Title: Indiscretion
Author: Hannah Fielding
Publisher: London Wall Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: 9th April 2015
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A young woman's journey of discovery takes her to a world of forbidden passion, savage beauty, and revenge.
Spring, 1950. Alexandra de Falla, a half-English, half-Spanish young writer abandons her privileged but suffocating life in London and travels to Spain to be reunited with her long-estranged family.
Instead of providing the sense of belonging she yearns for, the de Fallas are driven by seething emotions, and in the grip of the wild customs and traditions of Andalucia, all of which are alien to Alexandra.
Among the strange characters and sultry heat of this country, she meets the man who awakens emotions she hardly knew existed. But their path is strewn with obstacles: dangerous rivals, unpredictable events, and inevitable indiscretions. What does Alexandra's destiny hold for her in this flamboyant land of drama and all-consuming passions, where blood is ritually poured on to the sands of sun-drenched bullfighting arenas, mysterious gypsies are embroiled in magic and revenge, and beautiful dark-eyed dancers hide their secrets behind elegant lacy fans?
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EXCERPT
For the week leading up to the masked ball, confusion had
reigned on the ground floor at El Pavón. Servants had shifted out furniture,
rolled up carpets, prepared tables for the buffet in the dining room, and
chandeliers, wall sconces, columns and cornices had been decorated with
garlands of bright roses interspersed with jasmine and orange blossom from the
garden. As the evening began, and the sweeping strings of ballroom music filled
the hacienda, El Pavón seemed transformed into a magical palace.
Although the ball was in full swing as dusk gave way to
night, cars were still arriving. They stopped at the foot of the stairs with a
rasp of gravel and young drivers in dark-grey suits and caps leapt out to open
the doors.
In the garden, an array of colourful lanterns hung from
arbours, dangled between fruit trees, encircling the fountains and pools,
twinkling with light. While in the great ballroom, overlooking the east-facing
gardens, Doña MarÃa Dolores’ guests, attired in all sorts of disguises, drank,
joked and glided happily on the polished oak dancefloor.
The ballroom was long and rectangular, taking up the
entire length of the house. At each end, French doors opened out on to terraces
stocked with exotic plants. Down one side, more windows led to the wide green
lawn at the side of the hacienda. High mirrors hung between the windows, framed
with gilded beading. Supported on marble columns was a gallery with a
wrought-iron balustrade where musicians in evening dress were playing romantic dance
melodies from tangos to Viennese waltzes.
Alexandra paused on the threshold of the vast room, a
trifle overwhelmed by the grand spectacle. All the guests wore masks of velvet,
satin or lace, giving them a mysterious air. She watched for a moment as Ondine,
Goddess of the Northern Seas, leant against a column, lost in a dream, her head
slightly tilted to one side. In her long tunic of turquoise silk sprinkled with
iridescent sequins, she appeared to have just risen from the depths of the
ocean, her beautiful golden hair draped gracefully about her bare shoulders. A
torero in black silk breeches, drawn in at the hips, with a waistcoat brocaded
with silk, knee-length stockings and shiny flat shoes, gazed at her. Just as he
had decided to approach, another gallant figure, Oreste, bearing his father’s
sword in his belt, swooped in first and, bowing deeply before her, drew her on
to the dancefloor. They passed a maharani wearing a magnificent sari of dark
gold brocade, who was walking towards the veranda arm-in-arm with a American
Indian in a headdress of multi-coloured feathers and a jacket of brown suede.
A hand tapped Alexandra’s shoulder. Startled, she turned,
almost bumping into a couple of waiters carrying trays laden with appetizing
tapas and small glasses of fino sherry. The intruder was a musketeer in a wide
soft hat, loose breeches and a leather doublet. A black mask hid his twinkling
eyes but she recognized the beaming smile.
‘Well, Cousin,’ he said cheerfully, ‘I didn’t have to
search very long to find the most beautiful girl at the ball. I told you I
could spot you under any disguise.’
She smiled at Ramón, happy to find a friend in this sea
of masked strangers, but it was difficult to concentrate on what he was saying.
Her eyes were scouring the dancefloor, eagerly scrutinizing the whirling
couples from behind her velvet mask. What, or more precisely who, was she
looking for, exactly? After all, she knew nothing of the mysterious Conde,
except that he had a deep and seductive voice. Recalling it made her pulse run
faster and her knees slightly weak. Could the peculiar episode at Mascaradas
have been merely a foolish jest designed to mystify her? Surely Old Jaime would
not have taken part in a practical joke? She started with indignation at the
idea she might be the victim of some prank. Yet, the more she thought about it,
the more that seemed improbable. It would be an expensive joke to play, after
all. No, the sheer cost of her beautiful costume had to be proof of the
generosity and admiration of her romantic stranger.
As the evening progressed and there was still no sign of
the mysterious Conde, Alexandra was forced to admit that she must have been the
victim of a practical joke. It was gone eleven o’clock, surely he would have
shown up by now if he was going to? Putting aside her disappointment, she told
herself it had all been merely a captivating puzzle, one that had fired her
romantic imagination and aroused her yearning for adventure, nothing more. At
least she had some ideas for her new hero, she reminded herself, and decided to
enter fully into the festive spirit, now that she had given up on her elusive
stranger.
She didn’t notice the oriental prince, wearing a costume
similar in style and colour to her own, observing her quizzically from a far-off
corner of the room.
A pierrot in a black-and-white silk suit with a collar of
pleated tulle and a bonnet decorated with black pompons asked Alexandra for a
dance. She allowed him to move her around the dancefloor, with only half an ear
on the eager conversation he was making as she took in the sea of colourful
guests. It was almost midnight. Don Felipe was paying court to a shepherdess in
a crinoline gown. Further along the room Mercedes, disguised as a bluebell,
wearing a crown of tiny blue flowers and a dress with a bodice of green velvet
and an organdie skirt, with petals of periwinkle blue, was squabbling with
Electra, who was sulking in a corner. Isis and Osiris were discussing something
with a pretty redhead in Savoy costume.
Alexandra was once again aware of the pierrot, who drew
her closer to him. ‘Soon it will be midnight,’ he whispered into her ear, ‘and
the lights will go out—’
‘Excuse me señor, I’ve come to collect my wife,’
interrupted a deep, warm voice. Alexandra smothered a gasp. Her heart gave such
a jolt she thought it might leap out of her mouth.
The first notes of a Strauss waltz began. Before she
could recover, the stranger swung Alexandra into his arms, holding her so
tightly to him she was unable to lift her head to see his face. The blood
pounded in her veins. She was conscious of his strong, sinuous length against
her and the turmoil of her own body as his warmth soaked into her, adding to
the heat welling up inside her like a furnace. Her temple brushed against his
jaw; his skin was smooth. He smelled of soap, mint and tobacco, indefinably
masculine. As they twirled around the dancefloor, Alexandra was carried away by
an overpowering tide that left her light-headed, almost breathless. It was as
though she were under a spell, a bewitching charm of the mind and senses that
had no place in the dictionary of her experience.
Eventually, the giddy whirlwind ended and they found
themselves on the terrace. In contrast to the brightly lit ballroom they had
left, it was bathed in an almost unreal, diaphanous light from the moon and the
glowing lanterns in the trees. They waltzed in silence for a few more minutes,
taking in the melancholy softness of the night.
‘I owe you an apology for stepping in just now but I
could see no other way of tearing you away from the arms of your too-forward
partner,’ he said, in those same ardent, deep tones that had so haunted
Alexandra over the past few days.
She caught her breath, unable to reply immediately and
all the while hoping he wasn’t aware of the urgent beating of her heart. He
still held on to her firmly and she could only look up at him with a smile. The
moon disappeared behind a cloud, shadowing his features.
The stranger was almost a head taller than Alexandra.
Under his light cloak she could see that his costume was very much like hers.
It was in a similar cloth of pure, ivory-coloured silk, yet less decorated. His
head was clad in a plain turban, which entirely concealed his hair. In the wide
faja, the silk band that clasped his waist, he had placed a navaja, much like
the ones Alexandra had noticed at the station in Puerto de Santa MarÃa on the
day of her arrival, the difference being his was set with genuine precious
stones. His shoulders were broad; his embrace firm and close.
As a shaft of moonlight fell briefly on his face,
Alexandra’s heart missed a beat. In spite of the half-shadow and the narrow
mask shielding his tanned features, she recognized the stranger she had seen on
the seafront and then in the Church of Santa MarÃa: the man on the prayer stool
who had so deeply disturbed her. So it was the same man after all. One man who
now made something inside her thrill deliciously at his nearness.
Somewhere far off, a clock struck midnight. An owl
hooted, as if in response. The air was fragrant with the sweet smell of jasmine
and orange blossom. Masks fell and shouts of joy burst from all sides under a
shower of confetti.
The oriental prince leaned his head forward towards his
sultana.
‘Will you allow me, señorita?’ he whispered, his lean
fingers with infinite gentleness removing her velvet mask. His gaze delved
deeply into her large, glowing green irises, reading the emotion in her
upturned face as her body yielded helplessly to his touch. A rush of blood
coursed wildly through Alexandra’s veins as his hand once more slipped about
her waist, pausing before pulling her against him.
OTHER TITLES BY THIS AUTHOR
Title: Burning Embers
Author: Hannah Fielding
Publisher: London Wall Publishing
Release Date: 23rd December 2014
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An unforgettable passion ignited in the heart of Africa. A fragile love tormented by secrets and betrayal. Coral Sinclair, a beautiful but naïve young photographer, learns within days of calling off her wedding that she has also lost her father. Leaving her life in England, she sails to Kenya to take up her inheritance – Mpingo, the plantation that was her childhood home. On the voyage, Coral meets a charismatic stranger and their mystifying attraction shakes her to the core. Later she finds out his identity and is warned that the man is not to be trusted. Rafe de Monfort, owner of a nightclub and the neighbouring plantation, is not only a notorious womanizer, but also his affair with Coral’s stepmother may have contributed to her father’s death. Or so the rumours go. As Coral is swept up in the undeniable chemistry between her and Rafe, a tentative romance blossoms in the exotic, dangerous wilderness of Africa. But when Coral delves into his past, she questions his true motives. Is the infamous lothario just after her inheritance? Or does Rafe’s secret anguish colour his every move, making him more vulnerable than Coral could ever imagine?
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Title: The Echoes Of Love
Author: Hannah Fielding
Publisher: London Wall Publishing
Release Date: 6th December 2013
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Set against the breathtaking beauty of Italy, The Echoes of Love is a passionate, heart-breaking romance to ignite the senses and rekindle your belief in the power of love. Seduction, passion and secrets... Venetia Aston-Montagu has escaped to Venice to work in her godmother's architectural practice, putting a lost love behind her. For the past ten years she has built a fortress around her heart, only to find the walls tumbling down one night of the carnival when she is rescued from masked assailants by an enigmatic stranger, Paolo Barone. Drawn to the powerfully seductive Paolo, despite warnings of his Don Juan reputation and rumours that he keeps a mistress, Venetia can't help being caught up in the smouldering passion that ignites between them. When she finds herself assigned to a project at his magnificent home deep in the Tuscan countryside, Venetia not only faces a beautiful young rival but also a sinister count and dark forces in the shadows, determined to come between them. Can Venetia trust that love will triumph, even over her own demons? Or will Paolo's carefully guarded, devastating secret tear them apart forever?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for
her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came
to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah
would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in
French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with
an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property
development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the
time was now. Today, she lives the dream: writing full time at her homes in
Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances
overlooking breath-taking views of the Mediterranean.
To date, Hannah has published three novels: Burning Embers, ‘romance like Hollywood
used to make’, set in Kenya, 1970; the award-winning Echoes of Love, ‘an epic love story that is beautifully told’ set
in turn-of-the-millennium Italy; and Indiscretion,
her fieriest novel yet, set in 1950s Spain.
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