Viscount’s Christmas Runaway by Audrey Harrison

A Winter’s Romance: A Regency Anthology on preorder now at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Winters-Romance-Regency-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DG3R12L1

Hello, thank you for having me. I am Audrey Harrison, an English writer of Regency romance from the North West of England. I live halfway between Liverpool and Manchester, in a very working class town called Wigan. I’ve been indie publishing since 2011, it started because traditional publishers told me that there was no market for Regency romance! I am married with two grown-up children and two gorgeous grandchildren, plus a mad foster dog (hoping to adopt her) and two granddogs. Life is usually chaotic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A shy child, I lost myself in books. They gave me the friends and adventures I needed and I have never stopped reading. I would write stories as a child, resulting in my first novel when I was sixteen, but life, family, and mortgages meant that I had no opportunity to follow that path. I think I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much if I had been younger, whereas now I feel very privileged to be able to follow my dream.

I’ve always wanted to write, but people from a working class background don’t become authors. I worked in the public sector and then a hospital stay and the chance at voluntary redundancy was the prod that I needed. It took a few more years before I published because I had no idea about ebooks, but I have never regretted a day of taking the risk and indie publishing. I would love to achieve more, write more and build my readership. I love what I do but I never take it for granted and am always humbled that readers enjoy my stories.

I have nearly forty Regency romances available on ebook or paperback. This venture of being part of an anthology is something new and exciting to me. I will always suffer from imposter syndrome, but the chance to work with five other talented authors was too tempting an opportunity to miss. I love that the stories are all based around winter, the perfect time for snuggling down with a nice book!

My story is the Viscount’s Christmas Runaway. The story of the Little Match Girl always haunted me as a child and I wanted to start the story with a young woman at risk from the elements and without any real protection.

Here’s a snippet of the Viscount’s Christmas Runaway:

The Lord who has seen Louisa on the streets a week before, returns to offer help:-

Louisa was accompanied to the rendezvous by Billy and Rosie. They were determined to offer support, all the time insisting that she could walk away, that it did not matter if what he asked in return was too much. Each word of support they uttered made Louisa more determined to do whatever it took to provide for them all. It did not prevent bile from rising in her throat when the carriage came to a halt at the roadside.

Lord Hindley got out and smiled at Louisa. “My child, I am extremely glad to see you.”

“I gave my word,” Louisa said, slightly offended that he had doubted her. Seeing him once more highlighted how different her life was from what it had been. Lord Hindley was dressed exquisitely, his dark frock coat clearly made by the finest tailors and boots that shone in the lamplight from his carriage.

“You did. And this is Rosie and Billy?” he asked, turning to the two, who were hanging back slightly.

“I’m Billy!” Billy said, pleased he was being included and moving forward slightly before Rosie pulled him back with a hiss.

Lord Hindley smiled at the young man. It was clear he had immediately seen that Billy was still a child, mentally at least. “How do you do, Billy? I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” He walked past Louisa, holding out his hand to Billy.

Billy beamed at him and shook his hand enthusiastically. Louisa groaned silently. Billy was so used to being beaten that anyone showing even the smallest amount of kindness found they had a loyal puppy by their side, which is how Rosie had “adopted” him in the first place.

As Louisa watched, still on edge, Lord Hindley turned his attention to Rosie. “I am pleased to meet you, too, Rosie, and I hope that the blanket kept you completely covered this week. Louisa told me how she held onto the blanket while you went cold.”

Rosie laughed despite being on high alert. “Yes, sir. I ’ave been warm, thank you.” She turned to Louisa and, in front of Lord Hindley, said, “Did you tell him all of our secrets, you bumble ’ead?”

Louisa blushed, but Lord Hindley laughed a deep chuckle. “She did not. I promise you she was only explaining why she needed three blankets when I, in my ignorance, had offered only one.”

“Oh,” Rosie said, but she sent Louisa a pointed look.

Louisa knew she was in for a lecture from Rosie and sighed. “We all appreciated the blankets,” she said quietly.

Lord Hindley turned back from greeting Billy, his full attention on Louisa. “I hope to do even more for you this week,” he said.

Louisa set her shoulders, but she made an involuntarily step back as Lord Hindley moved away from Billy and into her vicinity.

“What do you fear, my child?” he asked gently.

“Nothing,” Louisa said, but she could not meet his gaze.

They were distracted by the carriage door opening. They had presumed that the gentleman travelled alone, so Rosie and Louisa were surprised when a fine lady alighted down the carriage steps with the help of a footman. She stepped out as if directly from a fashion plate. She was around the same age as the gentleman, tall and slender, with an open face that smiled at the group before her.

“Hindley, you are making a complete mess of this!” came a teasing reprimand. “Can you not see she is terrified and is acting as the lamb before the slaughter, waiting for you to devour her?”

“Devour her? But I have tried to be as careful as I can not to frighten her!” came the indignant response.

“Yes, and by not saying what you came to say, you are leaving her quaking in fear, waiting for goodness knows what!”

Louisa blushed. The woman could read minds, it seemed.

Louisa and her friends are to go on quite the adventure.

Pre-order it now:- https://mybook.to/WinterRomance