Free A Mummers' Play by Jo Beverley Page B

be V. But when a dragon flies in from the enemy nation of Dorn, the fearsome dragon rider carries her away. Rozlinda is
not
amused!
    The Raven and the Rose
was published in the Holy Grail anthology
Chalice of Roses
in 2010, and is set in the twelfth century, close to Glastonbury, the heart of Grail mythology.
    Sister Gledys of Rosewell is visited by sinful dreams featuring a handsome knight, and is powerless over the feelings they stir. When an old woman and a raven summon her to leave her convent to find her knight, she’s challenged to sin in an even greater way. But if she’s to believe the message, only she and her knight together can summon the Holy Grail and bring peace to a country devastated by civil war.
    Keep reading for excerpts from these novellas following this letter.
    You can also find more information about all my digital novellas, including excerpts and buy/pre-order links on my web site here: http://www.jobev.com/epubnov.html
    If you’re in the mood for something more substantial, I’ve written thirty-six romance novels, and nearly all are now available as eBooks.
    The next new book will be
A Shocking Delight
in April 2014.
    This new novel is the story of Lucy Potter, whose dowry makes her a wealthy young woman. She sees no reason to give her wealth to a husband, especially as she dreams of following her father into trade. Then she meets an unusual man in a book shop. That scene is included in this eBook following the excerpts from the novellas. I hope you enjoy it. And remember, you can pre-order that book now.
    All best wishes,
    Jo

Keep reading for a preview of
    THE DRAGON AND THE PRINCESS
    Available February 2014 from InterMix

 
    “Being the Sacrificial Virgin Princess of Saragond stinks.”
    “I’m sure it does, highness.”
    “Seven years. Seven interminable years!” Princess Rozlinda leaned forward on the Royal Mage’s table. “Not only have I been SVP longer than anyone before, today I doubled the previous record. And,” she swept on before the mage could speak, “Princess Rosabella’s term ended when she was sixteen. How old am I?”
    “Nineteen, highness.” But Mistress Arcelsia’s aged eyes seemed to say, Magic cannot solve this.
    Rozlinda whirled away, her skirts brushing knick-knacks, her veil snagging on something. She yanked it free, not caring if the silk ripped. Stupid, stupid thing!
    Nineteen, and she’d never flirted with a man, never danced with a man, never kissed a man. She hardly ever spoke to a man outside her family. She had eight elderly lady attendants whose sole purpose was to make sure the SVP stayed V.
    The mage’s sanctum lay at the top of the highest tower of the White Castle of Saragond and through the window, Rozlinda could see all the way to the Shield Mountains. “I feel like a bird in a cage. Look, but don’t touch. See but never go.”
    “Now that’s not true, Princess. You can ride out any time you wish.”
    A moving cage is still a cage. But Rozlinda turned back, attempting a smile. None of this was Mistress Arcelsia’s fault, and a princess should make all around her comfortable. “Perhaps I will later.”
    When she went riding, her knights escorted her. She’d still have her ladies to protect her from her knights, but they’d be there. Young, virile men in their silver armor and bright, heraldic tunics, so masterful on their prancing white horses.
    Much good would it do her. Could anything be more cruel? The SVP Guard should be as wizened as her tutors and her ladies.
    “Sit down, Princess. We’ll try scrying again. Perhaps you’ll see your future.”
    “As I never see anything,” Rozlinda muttered under her breath, “that’s not encouraging.”
    But she gathered her skirts and sat on the stool before the deep golden bowl. In her disgruntled mood, she sat on her trailing veil, dragging her conical headdress to one side. With a hiss, she rearranged herself and pushed the hennin straight so the silken bands beneath her chin weren’t