Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars promised to be a bore with some of the celebrities that were slated to appear on it [I'm not going to even name them, sorry], but my all time favorite pro, ‘little’ man Derek Hough, was still on it, and I only tuned in to watch him and his new partner, Kellie Pickler.
From week one, she took off like a rocket! I loved watching them and they made this season worth watching. They kicked off Week 1 with a cha-cha; Week 2 was a jazz routine; Week 3 was a prom-themed night; Week 4 Rumba; Week 5 foxtrot; Week 6 Stevie Wonder-themed quickstep; Week 7 Latin night samba; Week 8 trio paso doble with Tristan MacManus was amazing and one of the most controversial dances of the season (I could have fallen off my couch when Len had a major meltdown over its content and rated it a 7!); Week 9 had them do Argentine tango and it was to die for; Week 9 arrived and semi-finals had them do flamenco; and finally the Finals came and nothing, NOTHING prepared me for their free-style. Their Week 10 free-style overshadowed everything the other finalists have done. While they went all out with the ‘production’ of the free-style, Derek choreographed an amazing dance. It made you jump out and take notice. There was not a dry eye in the house.
I think they deserved the trophy and then some! Both did the best to entertain their audience from day one and I sure appreciate their efforts. Just an aside, did you know why she cut her beautiful long locks? Her pixie haircut had people talking and a lot of chicks will now want her hair cut! Apparently, she shaved her head to support cancer awareness and support a friend who was battling the disease. Such a sweetheart!
Fan or no of DWTS, please take a minute to watch their free-style. Everything worked in it, from the music [just listen to the words!] to the choreography, to the raw emotions of the dancers! WOW!
Are you a fan of the show? Have you watched it this season? Who was your favorite couple on it?
Well color me surprised times a thousand! Have you seen this coming GH fans?! I sure didn’t, and that might just be that it’s because I stopped watching GH some …oh, I don’t know…three or so years ago, around the time when Emily died.
“General Hospital” was celebrating its 50th Anniversary and I thought to ‘tune in’ and catch up with some of my favorite couples, like Sonny and Carly [no big surprise that she's not with him any more, though], Luke and Tracy [WHAT?! They're not together either?!], Patrick and Robin [OMG! Robin's dead?! How'd that happen?], Jason and Sam [WTF?! He's dead too?! HOW?!]. It looks like I’ve missed a lot and need to play catch-up.
I was surprised to find out Laura, Anna and Duke were back! I just wonder for how long. Those we favored keep coming back to whet our appetite and then they leave just as quickly, and I usually leave with them. But as much as I had fun watching the celebration, it was even more fun to play the game of ‘Who’s behind Lulu’s abduction?’. Helena was my numero uno suspect, but now she’s [and I hope for good this time] dead and that left me with… Stavros Cassadine?!
In the eighties, when I was hooked on GH, Stavros Cassadine, Helena’s spoiled brat of an heir, was obsessed with Laura. He couldn’t have her any other way, so he kidnapped her then made her to marry him. Oh, and he raped her, which is how Nikolas was conceived. Laura escaped him, leaving Nik behind in his Uncle Stefan’s care and we were sure he breathed his last as he tumbled down the stairs while fighting with Luke…No such luck!
Stavros came back to life [the first time!] after eighteen years ‘on ice’ [don’t ask, it’s a long story and my memory is fading about the whole thing, just trust me, k?]. He died again as he and Luke, once again, fought and he fell down the rabbit hole… [HA! Just checking to see if you’re paying attention] bottomless pit.
Well, it looks like he cheated death once more and I’m dying to know how does one stay alive after a fall to a ‘bottomless pit’…It looks like that pit had a bottom and Stavros didn’t hit it hard enough!
They decided to bring back the evil Dude, which meant either get Robert Kelker Kelly or cast someone else. Yesterday, I just jumped out of my seat when I saw him.
Just in case you’re not familiar with this guy, he just about played all the soap’s. I never saw him on ‘Another World‘ as Sam Fowler, but I got to see him as Bo Brady on ‘Days of our Lives‘ and he was better than the original Bo, Peter Reckell.
In 2001 he showed up as Stavros Cassadine on ‘General Hospital‘ playing Helena’s twisted son and Nikolas’ father and I thought he did a bang up job at playing ‘evil son’.
Holy shit but he changed! It took me a second to go WOW! He sure is as handsome as ever and I’m hoping he sticks around a bit longer this time…although I’m not sure if I’ll have the patience to watch it regularly. Let’s see if the writers can make this story interesting enough for me to come back to the show…
Are you a fan of GH? Do you have the patience to watch soaps and which one’s are your favorite? Do you remember RKK?
Here are some clips of 50th GH celebration. Enjoy!
…before I even begin with this post, be warned, there will be spoilers so if you haven’t watched the show at all or haven’t seen the ending of the third season, you may want to skip my post altogether…BUT, if you’ve seen all three seasons of it, I would love it if you’d put your two cents in and possibly walk me off the ledge?
I am an avid PBS supporter and my guilty pleasure has always been Masterpiece Theater, even way back when Alistair Cook was the host. I loved watching The Six Wives of Henry VIII; Elizabeth R; Poldark; I, Claudius; Upstairs, DownstairsandThe Forsyte Saga. For someone who loves history, PBS was a gold mine and I spent hours watching, absorbing and enjoying those shows and many, many more.
Couple of years ago they started broadcasting a new series called Downton Abbeyand I was hooked! What’s not to like?! There’s aristocracy, domestic help, love, intrigue, passion, humor…and tragedy.
Here is a great video from PBS that tells the two first seasons of Downton Abbey in five minutes. If you’ve never seen it, I think this will hook you good…oh, and no spoilers…yet…
*Do NOT continue unless you like the spoilers*
This past Sunday we’ve come to the end of the third season and after three days, I’m still grieving…
I’ve yet to get over the shock of Sybil’s passing, for crying out loud [literally, crying out LOUD!]. Every time I see little Syb and Tom, I get all choked up. I honestly didn’t see that one coming! Watching her parents cope with her sudden death was heart wrenching. Both were left blaming Robert, until the good doctor stepped in with an honest assessment of the situation. And that wouldn’t have happened without the Old Bird’s [the Dowager] interference.
Speaking of, I always loved Maggie Smith [and not only because she’s the mother of one of the best actors to walk the Earth, Toby Stephens] because she not just acts…she embodies the characters she plays to such a degree that you don’t see an actress in a role, but a character that is real, flesh and blood and bone. Someone that reaches out to you and makes you a part of whatever she becomes. Every scene she’s in, it becomes a living, breathing entity that pulls you deeper and deeper into the spell…
The scene in which she grieves her youngest granddaughters death is heart breaking because she’s trying so hard to stay strong for her son and her daughter in law. Priceless, I tell you!
Anyways, I digress. On top of dealing with one loss, now I had to gird my loins for another. That of a beloved main character and a hero…Damn but it hurt to see him like this!
Yes, I knew it was coming because I read even before the season began what its creator Julian Fellowes said about the actor’s abrupt exit, it’s just that I didn’t know how the end would be brought about…and then my last glimpse of him was just shocking… I just broke down and cried…
Just when all was going well for this couple… just when they reached that point in their lives when their dream comes true, he gets killed in a car crash! THE END! My last glimpse of him was very disturbing. It will take me a while to get over it and accept his death [I’ve already come to terms of Dan Stevens’ departure and truly wish him the best], but not seeing his smile… his deep, blue eyes… [sigh]…
The theme song “Did I Make the Most of Loving You?” is so right after the ending of this season… so haunting…tells the love story of Mary and Mathew…just listen to the words…
The fourth season will open six months after the tragedy and I wonder how Lady Mary is going to deal with his death…I keep picturing her keeping it all in, postponing her grief for the sake of their little boy, which is yet to be named. Or, maybe she has a complete personality change and is trying to embrace everything life has to offer by partying too hard? Or will she take over the Downton project that Mathew never had a chance to finish and see his vision through for their son’s sake?
Oh, and the next suitor for her affections better be someone I approve of!
Just a quick stop to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day!
As all of you, I too am counting my Blessings and naming things I am thankful for.
May your day be filled with happy memories, good food and better wine, football and parades. But if your family is as mine, that just might go the way of noise, too many chefs in the kitchen, and a few arguments that will be made up as soon as we’re done with the last bottle of whatever is left to drink.
BOOK BLURB: The dazzling wedding of fashions of A Lady’s Favor dress shop are guaranteed to make any girl the talk of the ton. But the brides aren’t the only ones falling in love….
Lady Helaine’s father was cast out of society as a liar and a thief—a scandal which renders her unfit for marriage. In order to provide for herself and her mother, she adopts an assumed name and runs a dressmaker’s shop that specializes in bridal wear for ladies of high society. Helaine is happiest immersed in silk and satin, but she lives in terror that someone will learn her true identity and she will lose everything…again.
Robert Percy, Viscount Redhill, is entranced with the mysterious Helaine and weaves a web of seduction sure to ensnare the delectable dress designer. Yet too late he learns the heartbreaking truth about who she used to be. Now he must find a way to overcome the past to claim Helaine as his own. But what chance has love when a secret mistress becomes a scandalous wife?
EXCERPT:
Robert Percy, Viscount Redhill, already had the bottle of brandy in hand when there was yet another knock on the library door. It was barely three in the afternoon, but after a morning such as today, brandy was the only choice to combat the headache growing behind his right eye.
“My lord?” asked Dribbs as he pushed open the library door unbidden.
“No, Dribbs,” Robert said quite firmly.
“Well, yes, my lord. There is a visitor.”
“No, Dribbs, there is not.”
“But she is most insistent.”
“No, Dribbs, she is not. Because there is not a visitor to see me.” To further make the point, he dispensed with the swirling and airing of the alcohol and took a healthy swig straight from the bottle. It was almost gone anyway.
“Well, yes, my lord, there is.”
“No, Dribbs, there cannot be. My father has already been here today, so he cannot have purchased another mine or an interest in a gold venture in Antarctica or discovered the secret to stuffing genies into bottles to grant his every whim.”
“No, sir, it is not the earl.”
Robert exhaled in relief. “Thank God—”
“It is a woman.”
“No, Dribbs, it most certainly cannot be a woman. Because, you see, I have already spoken with Gwen about her upcoming nuptials just this morning. My mother is in bed where she always is at this hour. And as for all those future in-law women who have let the house next door, I have just this moment escaped from the upstairs salon where the baroness and her sister were rearranging Mama’s figurines. They were arguing about whether sunlight was bad for a porcelain shepherdess. Porcelain, Dribbs. Why would anyone ever be concerned about a porcelain complexion? Especially since the damned thing has a bonnet!”
Robert forced himself to take another swig of brandy. When had his life become so dashed ridiculous?
“Very true, my lord. Most odd. But the woman who wishes to see you is not destined to be your relation.”
“Thank heaven.” He dropped down behind his desk, pushed aside the mountain of papers to set the bottle down, then looked up in confusion when Dribbs had still not disappeared. “You can go now.”
“Well, no, sir, I cannot.”
“Of course you can. Just step backward and shut the door.”
“Well, yes, I could do that, my lord, but if I were to do such a thing, you would damn me for it in a day’s time. Perhaps even sooner.”
“Perhaps. But at least you wouldn’t be damned right now.”
“Excellent point, my lord. But you see, the lady in question is a Mrs. Mortimer. And she has a trifling matter for you to deal with.”
Robert snorted. In his opinion, all female matters were trifling. But that didn’t stop them from plaguing him with their nonsense day and night. Still, something about the name tickled the back of his brain. He knew that name, but from where?
“She is the dressmaker for your sister’s wedding,” supplied the butler.
Ah! There it was! Gwen had been waxing eloquent on the lady’s dressmaking skill just this morning. The woman had done this and that, tucked something in or let something out. And then Gwen had blushed a deep pink. That was what stuck in Robert’s mind: that his sister had blushed a deep, embarrassed pink. Because the dress made her look more attractive. In a sexual kind of way. And dashed if that was something he absolutely did not want to know about his sister.
He took another swig from the brandy bottle, only to discover that it was empty.
“I shall find you another bottle directly, my lord.”
“Good man.”
“But first you must speak with Mrs. Mortimer.”
“No, Dribbs. I must not.”
“But if you don’t, she will inevitably tell your sister that she was denied your presence. And then your sister will commence quietly sobbing in her bedroom because this wedding is already more than she expected and you will of course hear her or notice her red eyes. And then you will find out the reason for her tears and be furious with yourself for being such a callous brother. And then, my lord, you will instruct me most specifically to not allow you to say no to visitors anymore.”
“I would never say such a thing!” he said indignantly.
“You did say such a thing just last week when your mother was distraught over a lost delivery of perfumes.”
“I most certainly . . .” His voice trailed away. Damnation. He most certainly had. “Bloody hell.”
“It is a trifling matter, my lord. Best deal with it now and be done. Then no more tears, and you can have your brandy straight away after it is finished.”
Robert released a heavy sigh. “Damnation, Dribbs, I don’t know whether to sack you or double your pay.”
“Double my pay, sir. Indeed I believe you promised me that last week.”
“I most certainly did not! That I would remember.”
Dribbs paused a rather telling moment. Then he tilted his head. “Are you sure, my lord? Are you absolutely sure you would remember?”
“Yes. I most certainly am.”
Dribbs released a dramatic sigh. “Yes, I am afraid you would.” Then the man straightened to his full height, stepped backward into the hallway, and pulled the library door wide. “Mrs. Mortimer to see you, my lord. She will not take more than ten minutes of your time.”
That last was added with a stern look to the lady in question. The lady of course nodded sweetly in acknowledgment, but Robert saw the martial gleam in her eyes. He also saw her full cleavage, her sweetly rounded hips, and the dark red lips of a woman who obviously wanted to be kissed.
Good Lord, what had he just been thinking? She was a dressmaker, for God’s sake. Who would want to kiss a dressmaker? That would be like fondling the bootblack. True, it was often done, but not by him! And yet here he was thinking of just where he would fondle her.
“My lord?”
Robert came back to himself with a start. “I beg your pardon?”
“No, I beg your pardon,” she said. “You sounded as if you were choking.”
“No. No. Just . . . um . . . mourning the loss of the brandy. Empty bottle, you know.” He lifted the bottle and shook it about as proof. Then he sheepishly set it back down again. Really, what was he doing? One did not discuss empty brandy bottles with servants. Unless it was the servant’s job, which it was definitely not for her. Damnation, he was addled! “I believe you wanted something?”
“Yes, my lord. I am afraid I require payment.”
“You’re afraid of payment? Well, if that’s a problem for you, you needn’t bother visiting.”
She paused a moment, her brows lifting in surprise. Then a glimmer of a smile skated across her lips. “Er, no, my lord. I apologize deeply. I misspoke. I have no fear at all in me, and thus I am here at your door asking for payment. Now, if you please.”
He sighed. Dribbs was right. Best to be done with it. The thing was, what with his father’s recent investment whims and his sister’s trousseau, he was rather tight on ready cash. The repairs and like at the mine alone had depleted the earldom to the point where they all must economize. Add in a bride’s trousseau, and he had no idea where the funds would come from.
“Really, Mrs. Mortimer, there is a process for this. I have a man who brings the bills directly to me. You need not come visiting—”
“I have already spoken to Mr. Starkweather. He said I should speak directly to you.”
He frowned. “The devil you say. Can’t imagine Starkweather doing such a thing. He is usually most officious about his place. Likes to keep the riffraff away from me, he says. Good man, that Starkweather.” Robert smiled at the empty brandy bottle and wondered when ten minutes would expire. Soon, he hoped. Though he did like the view of Mrs. Mortimer’s bosom, especially when seen through the exaggerating distortion of his empty brandy glass.
Then he had cause to look up from this glass. Was the woman blushing? Enough that her cleavage had turned a rosy pink? Why, she most certainly was! Extraordinary. Especially since with her figure she must be used to being ogled, and not just through a brandy glass.
He frowned. Obviously, he was missing something significant, but for the life of him he couldn’t quite grasp what. He set his glass down, pulled in his feet so that he sat straight in his chair despite the way that made his temple throb, and forced himself to be serious.
“I have had a most trying morning, Mrs. Mortimer. Please tell me why I should talk with you and not with Mr. Starkweather?”
“Because I am not riffraff, my lord, and never have been.” Her voice was clipped and cold despite the blush that still pinked her skin.
He blinked. Had he said that? Oh, yes, he supposed he had implied it at the very least. And yet, some devil in him could not resist tweaking her.
“Ah, well, you certainly don’t appear to be riffraff, Mrs. Mortimer, but you are a bill collector attempting to circumvent my man Starkweather. At a minimum, that suggests you are Riff, if not exactly Raff.”
Far from deepening her blush, it actually caused her color to cool and her eyebrows to arch. “I can see you have a love of the ridiculous, my lord.”
“Well, I certainly love my family, and if that is not a love of the ridiculous, then I don’t know what is.”
She had no answer to that. Good thing, because he really ought not to say this sort of thing to a stranger, servant or not.
He relaxed backward in his seat, trying to decide exactly what he should do with the lady. Any other day, he would have already paid her just to be rid of her. But he found himself smiling at her in an absent sort of way. She was lovely to look at, and she sat there all prim while he spouted all manner of nonsense. It was really quite fun. Until she spoke, her voice low, her manner almost soothing unless one actually listened to her words.
“Do you know how humiliating it is to come begging for honest payment, my lord? To stand hat in hand before some clerk on a high stool who curls his lip at one merely because one’s birth is not as exalted as yours?”
He blinked, startled by what she said. “Starkweather does not sit on a high stool.” Then he frowned. That was not at all what he meant. As far as he knew, Starkweather was a fair and honest man, but of course, he did not know that for certain. Neither did he know if the man ever curled his lip at honest tradesmen. All he knew was that the man sat at a desk like a normal person. And so that was what blathered out of his mouth.
Naturally, she took his statement as the stupidity it was. “I was speaking metaphorically, my lord.”
“Were you?” he wondered aloud. “Nevertheless, it’s not quite the thing to accuse a man of being high in the instep if he was not actually on a high stool. Makes me wonder if you were speaking of Starkweather at all.”
Ah, he had her there! He could tell by the way her gaze canted aside and the color in her bosom flushed again. Most beautiful, he decided. And rather distracting. Thankfully, he was spared more of this odd discussion by a firm knock on the door. He didn’t even need to say a word because he knew who it was. Ten minutes was up and Dribbs was pushing open the door.
“My apologies for the interruption, my lord,” said Dribbs with a faint smile. “But your next visitor has arrived.” He lifted the bottle of brandy into the air.
“Excellent,” Robert said with a grin. “I am sorry, Mrs. Mortimer, but I am afraid I leave all matters of bill payment to Mr. Starkweather.”
The lady pushed to her feet, but not to leave the room. Instead, she stepped forward to confront him across his desk. “No, my lord, you shall not. Do you think I cannot see the bottle of brandy in his hand?”
Robert raised his eyebrows in surprise. Her back was to the door, so how could she see anything that was in Dribbs’s hand?
She snorted. “The reflection, my lord.” She waved airily at the polished black marble of his fireplace. From her angle, it would provide the perfect reflection of Dribbs.
“Ah. Most clever of you.”
“I am not clever, my lord. Just stubborn. It will take the work of a moment for you to write me a bank draft. I insist you do so. Unless you wish it to be known that the Viscount Redhill does not pay his debts.”
Now that was a serious allegation. “You would not say such a thing, Mrs. Mortimer, because I would have you ruined in a heartbeat. I pay my bills.”
“Then pay this one.” She stepped forward and slapped a paper down on his desk. It was a bill, neatly itemized and tabulated in a fair hand.
He picked it up with a frown, perusing the list to the best of his ability. It was his sister’s trousseau, he supposed. Dresses, ribbons, underclothing, and the like. He even doubled-checked the math on the list and found it to be accurate. But such a total! The sum was exorbitant!
“This cannot be right,” he murmured.
“I assure you it is. Would you care to summon your sister to verify it?”
God, no. He had no wish to engage Gwen in yet another discussion of clothing. And from the look of triumph in her eyes, she knew it. What was more, she chose that moment to shift into a beautiful smile. It was warm and winning, and it transformed her face from merely lovely to one of sweet seduction.
“Come now, my lord. Merely write the draft and then I shall personally pour you that glass of brandy. Mr. Dribbs’s arm must be getting very tired holding that heavy bottle aloft.”
My God, what a potent woman! He was already reaching for his bank book when reason grabbed hold of him and stopped his hand. Something was very wrong about this situation. As far as he knew, Starkweather would never refuse an honest bill. And this woman was using all her wiles to get him to pay an exorbitant tab.
He looked back at the paper, his mind searching for the elusive clue. What was it he was missing? What . . .
“My lord?” Her voice was a distraction, a low siren song of seduction. “Your brandy awaits.”
“Describe to me this dress,” he said by way of stalling. “What does it look like?” He pointed at random to the most expensive single item on the list. A ball gown with pearl buttons.
She frowned. “Truly, my lord? Why ever would you wish to—”
“Humor me,” he said as he folded his arms across his chest. Then, to save poor Dribbs, whose arm did appear to be shaking most dreadfully, he motioned to the sideboard. “Set it there, Dribbs. I find that Mrs. Mortimer and I have a bit more to discuss.”
Dribbs did as he was told. And while the butler was setting the bottle far out of reach, Robert turned his attention back to the woman across from him.
“Do you know anything of my father, Mrs. Mortimer?” he asked.
The woman shook her head and a tendril of honey fine hair slipped from her chignon to dance about her pert chin. Adorable, he thought.
“I am not acquainted with the Earl of Willington,” she said.
“Well, he is a charming fellow. Loves a good bit of brandy, a cigar, and his friends. Some say I resemble him in looks.” He gestured to his hair. “Brown hair, broad forehead, and we are nearly the same height.”
She nodded, obviously confused by his wandering thoughts. “Then your father must be a handsome man.”
He took the compliment as his due. Many thought his entire family had been inappropriately blessed in their looks. “Yes, well, there is something else about my father that everyone knows.” He waited a moment for her to ask the obvious question. She did so with a touch of irritation.
“I am simply breathless with wonder, my lord. What could it be that everyone knows?”
“That my father is the greatest gull on earth. Yes, truly, the man could be snookered by a mentally deficient bootblack. In fact, I believe he was, just last year. Bought some magic blacking cloth, I believe. Thought he’d make a fortune with it.”
A spark of interest did indeed light in Mrs. Mortimer’s eyes. “Magic blacking cloth?”
“Yes. I believe it was cheesecloth soaked in the boy’s spit.”
She gasped. “You cannot be serious!”
“I most certainly am. My father bought it for a shilling.” Then he sighed. “To be fair, the boy had been chewing tobacco and so the cloth was rather thick and black. It did look like a blacking cloth.”
She laughed. Not a full laugh. Indeed, because she suppressed it, it sounded more like a horse’s snort than a lady’s laugh.
“That story cannot be true.”
“I assure you it is.”
Then she tilted her head while her eyes danced in merriment. “I cry foul, my lord. I believe you are lying to me. And I believe I shall prove it to you.”
“Really? Pray, how?”
“I shall make a wager with you, my lord. If I can prove that you are lying, then you will pay my bill. If not, then I shall leave without further ado.”
He wasn’t so sure he wanted her to leave just yet, but he was a gentleman and so he nodded. “Very well. If the bill is honest, then you shall be paid immediately.”
She nodded slowly, obviously taking that as the best bargain she could make. “Very well, my lord. You say the story is true, that it happened exactly as you said.”
“I do.”
“Well, then, I submit to you that either the bootblack was not mentally deficient in that he gulled an earl. Or that the earl was aware of the true nature of the magic cloth and was merely being kind to a handicapped boy.”
Robert frowned, wondering which could be true. Given that his father had been quite proud of his purchase, he thought it more likely that the bootblack was not nearly as deficient as he claimed. Nor, he supposed, did the boy have an ailing mother and four younger siblings to feed. Thankfully, he did not oversee his father’s staff, as the man lived in rooms at his club. So long as the earl kept within his quarterly allowance, Robert didn’t care if he purchased a dozen magic blacking cloths.
“Have I won our bargain, my lord?”
He smiled. “Yes, I suppose you have.”
“Excellent,” she said with a grin. “Then if you would—”
“I said if the bill was honest, Mrs. Mortimer. You have yet to describe this ball gown to me. Unless, of course, there is some reason why you would not.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I will describe it.”
He smiled and shot her own words right back. “I am simply breathless with wonder.”
She grimaced, her nose wrinkling in a delightful manner. “It is blue, my lord, with Belgium lace crisscrossed over the bodice. Shoulders bare, as she will be a married woman by then and can reveal a great deal more than before, and with a shawl of gauze such as will preserve her modesty if she wants or that can be draped in a variety of tantalizing poses should she not.”
He blinked. My God, did she think he wished to know of his sister in tantalizing poses? “You are speaking of my baby sister,” he said in irritation. “The one who wore pigtails and sported ink stains on her nose.”
“No, my lord,” she said gently. “I am speaking of your fully grown sister who will be a married woman within a month. And quite possibly increasing soon after that.”
He shuddered at that. His baby sister with a babe of her own. He knew it was possible. Probable, even. That is what married women did, was it not? But in his mind, she was still so young.
“It is the way of young girls, you know. They grow up and start families of their own.” Then Mrs. Mortimer did something wholly unexpected. She rose in a single lithe movement and crossed to the brandy snifter. Then she poured him a glass, swirling it for him just as it ought to be done, and brought it to him. But she didn’t just cross to his side, she set it in his hand, then sank to the floor before him. She looked up at him just as his sister had once done, back when she was still a hoyden running wild throughout the house. And Mrs. Mortimer smiled up at him in exactly the same way.
“Change is hard, especially when it is inevitable. But you should be proud of the woman she has become, my lord. Not fighting the purchase of her trousseau.”
He swallowed. She was right. And when she sat like that before him, he could deny her nothing. Except for one thing.
“Mrs. Mortimer,” he said as he reached out and stroked her cheek just as he had done with Gwen so many years ago. “I cry foul.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Gwen does not have a ball gown such as you describe. It has not been made and you and your bill are false.” She made to leap to her feet, but he was faster than she. Within a second, he had clamped a hand down on her arm, preventing her escape. “Oh, do remain right where you are, Mrs. Mortimer. It will no doubt take a few moments for the constable to arrive.”
I became a huge fan of Jade Lee after I read ‘The Dragon Earl’ and ‘Devil’s Bargain’. If you’ve never read her stories, you’re missing on some fun reads!
*One lucky Commenter will end up with a copy of this book! Today’s Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!
Won’t you join our celebration by:
1) Telling us which ‘Book’ would you like to ‘Push’ and why…
Is it possible that we’ll be two years old ALREADY?!
This year just went by so quickly, my head’s spinning…Personally, it has been one of those years that brought with it pleasure and pain, sorrow and happiness, but through it all I found out that true friends and family can get you over the most tragic of moments.
I have truly been blessed and the good Lord is still blessing me with so many of you that are still with me, faithfully stopping by, commenting and making me smile. You cannot imagine how good it feels to have you and your support out there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all!
Well, Krissie and I wondered how we could make this a celebration to remember, and since last year our Hook-a-Book one month-long celebration was such a great hit with not just the readers but the authors as well, we thought why not do something similar, hence the PUSH-A-BOOK one month-long celebration. It will begin on November 1st and here’s the concept.
Throughout the month we’ve invited some of the most hard-working, amazingly creative and way too talented people in the romance community to stop by and help us celebrate. Our invitations were answered with so much enthusiasm that we just might schedule some visits in twos!
SABRINA JEFFRIESwill be the one to start us off and preview our upcoming month-long celebration and she’ll be pushing a…not so fast! We need you to come back and find out!
Naturally, there will begiveaways galoreand every author will give away one or more copies of the book they’ll be ‘pushing’ [eBooks as well as print] and some of those giveaways will be open internationally.
Won’t you join our celebration by:
1) Telling us which ‘Book’ would you like to ‘Push’ and why…
It’s Tuesday… the weather here in Chicago is spelling F.A.L.L. all over town… it’s windy, cool and the color’s are amazing… and this Sunday I’ll be meeting Ms. Delilah Marvelle to spend ONE WHOLE DAY with her! I’m beyond excited! I have NOTHING to wear! I have no good shoes! Not one purse is good enough…AND I’m fighting off a cold of all colds! Last week was a week from hell, that’s how sick I was! Doing much, much better today and hoping to be excellent by Sunday, on which I just found out is, surprise-surprise, going to be raining!!! Total bummer! But I have no doubt,Delilah and I will find something to do!
In the meantime, while I run around like a chicken with no head, looking around for what to wear and trying to think of things to ask her, I thought to share with you this sneak-peek at behind the scenes taping of her book trailer for the upcoming, long-awaited conclusion of the Rumor series, ‘Forever a Lord’.
Stop by and tell me what you think of it and help me come up with some cool questions to ask her and we’ll gift you with the book as soon as it comes out!*
For all you young’ens who are not familiar with Demelza, I am here to introduce her and the series, to you.
Angharad Rees “was a Welsh actress, best known for her British television roles during the 1970s, and in particular her leading role as Demelza in the 1970s BBC drama series Poldark.”[Wikipedia],
‘Poldark’ was a BBC television series based on the novels written by Winston Graham which aired in England from 1975 to 1977. In the late ’70s I found myself back in the ‘Old Country’ Yugoslavia, back then, married and very lonely at night as my brand new husband was working third shift. Serbian TV just about that time started running a serial called ‘Poldark’ and I was so happy not have had to read the subtitles, but what made my heart sing was the wonderful love story of Ross and Demelza. The main story centers around Captain Ross Poldark who was played to a tee by an actor whose name I never heard before, Robin Ellis. I honestly think that any other actor would have ‘overact’ this larger than life character. The producers, or which ever power that be chose this young actor to play this role, deserves a medal. Robin Ellis WAS Ross and we all ‘ate him up’ as he stole our hearts.
Ross Poldark arrives home from the American Revolutionary War and finds out that his life will never be the same again. His father has passed on; the farmlands and copper mines they’ve owned, are now being sold; his uncle has claimed the estate and the love of his life and his secret fiancée Elizabeth, played by Jill Townsend, is now engaged to his cousin Francis, played by Clive Francis. As Ross slowly sets out to rebuild his life and accept the union of Francis and Elizabeth, he comes across an urchin ‘boy’ who will steal his heart. Demelza, played by the beloved Angharad Rees, is a poor, hungry, fifteen year old girl who hasn’t eaten in a long while. Their first meeting takes place at a fair, where she’s caught steeling bread.
Ross feels sorry for and feeds the poor urchin, and after some persuasion from Demelza, he offers her shelter and work at his home. It didn’t take long for Demelza to ‘clean up’ and for Ross to start liking her. However, the love of his life, Elizabeth, was always on his mind and it took Ross awhile to realize that his life has been blessed by Demelza, and he finally admits his love to her.
Even though the main characters drove most of the stories, this was an ensemble series and the secondary characters had their own troubles. Who can forget Dr. Dwight Enys played by Richard Morant, a young new doctor who comes to serve the small mining community and finds himself falling in love with a married woman, Keren Daniel, who ends up killed by her husband after he discovers her infidelity. For a long time Dwight blames himself for her death, but one encounter with a very rich and very spoiled heiress Caroline Penvenen played by Judy Geeson, starts a relationship that will eventually end up in a marriage.
And then there are his old servants, Jud and Prudie Paynter played by Paul Curran and Mary Wimbush, that brought so much humor to their characters and to the series as well. And what would one of these series be without a villain, and this one had it in George Warleggan who was played to perfection by Ralph Bates. George Warleggan hated Ross with a passion and he wanted to own everything that Ross owned and loved, so he went after Elizabeth and eventually married her (after Frances died).
But what stunned me the most was the setting of this drama. It was set in Cornwall, and with its breathtaking scenery of cliffs, coves and beaches, it was pure magic.
And talking of magic, Angharad Rees’ portrayal of Demelza was magical, too. When Demelza smiles, her whole face lights up and we cannot but bask in it. She was THE ultimate romance heroine and someone that I credit for pointing me to romance novels. I just found out (through Robin Ellis’ Blog) that she passed away at the age of sixty-three. My heart goes out to all her family, friends and millions of fans. She will be always fondly remembered by all of us that adored her portrayal of Demelza. None of us can ever forget that smile that lit up the small screen like millions of stars upon the night sky.
I have never had the pleasure to meet her in person, but a few months ago I read a story that was set in Cornwall and I thought of ‘Poldark’ series so I thought to Google it and see if I can see what happened to some of the cast members, but that night I ended up re watching the WHOLE series. I also found out that Robin Ellis would be coming to my local Barnes & Nobles promoting his new cook book and ‘Making Poldark’ book as well, and I was NOT going to miss this chance to meet ‘Ross’. What a real treat that was! My husband and I had a ball meeting Mr. and Mrs. Ellis and a few of his ardent fans as well. You can also read Robin’s tribute to her here and listen to it here (about 2 hrs. and 40 min. in-move the line to the #).
Tell us if you ever saw POLDARK and your thoughts about it. Who started you on the romance ‘trip’ and how long ago?
By now we’ve all, at one time or another, either lost someone close to us or have them survive the disease called cancer. In my case, I lost my mother and mother-in-law, but have a cousin that beat it. Both my mothers were only fifty-seven years old when they lost their fight with breast cancer and lung cancer, and in both cases, if the disease was detected just a bit earlier, they would have been still alive, and that fact hurts too much. In my cousin’s case, she got on it early and with the love of her family, awesome doctors and an aggressive treatment, she is today cancer free! That’s something to celebrate!
My mom adored my little girl, her namesake. She spent a lot of time with her, (potty training her at six months, if you can believe it) teaching her to walk and not crawl on her butt; spending over-nights with her and when I think of Easter’s spent coloring eggs, I can’t help but smile! After sixteen years, I am sure that she misses her Baka very much. We all do.
To honor those that passed and those that survived is what Relay for Life is all about. My girl is willing to walk all night to honor her relatives and yours (if you let her) that had survived Cancer and the one’s that passed. We need to get behind those that are still fighting and infuse not only our prayers, but some of our cash as well.
When it comes to a worthy cause, I have no shame, so I’ll beg if necessary to help whomever needs not just my voice, but my funds as well. To imagine those minimum donations of $5 multiplied by five, ten and fifteen people, applied towards ‘beating the enemy’ such as cancer, it makes my heart sing!
If you’d like to help my girl reach her goal of $150.00 and give NO MORE than five bucks, please sign up here (takes no more than five minutes of your time) and let her know in whose name the donation is, as she will have the Luminaries with all those names light up the night sky.
On my part, I would love to hear from you and if you’re comfortable to share, your personal story of either a survival or a passing. To three of you (regardless of donation), I’ll happily send books of their choice (from the stack that is ever-growing). It’s the least I can do for my faithful followers!
Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars promised to be a bore with some of the celebrities that were slated to appear on it [I'm not going to even name them, sorry], but my all time favorite pro, ‘little’ man Derek Hough, was still on it, and I only tuned in to watch him and his new partner, Kellie Pickler.
