Miranda's Travels

Romance, Erotic Romance, Time Travel, Fantasy, Paranormal:

Author: NAOMI BELLINA http://www.naomibellina.com/
Publisher: Total-E-Bound
2011:
Setting: Historical, time travel
Amazon Listing: [1]

Book Description

An encounter between two strangers with very different agendas sets sparks flying as they embark on an unexpected romantic adventure.

Prince Nicholas is charmed by the enigmatic Miranda, even after she absconds with money she stole from him. Wanting to learn more about her, he gives chase, only to find and lose her again. Duty calls, but he vows to seek out the otherworldly beauty before giving himself over to his royal duties.

Meanwhile, Miranda, a visitor from another time and another place, plans some rest and relaxation with the prince after the completion of her own mission.

But will scheming factions from another world threaten the happiness Miranda and Nicholas might find together?

Enjoy this PG Excerpt. Visit my website for a steamy one.

When he arrived in Griffin’s Square later the following day, he headed for the tavern first. He was tired and thirsty, and this would be the best place to enquire if anyone had seen a strange woman in town. He was sure Miranda would have attracted some attention, and since she had given him no clue as to why she was there, he would have to track her down once again. He approached a gregarious-looking man who seemed to be entertaining his friends with a story, and had a splint on his leg. Nicholas noticed that he had a sheriff’s badge on his jerkin.

“I certainly do know where you could find a woman travelling alone on a black horse. She’s in my gaol, that’s where. Do you have business with her?” the sheriff asked.

“I may,” Nicholas replied. “Why is she in your gaol?”

“She’s a rotten thief, that’s why. She tried to rob old Fletcher. What she would want from his crumbling shack in the woods I’ll never know. And she would have got away with it, too, if I hadn’t happened to be riding by and heard him yelling after her. I caught her and brought her into town, took her to the gaol, and, well…I decided to teach her a lesson in respecting her betters, if you get my drift?” At this the sheriff got a lascivious look in his eye. “I tied her up spread-eagled on the bed in the gaol cell, ripped off those breeches and her little shift, and was just getting ready to show her who’s boss in this town…” he began. Nicholas gripped his beer mug tightly and tried to control his rising anger.

“Then what happened?” he asked.

At this, the sheriff’s look turned from lecherous to confused. “I don’t rightly know what happened,” he said. “I suddenly found myself on the floor with my leg all twisted up under me. Doctor says it’s broken. I must’ve slipped or something. Bloody shame, I was lookin’ forward to taming that girl. She was squirming around like a wildcat to get out of those ropes…I bet she would be a wild ride.”

Nicholas finished his drink in one swallow and strode out of the tavern. He easily found the gaol and marched in, past a sleeping guard to the back. He stopped short when he reached the cell and saw Miranda sitting naked in a strange, cross-legged position on the bed, her hands resting lightly on her knees, eyes closed. The ropes were scattered around her on the floor. She opened her eyes slowly as he approached.

“It’s about time you arrived,” she said, and gave him one of those smiles that he was growing quite fond of.

“Are you all right?” Nicholas asked.

“I’m more or less fine, though I could use some food, a drink, and oh, maybe some clothes.”

“I’m demanding that the sheriff release you at once,” Nicholas began.

Oh, these men, Miranda thought, such bluster and bravado.

“It might work better if you appealed to his avarice and pride, and didn’t draw so much attention to yourself and to me. Perhaps you could congratulate him on capturing me, tell him there is a reward for me in your kingdom, and that you are taking me back to stand trial. I imagine the people in this town will actually be quite glad to be rid of me, but I’m afraid I’ve hurt the sheriff’s pride; I don’t think he’ll take too kindly to any outright demands from you.”

Nicholas agreed that this would be the wiser course, and so a few hours later, they were back on the road, Miranda clothed in a shabby dress that had been given to her by a sympathetic woman in town, tied to her horse, head hung obediently down. Nicholas had assured the sheriff that she would be properly punished when they arrived at their destination.

The sheriff had been more than happy to take the ‘reward’ money, and secretly relieved to see Miranda leave. There was something evil about the woman. He was sure he hadn’t just slipped and fallen of his own accord in that gaol cell; he vaguely recalled hearing her quietly chanting words he couldn’t understand just before he…well, he was going to stick by his story of falling, and that would be that.