Captivated…or captured?
Appearances don’t always reveal the truth. Grace Latimer knows this
better than most. Illusions of commitment and comfort have her
trapped—until bohemian adventurer Nick Heysham charms his way into her
world. Commissioned to recover a Great Exhibition architect’s missing
designs, he persuades her to assist in his research. The mystery of the
Crystal Palace seduces Grace, and once she discovers clues about a
forbidden Victorian love affair, she’s lured into the deep secrets of
the past…secrets that resemble her own.
As Grace and Nick dig into the elusive architect’s illicit,
long-untold story, the ghosts of guilt and forbidden passion slip free.
And history is bound to repeat itself, unless Grace finds the courage to
break free and find a new definition of love…
Publication Date: August 4, 2014
eHarlequin
eBook; ASIN: B00JTPU72S
Genre: Historical Romance
Excerpt
‘You are very quiet, my love,’ he
remarked as they strolled down the South Walk. ‘Does this place perturb you?
Vauxhall is hardly the Crystal Palace, I grant.’
She looked vaguely around as though she
hardly registered her surroundings. ‘I am well, Lucas, thank you.’ Her voice
had lost its rich music.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, it is really nothing.’
‘Which means that you are bothered by
something. Tell me,’ he urged.
She hesitated for some minutes before
saying diffidently, ‘I thought that I recognised someone as I approached the
gates. But I must have been mistaken.’
‘Who?’
‘A woman. She looked like a visitor who
once came to tea with my mother-in-law. But I must be mistaken,’ she repeated.
‘I think you must. I cannot imagine a
friend of the elder Mrs Renville frequenting Vauxhall!’
He was cajoling her, quite sure that her
nervous state had precipitated these qualms. ‘But just in case, we will hide
ourselves completely,’ and he steered her towards one of the small paths that
led away from the main promenade towards what he knew was the Dark Walk. Here
the lamps were absent and the company very thin. It was not long before he
found a small wooden shelter half way up the Walk where they could be entirely
alone amid thick darkness.
‘I have news,’ he said, trying to not to
betray his excitement. ‘The plans I have been pursuing are now almost certain.
I hope to be designing the Carlyon chapel as an architect in my own right.’
She looked at him blankly. Her mind
still seemed far away and he had to reiterate, ‘I will be leaving de Vere’s.’
This startled her into words. ‘But
without a salary, how will you manage? How will you afford your lodgings?’
‘Once I am working for the earl, I will
be able to afford far superior lodgings. So superior they will be good enough
to accommodate you.’
‘I will be able to visit you there?’
He clasped her hands tightly between
his. ‘You will be able to live with me there.’
‘You are suggesting that I leave my
home?’
He could not understand her reluctance
but said patiently, ‘We cannot continue to meet like this, Alessia. You must
know that. We must have a place to call our own.’
‘But I cannot leave Edward. I am his
wife.’
Why did she cling so tenaciously to a
life that she despised? ‘Are you not
more my wife than his?’ he asked urgently.
‘But in the eyes of the church…’ Her
voice trailed off, disappearing into the night mist.
‘What matters most—our eyes or those of
a distant church?’ He was almost fierce in his denunciation.
‘Ours,’ she agreed unhappily.
‘So?’
‘But you cannot have thought—my
daughters—’
‘The proceeds of the Carlyon commission
will allow me to rent a substantial house. We will have them to live with us.’
‘Edward would never agree.’
‘But surely he would not separate them
from their mother.’
‘They are his children and he will wish
to keep them. The law is on his side.’
‘I accept that, but if he knows what it
means to you to have them?’
‘Can you not understand? They are his
children, I am his wife. We belong to him. If I should dare to leave, he will
do everything in his power to hurt me.’
The eagerness slowly drained from Lucas
and he slumped back against the shelter’s rough wooden wall. She turned to him
in anguish, desperately gripping his shoulders. ‘I cannot relinquish my
daughters, Lucas. You cannot ask it of me.’
When he responded, his voice held the
note of defeat. ‘What you are saying is that you will never come to me.’
A long and painful silence descended
between them while Alessia slowly twisted into mangled leather the gloves she
held. At length, in a voice hardly above a whisper, she said, ‘I did not say
that.’
The words appeared wrenched from her,
but they galvanised Lucas. He leant forward again, all his eagerness returned.
‘Then say you will come. Say that you love me enough to do this.’
‘Sometimes,’ she said slowly, ‘I think
you do not know just how much I love you.’
‘Then come to me, my darling.’
‘When?’
‘As soon as the Great Exhibition has
opened, I will be free to work for Lord Carlyon. I will make all the necessary
plans.’
‘And my children?’
‘Once we are settled in our new home, I
will request an interview with your husband. I will tell him your need for your
daughters and say that everything will be done discreetly. You are not a part
of his social world, so who is to know that you no longer live at Wisteria Lodge?’
She shook her head and a look of near
despair flooded her lovely face.
‘Alessia!’ he said urgently. ‘It cannot
truly matter to Edward Renville whether you live with him or not. It is only
his business that he cares for. And as for the children, he will see them
whenever he wishes.’
Her continued silence moved him to
desperation. ‘If you love me, you will come.’
‘I do, I do,’ she said sobbing into his
shoulder.
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About the Author
My father was a soldier and most of my childhood was spent moving from place to place, school to school, including several
years living in Egypt and Germany. I loved some of the schools I
attended, but hated others, so it wasn’t too surprising that I left half
way through the sixth form with ‘A’ Levels unfinished.
I became a secretary, as many girls did at the time, only to realise
that the role of handmaiden wasn’t for me. Escape beckoned when I landed
a job with an airline. I was determined to see as much of the world as
possible, and working as cabin crew I met a good many interesting people
and enjoyed some great experiences – riding in the foothills of the
Andes, walking by the shores of Lake Victoria, flying pilgrims from
Kandahar to Mecca to mention just a few.
I still love to travel and visit new places, especially those with an
interesting history, but the arrival of marriage and children meant a
more settled existence on the south coast of England, where I’ve lived
ever since. It also gave me the opportunity to go back to ‘school’ and
eventually gain a PhD from the University of Sussex. For many years I
taught university literature and loved every minute of it. What could be
better than spending my life reading and talking about books? Well,
perhaps writing them.
I’ve always had a desire to write but there never seemed time to do
more than dabble with the occasional short story. And my day job ensured
that I never lost the critical voice in my head telling me that I
really shouldn’t bother. But gradually the voice started growing fainter
and at the same time the idea that I might actually write a whole book
began to take hold. My cats – two stunning cream and lilac shorthairs –
gave their approval, since it meant my spending a good deal more time at
home with them!
The 19th century is my special period of literature and I grew up
reading Georgette Heyer, so when I finally found the courage to try
writing for myself, the books had to be Regency romances. Over the last
four years, writing as Isabelle Goddard, I’ve published six novels set
in the Regency period.
Since then, I’ve moved on a few years to Victorian England, and I’ve
changed genre too. The Crystal Cage is my first novel under the name of
Merryn Allingham. The book is a mystery/romantic suspense and tells the
story of a long-lost tragedy, and the way echoes from the past can
powerfully influence the life of a modern day heroine. The next few
Allingham books will see yet another move timewise. I’ve been writing a
suspense trilogy set in India and wartime London during the 1930s and
1940s, and hope soon to have news of publication.
Whatever period, whatever genre, creating new worlds and sharing them
with readers gives me huge pleasure and I can’t think of a better job.
Connect with Merryn Allingham on
Facebook and
Goodreads.
The Crystal Cage Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, September 15
Review at
To Read or Not to Read
Spotlight at
Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight & Excerpt at
Romantic Historical Reviews
Tuesday, September 16
Review at
A Bookish Affair
Excerpt at
Casual Readers
Wednesday, September 17
Excerpt at
CelticLady’s Reviews
Interview at
What Is That Book About
Thursday, September 18
Review at
Turning the Pages
Friday, September 19
Review at
Queen of All Reads
Excerpt at
Just One More Chapter
Monday, September 22
Review at
Bibliotica
Spotlight at
Layered Pages
Tuesday, September 23
Interview at
SOS Aloha
Spotlight at
Historical Fiction Connection
Wednesday, September 24
Excerpt at
Passages to the Past
Thursday, September 25
Review at
Oh, for the Hook of a Book
Excerpt at
Princess of Eboli
Friday, September 26
Review at
Unshelish
Spotlight at
Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, October 15
Review at
The Worm Hole
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