakable things she has done trying to make James see her as more than a child. She believes she is close to achieving that goal when Leslie shows up.
Leslie and Sir James share the experience of losing a loved one. Will Leslie be the woman to break the curse? Or will she be just another victim.
A NOTE FROM LOC GLIN:
Thank you for popping in today. The Curse of Winford Manor is an interesting story. The characters demanded that I change my original storyline. The twists and turns at the end I contribute entirely to them. I hope you like where their lives took me.
I love to read historical romance. but I find the research entirely too bothersome. While writing this story the research was both confounding and exhilarating. I learned many things and tried to incorporate some of that knowledge into the story. I hope you enjoy the end result.
If you want to read the entire 1st chapter, I will supply the link to my website at the end of the excerpt.
Excerpt:
Leslie
searched for the road that led to the Gypsy camp. What was I thinking? When
Stephanie canceled I should have just stayed home. “There it is. It’s a
wonder anyone can find it at all.” She turned onto the dirt road. It was
getting difficult to see in the fading light. Her small car found every bump in
the road. Finally, she thought as the
camp came into view. The bonfire in the middle of the camp and the music gave
the place a mysterious and exotic feel. Darkness had settled in for the night.
“Excuse me,” she said to a young boy running by.
“Where can I find the fortune teller?”
The boy stopped and smiled, showing his missing
front teeth. “She’s in the blue wagon with the stars and moons.” He pointed in
its direction before he dashed away. She was glad he added the stars and moons,
because there were three blue wagons, each wildly decorated. She parked the car
and made her way to the wagon. The people around the camp fire glanced up and
then went back to their conversation. The music never stopped. She reached up
and hesitated a moment. Maybe she should go home. She felt sort of strange. Oh
well, she was here. She pushed her reservations aside and knocked on the door.
A middle-aged woman in Gypsy garb, complete with
kerchief around the head, jewelry, and bangles, answered. “Come in,” she said
as she opened the door.
Leslie
stepped up and entered a scene straight from the movies. Heavy curtains, beads,
and ornate upholstery adorned the room. Two chairs and a table were in the
center of the room. A crystal ball and a deck of tarot cards were placed off to
the side on the table. Both sat patiently waiting for the fortune teller. Incense
burned. Its fragrance added to the ambiance of the setting.
“Have a seat,” the woman said. Her hand made a
graceful but exaggerated gesture toward the chair. “I am called Madam Galina.
You are here to have your fortune told. Yes?”
“Yes,” Leslie said as she settled into the
chair.
Madam Galina made a great show of rustling her
skirt and clinking her bangles as she passed Leslie. She settled gracefully
into her chair. She settled her skirt just so about her. “Let us get started.
Give me your hands,” she ordered. Her thick accent added to the mysterious
allure of the moment.
Leslie put her hands onto the table. Madam
Galina took first one and then the other. She examined each carefully. She
rubbed her thumb across Leslie’s open palm as if she were trying to clear away
a smudge as she examined them. She squinted and frowned. It was a few minutes
before she spoke. “You have had a loss in your life, and it makes you unhappy.”
It doesn’t
take much to guess that. “Yes.”
“One moment while I consult my crystal,” she
said as she moved her hands in circles over the crystal ball, now in the center
of the table. Madam Galina’s rings caught the light and sparkled. Her bangles
slid on her arms creating a rhythmless music all their own.
The music outside, Galina’s bangles clinking, it
all felt so contrived. How could Stephanie believe any of this?
“My crystal ball is of no use. All I can see is
fog, nothing beyond that.” Madam Galina wrinkled her brow. “Quite unusual and
disturbing I must say.”
I bet.
“Maybe the cards can clear up the mystery. May I
do a tarot card reading?” Madam Galina asked.
“Sure.”
“Please shuffle the deck.” Frowning once again,
she handed the cards to Leslie. Leslie shuffled the deck. “I’ve never seen fog
in my crystal before. What could it mean?” she mumbled as Leslie handed the
cards back to her. She then used a Tree of Life spread to read Leslie’s
fortune.
* * * *
What can I
tell this woman?
Madam Galena thought as she looked at the cards. They point to no future, but not to death. Does that mean she’ll be in
a coma? The cards about her past are clear. I can see the lost love. As for
romance, a love will come into her life, and soon, but even that is strange. Leslie
fidgeted in her seat, bringing Madam Galina’s attention back to her. “I am
sorry it has taken me so long.”
“That’s okay,” Leslie said politely. Her face
didn’t quite hide her agitation or her apprehension. “Stephanie said you were
good. Maybe this is what she meant.”
“I am sorry if I have frightened you,” Galina
apologized. “May I continue?”
“Yes.”
“I see a
man coming into your life.” That much was true. “I see a promotion at work or
possibly a change in your job. I see a change of residence.” She saw these
things, but they were jumbled, so she lied or guessed, depending on how you
looked at it. “And I see car trouble.”
“Everyone has car trouble sooner or later,”
Leslie whispered. “A tall, dark stranger?” Leslie asked sardonically.
“Actually, yes, I know it sounds cliché, but
there will be a tall man entering your life very soon. I can tell you things
about your past if you like. Some of the things I have mentioned may have
already happened. The cards indicate they have, but also that they will. Your
future is not clear enough for me to say.” At
least that is the truth.
“No, no that’s enough. How much do I owe you?”
Madam Galina looked at the cards again. In all
her years of reading fortunes, this was the first that truly puzzled her. “For
that reading I cannot charge you. I usually receive more information from the
cards. I am sorry.” She shook her head. She was puzzled and could only hope
that no harm would come to the young woman sitting across from her.
“You’re not charging me?”
“Well, if you want me to...” she said as she
stood.
“No, that’s quite all right,” Leslie put the
strap of her purse over her shoulder as she rose from the seat and moved toward
the exit. She opened the door. “Fog,” she said as she stepped outside.
Madam Galina gasped and put her hand to her
chest.
“Thank you,” Leslie said. She carefully stepped
down and out of the wagon.
“Be careful,” Madam Galina said. She made the
sign of the cross, blessing herself, and said a silent prayer.
Do you want to read the entire first chapter? Click here.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website - Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Manic Readers
Contact me @ LocGlinAuthor@gmail.com.
Buy Links:
AmazonUSA - AmazonUK - Barnes&Noble - Kobo -SirenBookStrand
A
reminder to the reader ~ before you leave be sure to take a look at the
Come
back and visit again.
