Here’s another excerpt from my newly released fantasy novel Ravenseed, an epic tale of love, lust, betrayal, and vengeance. In this scene, Sir Peter meets Sir Matthew’s betrothed Elizabeth for the first time, and is captivated by her beauty.

I noticed a young barmaid crossing the room to where we stood. Her gaze was fixed on Matthew, but because I stood quite close to him, she could almost have been staring at me. Indeed, at one point her eyes flickered in my direction and gave a brief appraisal, before returning to their intended focus.

  The barmaid let out an exclamation of delight and embraced Matthew. She kissed his lips then drew back, regarding him with an expression of unadulterated joy.

  ‘Matthew! I didn’t expect you! After I heard about the King fighting in Cornwall, I thought I might never see you again.’

  Matthew appeared pleased with his welcome, but stiffened somewhat, perhaps due to my presence.

  ‘Elizabeth, this is Sir Peter and his squire Robin.’

  ‘A pleasure,’ said Robin, bowing slightly.

  Elizabeth ran a hand through her long auburn hair. ‘I’ve heard a great deal about you, Sir Peter.’

  To say that I understood in an instant why Elizabeth had so captivated Matthew would be an understatement. She was beautiful, yes, but hers wasn’t the mere beauty of a country girl. Something about her deep green eyes drew me into her face and held me transfixed. They were warm, kind, almost magical, as though they could perceive my very soul, locate my greatest desire, and grant it.

  ‘I’ve heard a great deal about you too, Elizabeth,’ I said eventually. ‘Sir Matthew is very fortunate.’

  Elizabeth laughed and gave Matthew a playful cuddle. ‘Fortunate? How can you be sure of that? How do you know I will not bring disaster upon him?’

  ‘No one seeing you could entertain such an absurd notion,’ I replied.

  Elizabeth stared at me, suppressing a grin. An expression of mild irritation crossed Matthew’s features.

  ‘I’m delighted to hear Elizbeth meets with your approval, Sir Peter.’

  He spoke as though jesting, yet I sensed a flicker of unease beneath Matthew’s remark. Had my reaction to Elizabeth’s immense beauty unsettled him? He had no reason to be concerned, though I could entirely understand his obsession with her.

‘I am likewise glad to meet with your approval, brave sir knight,’ said Elizabeth, with a hint of harmless mischief in her eyes.

You can pick up Ravenseed from Amazon on Kindle or paperback here (in the UK) and here (in the US). Downloads or paperbacks are also available from Draft2Digital, Smashwords, and associated outlets here.