The Enchanted
by Elaine Cantrell
Blurb
Forced
by his father into a marriage he didn’t want, Prince Alan soon finds that his
bride isn’t the sweet, submissive creature he expected. Morgane has the heart
of a dragon and beauty beyond compare, but she isn’t thrilled about the
marriage either. When black treachery threatens the kingdom, Morgane and Alan
embark on a perilous journey that has an excellent chance of ending in failure
and death for them and all of their people.
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Excerpt:
As
Alan moved toward her, her eyes grew wide and filled with wild desperation.
“You fear me, but I am not like your father, Morgane.”
“You
are exactly like my father,” she spat, her eyes now dark with loathing.
Alan
thought for a moment. “I do not see how. I am not in the habit of cutting
people’s faces or burning their feet.”
“Not
yet.”
“I
promise that I will never hurt you.”
Morgane
s expressive, sea colored eyes flashed again.
“I am nothing more than a brood mare to you, so you have already hurt
me.”
Alan
scowled. “I have shown you nothing but kindness!”
Morgane
laughed in his face. “What kindness did you do for me? My feet? Yes, I grant
that was nice of you. However, I am here in your bed, am I not? My father
forced me to wed a stranger who will take by force if necessary the one thing
which is mine to give. That does not sound like kindness to me.”
“You
judge me before you know me, Morgane,” he rebuked. “I have no intention of
forcing myself on you. Did it not occur to you that I also would rather not
have wed a stranger? I once married for love, but my wife died four years ago.
Having tasted true happiness with her, I have no desire to bed a stranger.”
Morgane
s face flamed. Some strong emotion that Alan could not identify burned behind
her eyes. “You do not find me desirable?”
Ah!
He had wounded her vanity. “You are a lovely woman, but...”
“My
scar repels you.” Her voice sounded flat. All color had leached from her face.
“Well, it is too bad for us both that we are expected to produce offspring.”
“Your
servants spoke the truth,” Alan replied, marveling at her courage. “You do
indeed have the heart of a dragon. You speak your mind to me even though you do
not know me and have no idea how I might react.”
Sudden
excitement flared on her face. She pointed toward the far corner of the room.
“Do us both a service. Take that sword from the corner and put an end to this
nightmare.”
Alan
gasped, shocked to the core. “Be silent! To speak in that way is an
abomination.”
“Perhaps,
but I prefer death to a life of hopelessness and servitude.”
Alan
froze. “Do not speak of this again,” he ordered, allowing his disapproval to
show in his voice and on his face. “I do not know what trials you have endured,
but things will surely be better now. In time you will be glad I did not listen
to you.”
Morgane
clamped her lips together and refused to say anything more, which did not
especially displease Alan. He had expected an obedient, dutiful woman who would
do whatever he told her. Morgane did not seem to understand that role.
“We
will have to share a bed,” he said. “My father expects me to give him heirs. He
would be very angry if he thought we did not consummate our marriage. So we
will not tell him that we did not.”
“As
you say.”
Character
Interview Princess Morgane
Greetings,
kind readers. I am Madame de Barra, and
I have been granted the honor of an interview with the Princess Morgane. I am
rather nervous even though I am an experienced interviewer. I have read Madame Cantrell’s tale The
Enchanted and must confess that I am all atwitter at the thought of meeting the
princess. Oh! She comes now.
Madame
de Barra scrambles to her feet and bows deeply.
“My princess.”
Princess
Morgane inclines her head to Madame de Barra.
“Please, take a seat, Madame. It
is my honor to meet you.”
They
both sit in comfortable twin chairs covered in red velvet with an eagle
embroidered on the back.
Madame
de Barra: “Thank you for granting me an
interview, Princess Morgane.”
Princess
Morgane: “I am grateful for your
interest in my story.”
1.Madame
de Barra: “The entire kingdom is interested in your story. For the benefit of
anyone who has not met you, would you introduce yourself and tell us your
occupation?”
“I
am the Princess Morgane, daughter of King Maccus, wife of Prince Alan who is
heir to his father King Bowdyn. My occupation? I am a princess.”
2.What
or who is the greatest love of your life? Why? What drew you to them?
“Beyond
the shadow of a doubt, it is my husband Prince Alan. Our love story did not
begin the way most do. Our fathers arranged a marriage for the two of us even
though we had never met. I did not expect to even like him, but I grew to love
him almost immediately. How could I not? He is everything a man should be. He
is kind, generous, clever, protective, and he is fair to look upon.”
3.What
is your greatest fear?
Princess
Morgane bites her lip. “I fear that one day I might lose the prince. We live in
a dangerous world. He promises to take care of himself, but I am still
fearful.”
4.
“What is your most important goal?”
“I
have long been concerned over the lack of opportunities for women. I am doing research to see what can be done
about it. I myself have been victimized by men, and I long to live in a world
where men and women are treated the same.”
5.”What
is your favorite food?”
The
princess laughs. “I am overly fond of
chocolate. It is so costly that even the king cannot often have it, but he did
serve chocolate truffles at the banquet honoring Madame Cantrell. In fact, the
entire kingdom honors Madame for her marvelous book The Enchanted.”
Madame
deBarra nods her head. “As a representative of the press, I covered the release
party that the king gave for Madame Cantrell.
If my readers are interested, they can find my coverage of the party at
http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com/2013/05/release-day-enchanted.html.
“Thank
you, Princess Morgane for your time. I have greatly enjoyed meeting you.”
About the author
Elaine
Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina.
She holds a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson
University. She is a member of Alpha
Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators and is also
a member of Romance Writers of America.
Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love
Contest. When she isn’t writing or
teaching, she enjoys reading, traveling, and collecting vintage Christmas
ornaments.
Author
Links:
Elise Erickson of Harold Ober Associates
