A warm Love Bytes welcome to author Rebecca Cohen visiting today to share an exclusive excerpt of new release “Making History at Crofton Hall”
Professor Graham Klint may have been wearing trousers rather than his customary cut-off shorts, but his hair still looked as if he’d put his fingers into an electricity socket. Nathan pursed his lips as Graham almost sent his tea flying with an exaggerated sweep of his arm. Ben sat politely, listening, and Nathan suspected that only Ben’s good breeding kept him from interrupting Graham to ask what the hell he was talking about. “And that, Lord Crofton, is why we need to get into the crypt as soon as possible.”
“So you’re saying that the crypt ceiling could collapse at any minute?” asked Ben.
“Exactly.” Graham waved a finger. “Very delicate situation.”
Nathan huffed. “We both know you over-empathised the issue to get the paperwork through quicker. If we were concerned there’d be no way we’d allow you lot in there. Our insurance company would eat us alive.”
“Nathan, I really think—”
“No, Graham. You are not going to use this to get your team in there any quicker. We agreed the timeline. An independent consultant has told me the area is stable enough, at least for now, so there is no way on God’s green Earth you’re going to mess up my schedule.”
“You can’t expect a dig of this uniqueness to run to time, Nathan.”
“Look, I accept it might lengthen depending on what we find, but the crew is booked to start next week and I’ve checked, and they can’t come earlier. A few extra days will not kill you, and don’t even think about starting until everyone is in place. You signed the contract, remember?”
Graham deflated but Ben came to the rescue, and Nathan wished he hadn’t. “Why don’t we go down there and take a look. Is there any real issue about opening the casket, just to check there is actually someone in there?”
“What? You want to pop off the lid and stick your head in?” He was met by two expectant stares and told him that was exactly what they wanted to do. “Surely you can’t just wander in and do that?”
“We have the licenses and the permits. Environmental Health have done their risk assessment and we can take the lids off with no extra precautions. In theory, I could start now.”
“I could give Mark—the local vicar—a call. He’s expecting us anyway and we could warn him what we intended to do.”
Nathan thought he was on to a losing battle but he wasn’t done yet. “And how the hell do you expect to shift the bloody lid. A crowbar and a lot of pushing?”
“I wouldn’t use a crowbar,” said Graham in disgust. “I might damage it. If it hasn’t got a lip then a couple of us should be able to shove the lid off, at least enough that I can get a torch in.”
A gentle knock made Ben turn. “And there should be two more warm bodies at our disposable. Come in!”
Nathan saw Ashley and Dara enter. He gave up. He’d hoped Ben would stop Graham getting too excited, and instead he seemed to be enjoying fanning the flames.
“Excellent timing, Ashley. Can you take Dara and Graham in your Mini and I’ll follow with Nathan?”
Graham was out of his seat in an instant and trotting to the door. Nathan sighed and made to follow. “Nathan, one more thing, we can catch the others up at the church.”
Left with just Ben, Nathan tried not to be as surly as he felt. “You’re not helping,” he said.
Ben patted him on the shoulder. “Here’s the thing. I know men like Graham, give him this and you’ll have his gratitude, don’t and he’ll be a complete arse for the rest of the time. Whatever happens, he knows he can’t officially start but he’ll be possessed with a new spirit of cooperation and enthusiasm.”
“I hope you’re right. Because otherwise I’m going to kill him.”
Ben grinned. “At least you’ll have a nice crypt to hide the body.”
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh – Black Jazz Design
Modern Crofton
Book #1 – Saving Crofton Hall – Buy Here
Crofton Hall is buzzing with anticipation for the filming of the Secret Histories TV special about a scandalous affair that has been hidden for over four hundred years.
The hall’s new historian, Dara Callaghan, is drawn not just by the hall’s rich history but to TV producer, Nathan Lorimer. Nathan is finally ready to start dating again, several years after the death of his husband. There’s something about Dara, a quietly spoken Irishman, and the romance that surrounds Crofton Hall, that makes him want to take a chance.
Meanwhile, Ben Redbourn, 16th Earl of Crofton, is trying to persuade his boyfriend Ashley Niven that he’d like to don doublet and hose and play Sebastian to his Anthony. But Ashley’s not having any of it… until someone else agrees to the take the part of the 1st Earl of Crofton’s lover.
*This is the second Modern Crofton novel, featuring Benjamin Redbourn, the 16th Earl of Crofton and descendant of Anthony Redbourn, 1st Earl of Crofton from my historical series, The Crofton Chronicles. While designed to be read as a standalone, events that lead to this novel follow chronologically from Saving Crofton Hall.
Trigger warnings: discussion of grief and dealing with bereavement
REBECCA COHEN spends her days dreaming of a living in a Tudor manor house, or a Georgian mansion. Alas, the closest she comes to this is through her characters in her historical romance novels. She also dreams of intergalactic adventures and fantasy realms, but because she’s not yet got her space or dimensional travel plans finalised, she lives happily in leafy Hertfordshire, England, with her husband and young son. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and sloe gin with lemon tonic in the other.
With contemporaries, historicals, sci fi and fantasy in her back catalogue, there should be something for every taste in Rebecca’s work.
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