Thankful Author 2018- Mariah Lynne

 My Dad died suddenly when I was thirteen. My mother and I moved. Of course being a young teen, I missed my Dad very much. From time to time, I became despondent not being able to share important events with him.

 My Mom, who was one of the wisest people I ever met, gave me the best advice that stays with me to this day. She told me whenever I felt sad to remind myself of all the wonderful things in my life. She said to begin with the good health of those I love, my own health, that I have shelter, food to eat, a school to attend, etc. Basic everyday thoughts, but so many people all over the world aren’t that fortunate.

I am thankful everyday so to choose one event was difficult until about five weeks ago. My husband and I were returning home from an overseas trip. Two very long flights brought us to Miami in fifteen hours. During the second flight I felt strange. I went to the restroom and became deathly ill. I couldn’t keep any food in, became lightheaded and confused and couldn’t stand. When I didn’t return to my seat after fifteen minutes, my husband became concerned and knocked on the door to see if he could help. I could barely open the door. He helped me stand and walked me to my seat. I was so disorientated, he later told me, I couldn’t tell him where we had been and where we were going. He said a very kind doctor from Paris who was on the flight to Miami to attend a medical conference came to my seat to see if he could help. He and my husband were concerned I might have suffered a stroke. The doctor ordered oxygen and water and agreed that the flight attendants should call the paramedics before we landed.

I’m thankful for that doctor. He didn’t have to help me. I wish I knew his name so I could thank him personally. I’m thankful for the paramedics from the Hialeah Florida fire station who boarded the plane, and had to lift me onto a wheelchair because I was so weak I couldn’t stand. From there they placed me on a gurney and into their rescue van. They drove my husband to the hospital because we live two hours away on the Gulf side.

I’m thankful for Hialeah Hospital. The emergency room nurses were incredible. They immediately gave me fluids through an IV. My husband stayed with me there and as my blood pressure dropped, I heard him say, “Stay with me honey. I don’t know how I’d live without you.” I was taken to critical care where I had antibiotics administered through an IV.

I’m thankful for the doctors that took care of me. The emergency room doctor, the infectious disease doctor and the overseeing critical care doctors all caring, careful, and concerned. Evidently after many blood tests along with a gamut of other tests, they determined I was extremely dehydrated and suffered from acute food poisoning. I had left a very dry climate so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it but they felt the food poisoning contributed to my extreme loss of fluids. I was kept on the IV for three days until the time I left. I am thankful for the doctor on my flight, the quick acting paramedics, and the emergency room nurses who all saved my life.

Now for the big thank you…  I’m thankful for my husband every day and know he loves me and I love him. But that day when I heard him say, “Stay with me, honey, I don’t know how I’d live without you.” I realized just how deep our love is.

Blurb

Amelia Augusta Ethrington, eighteenth century Duchess of Abbington and fourth in line to the English throne, is considered by society an old maid at thirty-two. She refuses to marry and relinquish her authority to a husband. Instead, she finds romance in trysts with strangers. 

Amelia’s claim to her duchy is an intricate and valuable necklace, The Abbington Jewels, given to her dying father by the King. 

An unscrupulous Time Traveler wishing to steal the jewels and sell them at future prices seduces her, catching her off guard, and snatches the necklace.

Amelia must risk everything to Travel with the aid of a gypsy seer to find the scoundrel, kill him, and retrieve her necklace before her jealous male cousins lay claim to her duchy. Complications arise after she meets Ryan Redstone, a museum appraiser sent to acquire the jewels. Amelia finally falls in love but knows she must focus on her quest to regain both her necklace and title. The Duchess is faced with the most difficult decision of her life. Love in the present? Or defending her honor in the past?

 

Excerpt

I took a deep breath before continuing.

“At the time, I actually thought little of his request to see the necklace. I had it on under my bodice. I’m sad to say desire overtook my common sense.”

I folded my hands on my lap. “I offered to show it to him—at the proper time of course. After all, I wear it, or should say wore it daily. We have been blessed with privilege, but come from a long line of soldiers and men of the cloth.”

Starr touched my sleeve. “You should be proud.”

“Minton appeared most interested in, not only the necklace, but me, so after tea I invited him into my private drawing room. He began to charm me as soon as we entered the room.

“We sat down on the velvet settee. Minton soon leaned over and whispered, rather naughtily, I might add, that he would love seeing such a beautiful lady as I wearing that necklace and nothing else. Of course I harrumphed. ‘Naughty boy.’”

“Of course,” Starr mimicked.

“At any rate, after a few more sensuous innuendos, I caved under his sweet nothings and decided to reveal the necklace.”

Starr shook her head laughing. “Why, you royal tart!”

We both enjoyed a hearty laugh. I cleared my throat to capture her attention again.

“At any rate, I scampered off to my boudoir to disrobe. I put on my sheerest nightshirt with buttons down the front. Modest, I covered my lack of clothing with my favorite red silk dressing gown.”

The gypsy, not surprised by my decision, quipped, “Modest, huh? I’ll bet you were just as anxious to show off that plump bosom of yours as the necklace.”

I winked, eager to continue. “I returned to the sitting room and sat down next to him. He was polite, asking if he could open my dressing gown just a bit to take a peek at the necklace. Of course, I obliged. I watched with anticipation as his blue eyes grew enormous, darting from my bosom to my necklace. He was speechless. I do have that effect on men, you know. Anyway, he mumbled something about extreme beauty. I believed he was noting my physique, but in actuality, it was the gold and gems he was talking about. Silly boy. I forgave him, removing the hand holding my robe closed making his conniving speech return.”

“‘My lady, as magnificent as your necklace is, it pales in comparison to your beautiful body. I am humbled to view both. Shall we toast to an afternoon of delightful romance with a glass of sipping sherry?’”

“I repeat. Lust overtook common sense. How could I refuse? I was accustomed to romancing stable hands and traveling knights, none near as polite or fresh smelling. Anyway, he had already poured the sherry into two glasses while I was disrobing. He handed me my glass before lifting his.

“‘Here’s to your necklace and an afternoon of lustful pleasures.’” 

Buy Links

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