Blog Tour - Elin Gregory - Eleventh Hour
Author: Elin Gregory
Release Date: August 1 2016
Length: 68,000 words
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Blurb
Borrowed from the Secret Intelligence Service cipher department to assist Briers Allerdale - a field agent returning to 1920s London with news of a dangerous anarchist plot - Miles Siward moves into a "couples only" boarding house, posing as Allerdale's "wife". Miles relishes the opportunity to allow his alter ego, Millie, to spread her wings but if Miles wants the other agent's respect he can never betray how much he enjoys being Millie now how attractive he finds Allerdale.
Pursuing a ruthless enemy who wants to throw Europe back into the horrors of the Great War, Briers and miles are helped and hindered by nosy landladies, Water Board officials, suave gentlemen representing foreign powers and their own increasing attraction to each other.
Will they catch their quarry? Will they find love? Could they hope for both?
The clock is ticking.
Excerpt
“Have you finished with the
shaving water?” Miles asked. “I can’t ask for more. They might wonder why.”
Briers had to concede that
was a good thought, even as he ground his teeth in frustration. Miles in only a
towel was a sight to gladden the heart, amongst other things. Willowy was the
word, almost wasp-waisted, with a delightfully pert behind. But most
importantly, untouchable, Briers decided, and he averted his eyes while Miles
lathered his face and shaved, then continued to scrape the cinnamon coloured
hair from the parts of his body he hadn’t had time to see to the day before.
Not that he was hirsute, but what little foliage he had was ruthlessly cut back
until he was smooth everywhere Briers had seen, which was everything apart from
the small area from navel to thigh concealed by the towel.
“Have I missed anything?”
Miles demanded, holding the towel in place with first one hand then the other
as he twisted and turned, trying to see the backs of his calves.
“I don’t think so,” Briers
admitted, and turned away abruptly to look out of the window.
His experience with women
had been limited the occasional fumble when it had seemed rude not to, and one
heart-breaking affair in Prague when it had been assumed he would be willing,
if not eager, to seduce the lonely wife of an Italian chargé d’affaires. He had
hoped to keep it to handholding and promises of more, but his masters had
insisted he at least show willing. Easy for them to say. Still he had done what
was necessary. The dear lady had put his reticence down to inexperience, bless
her, and couldn’t have been kinder. Once the incriminating photographs had been
taken and the damning letters had been exchanged, he had caught a train back to
Belgrade. The woman would be approached with the evidence and encouraged to
pass on any little scraps of information her husband might let slip. Everyday
business for the SIS, but this time it had left Briers feeling even dirtier
than usual. The worst thing had been that he had truly enjoyed the woman’s company.
She had been tall, slender, and opinionated with a bright smile, very much like
Millie Carstairs.
And hadn’t that been a
surprise? Small, diffident Siward, fussy in his formal pin-striped suit and pince-nez, had given way to
forthright Millie. Miles had seated himself as though afraid of taking up too
much room and had spoken softly. Millie stretched out her long legs, crossed
them with a slither of silk, snapped her little gold glasses onto her nose with
much the same air as a guardsman presenting arms, and told Briers what was
what. Briers found the steely glint in her big blue eyes and the challenge in her
conversation as stimulating in their own way as he had found Miles’gentle
smile. There had been a youth – or girl he should say really, he supposed –
some years back in Belgrade. Draga had been petite and blonde and utterly
beautiful, and Briers would have passed her by without a glance if it hadn’t
been for the particular bar he had seen her in. Curiosity had paid off and they
had spent a very satisfying week together. Briers couldn’t help but wonder if,
given the right encouragement, Miles would be as voracious. But he kept his
back turned and his eyes on the window. In part, this was to conceal his
interest – his sudden vivid image of himself yanking the towel away and tipping
Miles up to inspect every recently shaved inch had caused him an embarrassment
in the trouser department – but partly to keep an eye on their target.
Author Bio
Elin Gregory lives in South Wales and works in a museum in a castle built on the edge of a Roman Fort! She reckons that's a pretty cool job.
Elin usually writes on historical subjects, and enjoys weaving the weird and wonderful facts she comes across in her research into her plots. She likes her heroes hard as nails but capable of tenderness when circumstances allow. Often they are in danger, frequently they have to make hard choices, but happy endings are always assured.
Current works in progress include one set during the Great War, another in WW2, one set in the Dark Ages and a series of contemporary romances set in a small town on the Welsh border.
@ElinGregory
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