The Write Word with Wareeze

The story before the story

Vanessa

Hello again,

Welcome to the Soul Mate Publishing blog. For those of you new to the blog, I write historical romance with a twist of suspense under the pen name Wareeze Woodson. I have seven novels available on Amazon and the Soul Mate Publishing website. My first novel forward: Conduct Unbecoming of a Gentleman, An Enduring Love, A Lady’s Vanishing Choices, Captured by the Viscount, The Earl’s Scandalous Wager, After She Became a Lady, and my historical western romance, Bittersweep all listed on my website:www.wareezewoodson.com

Below is a glimpse of the love story in, my work in progress, Vanessa. My tribute to Valentine’s Day.

The moment the vision of loveliness crossed the threshold of the parlor, Lord Danville caught his breath. His first glimpse of his ward staggered him. Young, and in his eyes, the most exquisite creature he’d ever seen. Lovely beyond compare, she represented endless trouble, difficulties, and complications with her beauty along with her sensuous grace. A problem he didn’t need and couldn’t deal with until Neiif, the ruthless assassin was captured or eliminated completely. He had no time to spare for this fascinating piece of femininity plus at one and thirty, he was at least thirteen years her senior. He withdrew, not physically but in his mind and hopefully in his emotions. She wasn’t for him, and he must guard his heart against her.

Now, the story before the story begins with the heroine, Vanessa. A physical description is necessary. Golden-brown hair, eyes the color of amber, slender, graceful, beautiful enough to take Lord Danville’s breath away, and alone in the world except for her obnoxious stepfamily plus the all-important guardian, Lord Danville.

The scene below is not in the book. Some elements of her character are obvious even in her childhood:

Vanessa slowly twisted the glass knob and pushed the door inward listening for the squeak of the hinges. Barely inside the room, a strange awareness overwhelmed her, breathless and disturbing like in her nightmares. In all of her five years on this earth, after such an occurrence, some incident always happened. Being in her own home at Hill House with the shiny oak floors and big rooms had nothing to do with the sensations. It made no difference. The impressions came anytime, anywhere. Shrugging, she pushed the feeling aside.

Quietly shutting the troublesome door, she leaned against the wooden panel with her hands behind her back. Gazing around the room at the ivory wallpaper, she sighed and took a quick breath. Yes! She was alone in her mama’s bedroom. Course the room on the other side of the private parlor belonged to her daddy, but that had nothing to do with anything.

Hadn’t her mama always told her to use her imagination? That’s what she intended to do today. She would pretend she was at the ball tonight wearing a lovely pink gown and her mama’s locket. She began to dance, twirling around and around, her arms extended, her pink skirt billowing out with her movements until she nearly fell.

Sinking to the floor to stop the dizzy spinning of her head, she inspected the shiny wooden bed with its four posters rising up and up way above her. She liked the silky, lavender bedspread, soft and smooth under her fingertips. Not that she touched the coverlet, but one day, she had allowed her hand to accidently on purpose slide across one corner.

Light streamed in the two long windows through the lace curtains and sparked in the shimmering reflective glass above the vanity. She loved that huge mirror. She could view her entire length in it if she stood on the vanity stool.

Climbing up on the bench, she plopped down on the padded cushion and traced the pattern of roses across the top of the vanity with one finger. This place smelled like her mama, sweet soap, body lotion, perfume, and sachet in a little pouch.

Opening the top drawer in the middle, she caught her breath with excitement. She’d found her mama’s hairpins, and imagined herself all grown up, her hair curled, dressed in a fancy pink dress. She gazed at her reflection staring back at her with big light brown eyes, nearly amber, rosy cheeks, and golden-brown hair brushing against her neck.

Her hair didn’t suit her, so she divided the locks into sections, lifting a few strains and curling the hair around one finger. She pushed the curl to her scalp and pinned it in place with a hairpin just like her mama’s maid did when mama dressed for a party. Laboriously, Vanessa twisted another curl, then another. Finally finished rolling her entire head of hair, she delved further into her mama’s vanity.

She opened another drawer, storage for her mama’s jewelry collection when not in the vault. At the center, a gold locket in the shape of a heart inlaid with several rubies sparkled even in the dim light afforded deep in the drawer. Not daring to pick up the necklace, she allowed her fingertip to caress the stones, cool, alluring, and forbidden.

Footsteps! She jerked to attention, her heart pounding so fast it nearly choked her. Was that Nanny Franks? Vanessa slid to the floor and began to tip-toe toward the door. If her nanny found her in her mama’s room…she didn’t want to think of what might happen to her as punishment for disobedience, and she didn’t want Nanny Franks to be in trouble because of her either.

An adventuresome child, inquisitive, deeply sensitive, with a lively imagination and a kind heart. All the above describes Vanessa. Her appearance is detailed. Her mischievous nature is revealed along with her sensitivity and kindness. A glimpse of the child, already with signs of her adult character is displayed. The story about her young childhood is not in the book, Vanessa. It is the story before the story began. There is wealth in the family and this young daughter is well loved. What she will or will not do are developed as she grows, but the foundation is laid in the scene above.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief glimpse of Vanessa’s life before her story begins. Vanessa is my work in progress. Thank you for sharing your time with me. For more about my writing, visit my website and social sites listed below.

Respectfully submitted,

Wareeze Woodson

website –  http://www.wareezewoodson.com/

face book –  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wareeze-Woodson/523727757689755

twitter –  twitter.com@wareeze

good reads – https://www.goodreads.com/wareeze