~Sweet Saturday Sample~ Heartless

I finally joined the ranks of authors who every Saturday post a short excerpt from one of their works. I've chosen to share an excerpt from Heartless, the next of my works to be published (hopefully in the next few days). This portion was taken from Chapter 15, shortly after Hart, the Duke of Derringer, manages to locate and rescue his cousin Gabriel. Enjoy! ♥

“Yes,” snapped the duke, “I am your cousin. The same cousin who pulled you out of the briers on too many occasions to count. The same cousin who defended you more than once when your father tried to beat some sense into your thick skull. The same bloody cousin who sent you off to war and nearly got you killed in the process!”

Shock sucked the air from Gabriel’s lungs. “You blame yourself, Hart? Because I enlisted?” The duke’s self-conscious shrug was his only answer. “I was army-mad, Hart. I would have gone if I’d had to take the King’s shilling to do it. You know that. There was never anyone closer to me than you. You know, Hart.”

Derringer stood and went to the one porthole in the cabin. He stared out into the night at the myriad stars hanging in the heavens. He didn’t want to talk about this. He didn’t want to be free of the blame. Deep down, he knew he was responsible. He was responsible and no one else. 

“You are not my keeper,” Gabriel repeated emphatically. “I made my choice and now I must live with the consequences.” 

Derringer didn’t turn around. “How did you lose your arm, Gabe?”

Gabriel glanced down at the missing appendage, then laid his head back and closed his eyes. “Waterloo,” he said. “Shrapnel lodged in too many places to be easily removed. Infection.” He threw his remaining hand up with a flourish, intoning dramatically, “Goodbye, arm.”

The hand he waved was, naturally, the one that held the thick brandy glass. Thankfully, it was empty. It did, however, fly from his hand to land with a thwack against the door of the cabin. Derringer jumped at the sound and swung around to see his cousin doubled over. He rushed over, fearing the worst, and was astonished to realize Gabriel was laughing.

If you'd like more info on this book, please click over and check out my Heartless blog. Thank you for taking the time to read this little excerpt!

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♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

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♫♪ Staind ~ Save Me