In Lady of the Stars, my Regency time travel novella, Caroline and Richard begin their rocky road to romance in the kitchen, where each gets their first good look at the other.
Here’s the time-traveling Caroline’s view of her 1817 hero, Richard:
Not knowing where to go, she headed for the kitchen.
She saw Richard before he saw her. He stood in a beam of sunshine, his back to her as he poured water from a bucket into a large kettle sitting on the grate over the fire.
The sun glinted off his light golden brown hair, short at the sides and back yet full on top, a haircut many men of her acquaintance wore. Unfortunately, he was still dressed in breeches and boots, like the men in pictures from two hundred years ago. She had always laughed at the ornateness of men's clothes from that era. But in bright daylight, somehow, those elaborate clothes appeared utterly masculine.
His dark blue jacket was slung over a chair back and he wore a white shirt with flowing sleeves and a gray vest. Though the shirt was loose, the vest was not and she gazed down the expanse of muscle from broad shoulders to slim hips and sinfully long legs. Her gaze jerked back up to the breeches. They were as tight as his vest. Good thing his jacket had those ridiculous tails, or women for miles around would follow him just to see that magnificent backside.
And now Richard’s view of Caroline:
When he had examined her by the kitchen fire, he could see only dark hair and dark eyes, with a suggestion of regular and well-formed features. He remembered thinking she might be pretty when she was dry and clean.
Now that he had gotten a good look at her, whatever or whoever she was, he had to admit she was lovely. Short, but slim, her indecent clothes, drenched from the rain, skimmed her figure to reveal charming proportions. Her hair was a rich brown, her face a perfect oval, her eyes large and dark.
He paused. Brown. Her eyes were brown, the color of chocolate. He had seen their hue when he knelt at her side. What would she look like in the full light of day?
Aren’t kitchens grand?
Thank you all,
Linda
Linda Banche
Regency romance--most with humor, some with fantasy, and occasionally a paranormal
Lady of the Stars--4 stars from Romantic Times, Regency time travel available from The Wild Rose Press
Pumpkinnapper--Regency Halloween comedy, coming
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