Today, I’m pleased to share with you an excerpt from Laura Brigg’s latest book in the A Little Hotel in Cornwall Series! I really enjoyed her book, A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores, and this book looks great as well.
About The Cornish Secret of Summer’s Promise
As spring slips away from the hotel Penmarrow, excitement builds for an exclusive auction hosted at the hotel, featuring priceless possessions from a Hollywood actress turned lady of the manor, including her famous diamonds. Celebrities and collectors form a crowd that is keeping Maisie and the rest of staff busy, even as Maisie faces a crossroads for her manuscript.
But when the diamonds are stolen and Sidney is accused by the authorities, Maisie’s dilemma as a writer is pushed aside out of fear that his future in Port Hewer is in jeopardy. Desperation to prove that someone else is behind the theft will lead Maisie to uncover a very different secret outside of jewel thieves and village rumors … one that could change her life and her future forever.
Can Maisie deal with the latest secrets exposed — including those that paint Sidney’s past in a questionable light? And as summer’s dawn alters her idyllic life in Cornwall, will Maisie’s feelings for Sidney change as well?
Purchase Link: https://smarturl.it/cornishsecret
About the Author
Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.
Here’s a sneak peak from the book!
The author writes, “Thank you so much to Rebecca for letting me share an extract from my latest Cornish romance with her lovely readers today! It’s the fourth and (I hope) most exciting installment yet in my feel-good series ‘A Little Hotel in Cornwall’. The scene below finds the heroine Maisie and her fellow employees preparing for an exclusive auction event scheduled to be hosted at the quaint historic hotel by the sea.”
The head of the auction house, Mr. Tiller, hovered anxiously as two employees lifted out a massive portrait braced between wooden slats and covered with a dust-proof cloth. “Careful,” he instructed, for the one thousandth time. “That happens to be the portrait of Lady Von Patterson herself, painted by Lawton Anderson in nineteen thirty-three. Even a scratch on the canvas would be devastating.”
He turned to Mr. Trelawney. “Is your staff trustworthy with regards to the care and handling of these items?” he asked.
“They are well aware of the value of this collection,” the manager answered, dryly. “I assure you that they will conduct themselves with utmost precaution for the well-being of each item.”
Our lengthy lecture this morning had been on the subject of taking extreme care whenever near the items in question. Any event which required a twenty million dollar insurance policy was not to be taken lightly, especially since Mr. Tiller had expressed reluctance regarding the hotel hosting this event at all — but it had been among the final instructions of Mildred Eccleston that her estate be publicly displayed at her favorite hotel prior to any sale of her personal boudoir’s contents.
“Mind how you carry that one. Lady Von Patterson’s personal journal is extremely delicate —”
The lorry contained high-security display cases and other security equipment that would put the public display on ‘lockdown’ after hours, and during the crucial period between the final exhibit and the auction itself. More members of the auction house’s security team wheeled the equipment off and through the service entrance of the Penmarrow.
I lifted a small, heavy case from the many locked ones awaiting transport, feeling a nervous hand on my arm almost immediately. “Do be careful with that,” he said. “The necklace it contains is from Mildred’s most famous film Taming the Fury.” He turned to Mr. Trelawney, looking deeply concerned. “Are you certain the hotel’s ordinary staff is the proper choice for a job this delicate?”
“I’ll be careful,” I promised.
“You needn’t worry. Miss Kinnan will always give the utmost care. I have implicit confidence in her and all my staff,” said Mr. Trelawney. “I would stake my reputation as the manager of this hotel upon their skill and discretion.”
“The utmost care for any of these locked cases,” Mr. Tiller added to Riley and Katy, with emphasis, as they stepped forward to help. “The most valuable are on the trolley, but there is still substantial value in the individual cases in terms of a collector’s interest.”
Two gentlemen were lugging a very heavy-looking display case containing a silk Chinese gown, which they wheeled carefully towards the hotel. Riley lifted one of the cases from the stack. “What’s in all these?” he asked.
“Jewels,” said one of the auction house’s employees. “Lady Von Patterson’s personal collection.”
“Be extremely careful with that case — that is a priceless Chinese silver dragon sculpture gifted to the late Sir Phillip by the famed Asian explorer Herbert Wilson,” said Mr. Tiller. “Please, set it aside and allow the security team to collect it. Take that one instead — it contains part of Lady Von Patterson’s Limoges collection.”
Another case wheeled forward, its dust covering slipping aside to reveal an elaborate Chinese headdress filled with pearls, and two intricate jade combs nestled on a silk pillow.
“Fantastic,” said Riley, with a low whistle. “Who was this lady?”
“An old actress from silent films,” said Katy. “I read an article in a celebrity mag about her estate finally being up for grabs. She collected jewels — diamonds, old movie costume pieces, real museum stuff. She even had a ruby hairpin that belonged to Catherine the Great.”
“If I pocketed one of these little items, I’d never work a day again,” said Riley, as he lifted one of the smaller cases.
“You’d probably go to prison for life,” I said, as I moved aside for the two employees bringing out the last few cases.
“Freedom or money. Can’t have both, I suppose,” said Riley, sighing. “It wouldn’t be life — twenty years at most.”
Mr. Tiller looked alarmed. Mr. Trelawney cleared his throat, a rumbling sound like a train in a tunnel. “Let us keep personal comments to a minimum,” he said. An intimidating tone of voice wasn’t necessary, only a look, and Riley sobered slightly.
“I’ll move along, shall I?” he said. Katy lifted another of the small cases and joined the train of employees disappearing inside the service door. I followed along, carrying the valuable necklace from the actress-turned-titled lady’s celebrated movie.
Follow the Author on Social Media
Author Facebook at http://on.fb.me/1JjeMoI
Twitter at http://bit.ly/1ME9ivJ
The author (not me!) is having a giveaway!
3 Winners to win a ‘surprise’ three-dimensional pop-up card & receive a digital copy of Book One, A Little Hotel in Cornwall. (Open INT)
Each winner will receive a ‘surprise’ three-dimensional pop-up card handcrafted by an Etsy artist and bearing a clue about the next book in Laura Briggs’ Cornish romance series. The winners will also receive a digital copy of Book One, A Little Hotel in Cornwall.
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494329/
Rev. Rebecca Writes 
Another great post!
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