#excerpt The Warriors Prize by Jennifer Wilson
The Warriors Prize by Jennifer Wilson
The Warriors’ Prize
Stirling Castle, 1498
Visiting court for the first time since her father’s death, Lady Avelina Gordon finds herself drawn to the handsome warrior, Sir Lachlan MacNair. But as a woman who has seen too many of her friends lose everything for ‘love’, she keeps her heart guarded.
Castle Berradane, 1502
Lady Avelina is unceremoniously told to expect her new husband within the month. The man in question: Sir Lachlan.
Lachlan arrives in Berradane carrying his own secret, and a determination to control his heart. As attraction builds between the couple, they find themselves under attack and fearful of a traitor in their midst.
Can the teamwork they’ve shown in adversity so far pull them through one final test, and will they find the strength to risk their hearts, as well as their lives?
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/TheWarriorsPrize
The Warriors’ Prize – Extract 2 –
Chapter Nineteen – The attack
As he nudged his horse forward in the twilight’s semi-darkness, Lachlan tried to fight the sense of unease which had been threatening to descend since they left Berradane. Again, he ran through in his mind the plan which he, Euan and Hamish had been discussing and refining for the last few days. It was as straightforward as these things could be. They had planned it well, with neither country’s Warden having been seen in the area for weeks, and selecting a small target which was unlikely to be either well-guarded or of significant concern to its landlord. His men were under strict instructions to target cattle, then be on their way. This was about showing the strength of Berradane; they wanted as little bloodshed as possible. Lachlan was also keen to avoid the wrath of James, if he inadvertently brought any trouble over the border on his return. More than that; being dragged into the world of the borderers was one thing, but taking innocent lives was another. And that was something Lachlan would never be party to.
Everything was as planned. There had been no last-moment change in the men they had chosen to ride out, no lost weapons, no unfortunate accidents or injuries, and he even carried the hunting horn which Avelina had been in such a mess over. So why did he feel so uncomfortable?
It happened before they even reached the border. When he looked back on it later, Lachlan was certain of that fact. Hamish had explained meticulously how they would know when they were crossing into England, and he had been paying attention to every track, woodland or stream to ensure he knew exactly where he was at all times. Those were the skills required of a border lord, however new to the role. Lachlan knew he had seen none of the described signs. They were still in Scotland.
What he did see, amongst the trees as they entered a small wooded valley off the main river, was a flash of metal which he knew couldn’t belong to any of his own men. Then a second, a third, a fourth. Still not his men. They were surrounded.
Author Bio –
Jennifer has been stalking dead monarchs since she was a child. It started with Mary, Queen of Scots, then moved onto Richard III. At least now it results in a story!
She won North Tyneside Libraries’ Story Tyne short story competition in 2014 (no dead monarchs, but still not a cheerful read), and has been filling notebooks and hard-drives ever since. Her Kindred Spirits series, following the ‘lives’ of some very interesting ghostly communities, is published by Darkstroke, and her historical romances by Ocelot Press.
Jennifer is currently exploring some new ideas for historical romance, and hoping to visit Kindred Spirit friends old and new, north of the border…
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifercwilsonwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inkjunkie1984
Website: https://jennifercwilsonwriter.wordpress.com/
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