Excerpt :
“There.” Beth stepped back and pointed at the mirror. “Take a look.”
Set into the side of one of the wardrobes, and
etched in gilt, the full-length mirror gleamed slightly in the light. With a
sigh, Tay stepped forward. Her image swam into focus, and she took a step back,
startled at the reflection she saw before her. The slightly timid house maid
had vanished, replaced by some richly dressed stranger. The deep crimson dress
fitted in all the right places, and the rustling taffeta held a glossy sheen
which glowed beneath the lights. Small clusters of jet and crystal were
stitched across the bodice and full skirt, and they glittered as the light
struck them.
Tay slid her fingers across the fabric before
turning her attention to her hair. The dark locks had been twisted into a mass
of corkscrew curls and pinned to the crown of her head beneath of jet and
silver fascinator. Her makeup had been lightly applied, and her face almost
vanished beneath the magnificence of the dress.
“Oh.” Barely able to speak, she turned back to face Beth. “I look…”
“Beautiful,” Beth answered, a slight hint of regret in her
voice. “And not at all like yourself.” She walked
forward and brushed an imaginary bit of dust from the back of the dress. “Now you'd
better get going.” She stepped back and jumped slightly as Tay flung
her arms about her.
“Thank you.” Now that the costume of nobility had been
donned, she felt somewhat better about the whole situation. Despite the
slightly underfed cast to her appearance, the dress altered her entire façade. Visions of
immediately being denounced as an imposter began to fade as she stepped back,
and headed for the living room. She pushed open the door and stopped at the
sight of Darius sitting in one of the chairs. As the door swung
open, he jumped to his feet. Tay was gratified to note that his mouth opened
slightly in shock as he took in her appearance. A moment of stunned silence
fell over the pair of them as each regarded the other. Darius had also dressed
for dinner, and Tay ran her eyes across his elegant garb in stupefied appraisal. He
had been handsome before, but now, she closed her mouth as she realised that
she was staring.
About the Author
When I was a child, I made up games and characters when my sister and I played with dolls. As I grew older, I would make up scenarios and scenes, fully intending to write them down but never finding the time. In my late teens, I discovered the world of role playing and settled into an avid ‘geeky’ life of D&D, comics, sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Years passed and I finally gave voice to the stories in my head. I write romance, fantasy, action and adventure. I love tales of steampunk and history, tales of magical powers and dark curses lurking in the shadows. Though The Black Lotus is not my first attempt at a novel, it is the first I have finished.
And some fun facts about me:
I sew.
My favourite Disney film is Atlantis.
I’ve been a film extra and stood 5 feet away from Sam Rockwell.
Babylon 5 is my fave sci-fi show.
I cried at the end of Toy Story 3.
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