.jpg)
What is Mardi Gras and when and where did it start?
Mardi Gras is the Tuesday before the Lenten season begins.
The word is French and means Fat Tuesday. The French brought their customs to
the new world when they
explored the country, so now you know what it is. What most
people don't know is that Mardi Gras began in Mobile ,
Alabama
When the French arrived, they made Mobile ,
Alabama Louisiana
Territory
At the time the French arrived in Louisiana Europe , so even today
those who participate in the parades wear masks. And the weeks before the day,
there are still masked balls, all kinds of parties and celebrations. It's the one time of the year you pull out the
long gowns and the tuxedos and prepare to forget the calories.
Since the French located primarily in the Gulf region of the
US
Did you know there are special colors for Mardi Gras? The
colors are purple, gold and green in that order. The story behind those colors
will probably remain a mystery forever, but they were chosen by nobility from Russia
Again this is a custom brought here by the Europeans. Hidden
in the Cake was originally a coin, or a bean, but today we hide the plastic
figure of a baby. Getting the piece of cake with the coin, bean or baby meant a
whole year of good luck. It also meant you had to bring the cake to the next
party. They are filled with cinnamon and sugar, or fruits or cream cheese, so
rich but oh so good. If you celebrate Mardi Gras, you might want to try making
one. It's a yeast cake and you can find any number of decent recipes on the
'net'. Believe it or not, there are
bakeries all over the Gulf Coast
So next year, after Twelfth night why not plan to hold your
own Mardi Gras celebrations. I'm told calories at this time of year don't count
and you'll have the next 40 days of Lent to lost all the weight you gained
while you partied.
Alwyn ab Brynn Ffrydd wants revenge against a powerful Baron
without losing his king's support. What better way to exact revenge than to
kidnap the Baron's long time mistress. But she is not what he thinks she is.
Shy, unworldly Milisent Mortimore has been confined for nine
years by a brother who now demands she agree to wed a cruel, heartless man.
Thanks to her father's will, she has the right to chose her mate or her spouse
will lose her inheritance.
When Alwyn kidnaps her desires flares and together they must
struggle against the treachery of Alwyn's current mistress, her brother and the
man he wants her to marry.
In defying all three, Alwyn places his life at risk.
Milisent saves him from certain death and together they celebrate their life of
love.
Excerpt:
Alwyn ap Brynn Ffrydd leaned away from the woman mounted in front of him. He never expected Chelse’s whore to be so
young, nor so beautiful, nor to carry such a fragrant scent, like a spring
garden just warming in the morning sun. She dressed so simply at first
he thought she was the companion, not the woman he sought.
Those blue
eyes, bright like the sky of a perfect summer day, had snapped at his commands. Her concern for her companion had
been a bigger surprise. In his experience, a woman who was held only to
satisfy her master’s desires did not hold much concern for another
woman.
Usually
these women carried a hard, used expression, not the innocent stare of this one. Mayhap that was part of her
appeal for Chelse, her naive look. Alwyn was angry with the knowledge he too felt
desire and held a groan of frustration behind his teeth. She should not have
an effect on him for he knew what she was.
Oh how
Chelse must have enjoyed her. His man told him she had been in the castle for at least eight summers. He glanced at
her profile and 12 gritted his teeth as warmth invaded him. Nay, she should
not—could not— arouse him. She had belonged to his enemy.
Think of
Sybil, the woman who waits for you at Throsle.
He tensed for the woman who waited for him was also just a bedmate,
and she was there because he had not the courage to send her away. She
shared his bed for a year, and was hinting she wanted a better position.
Much as she might desire the title of wife he would never consider her for that
position. He already had a wife. Her broken body carrying his unborn
child lay under the cold rocky soil of Wales
While the
thought of Essylt chilled him, it strengthened his resolve. He had not loved her but he liked her; she made his life
comfortable.
His hold on
the woman in front of him tightened. He wanted to challenge Chelse and kill him if he could, but Edward did
not approve of his knights fighting to the death. The king would not like to
have a favorite of his die by another’s hand.
Although
Chelse deserved death, this woman would have to be Alwyn’s revenge. It would be through her that Chelse would
know pain, mayhap not the kind of pain Alwyn had suffered but a sense
of loss all the same.
He banished
the thoughts racing through his mind. Maintaining his control now that he had almost achieved the first part of
his revenge was foremost. One moment of inattention could destroy his plans.
Already his plan had suffered, for Chelse’s mistress was not what he expected. Her perfect
oval face was framed with curls of silken hair the color of a fawn. Despite the lack of sun, what he could see of the
delicate brown was highlighted with streaks of gold.
He leaned
away from her trying to dismiss that part of her allure. Aye, those eyes! They were bright, without guile, with an
intelligence he had not anticipated. Of course, she would have to be smart to
keep Chelse at her side for the sum of more than eight years and also keep him
from wedding another.
He would
not hurt her, however, for now she could not know that. His task was to make certain Chelse knew who held her but
not what was happening to her. Chelse had to know also he would never
have her again.
After he
had his revenge, he would find her a husband, someone who would not mind that she had once been the bed partner of
Chelse, someone who would keep her from him. It was only fortunate for him
his enemy had not married her, for then Edward would not overlook these
actions.
About Allison Knight
Award winning author, Allison Knight claims she's married to
the world's greatest husband because he's her greatest supporter and works with
her on all her projects. The mother of four children, she retired from teaching
to move south to warmer climes. She has written and published nineteen romances
for both paperback and digital
publishers. Her third medieval romance from her 'song' series and a
short story are available from Champagne Books, Inc.
Because she can never quite step out of teaching mode, she
blogs often sharing the knowledge she gained writing and publishing in the
romance genre. She also loves to talk
about the growing digital market.
You can find her at:
www.AllisonKnight.com
www.AllisonKnight.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/AuthorAllisonKnight
She blogs once a month for The Writers' Vineyard,
http://thewritersvineyard.com
No comments:
Post a Comment