Category: NaNoWriMo

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 24 days

David needs a sojourn

…

The Featherington empire has residences in various places, including a castle and estate in the country.

Susan’s mother tolerated it, and Susan hated it.

David thought it was all very Old English.  Since the castle now belonged to Susan, and he was currently her husband, a title that could become very tenuous unless he started behaving like one, he got the notion he could be almost lord of the manor.

But it was not with that intention he was going there.

He just liked the idea of living, if not briefly, in a real castle.

Sadly, the fantasy does not live up to reality, and he is instantly submersed into a new chapter of the ever-evolving conspiracy.

What conspiracy?

It’s old, draughty, almost out of a dream, or nightmare, especially if it had dungeons and he ended up in one, and it brought a whole new cast of characters.

Fiercely loyal to their mistress, and very sceptical of their new master.

An initial inspection shows endless repairs and improvements being undertaken, not unexpected since the place was a few hundred years old, but what was really going on, under the surface?

All he had to do was shake off his constant shadow, as beautiful and she was beguiling, and like everything else, too good to be true.

…

NANOWRIMO November 2023 – Day 12

“Opposites Attract”

…

The inimitable Mrs Bakersfield

…

It’s not every day of the week you get to meet a genuine god-zillionaire.  Or so it seems to our boy.

She is Mrs Bakersfield, CEO of a conglomerate, rivalling the once fortunes of the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and others.  To her granddaughter, Emily, she is simply Grandma.

It doesn’t take long to see that her grandmother and Emile have a special bond, one that might have included Emily’s mother, Grandma’s daughter.

And for the record, Emily and Tim are her last two direct descendants.

Of course, Grandma has noticed the change in her granddaughter because of our boy and she has a private talk.

It is an interesting conversation.  She can see that he has the same affection for Emily as Emily does for him, enough to believe that something might come of the relationship.

She is no doubt aware of the differences in background, but sometimes those are just details.

She offers him a job, well, not so much a job, but an introduction to the HR manager, the equivalent one might say to an interview.

Oh, and one final detail, the grandmother has stage four cancer and has only a matter of weeks to live.

…

Today’s words:  2,489, for a total of 19,048

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 24 days

David needs a sojourn

…

The Featherington empire has residences in various places, including a castle and estate in the country.

Susan’s mother tolerated it, and Susan hated it.

David thought it was all very Old English.  Since the castle now belonged to Susan, and he was currently her husband, a title that could become very tenuous unless he started behaving like one, he got the notion he could be almost lord of the manor.

But it was not with that intention he was going there.

He just liked the idea of living, if not briefly, in a real castle.

Sadly, the fantasy does not live up to reality, and he is instantly submersed into a new chapter of the ever-evolving conspiracy.

What conspiracy?

It’s old, draughty, almost out of a dream, or nightmare, especially if it had dungeons and he ended up in one, and it brought a whole new cast of characters.

Fiercely loyal to their mistress, and very sceptical of their new master.

An initial inspection shows endless repairs and improvements being undertaken, not unexpected since the place was a few hundred years old, but what was really going on, under the surface?

All he had to do was shake off his constant shadow, as beautiful and she was beguiling, and like everything else, too good to be true.

…

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 25 days

Some people just don’t go away

…

Why do all the heads of clandestine operations look like they’re a hundred years old?…

Prendergast is no exception.

David thought once he had inexplicably exited the service, he would no longer see or hear of the old man again.

Susan had to disappear, and David has to go after her, and yes, he needed the old departmental resources.  And, it didn’t take long to realise taking anything from Prendergast came with a steep price.

Except for Alisha.  She takes more than a passing interest in David and has him on her radar, so when he gets into trouble, she’s there.  More than once.

Like himself, she was not a resource that Prendergast could completely control, and she is investigating, off book, an interesting relationship between Susan and Russia, so it was inevitable David and Alisha’s paths should cross again.

David is also intrigued that Prendergast is apparently more involved with Susan than ever before, an added complication to his path back into her life.

And with everything Prendergast did, there was always an ulterior motive. 

It might be to police that promise he made, that he got back together with Susan, or go back to work for Prendergast, or it might not.

It was yet another layer of intrigue surrounding the mysterious enigma that was the new Lady Featherington.

…

NANOWRIMO November 2023 – Day 11

“Opposites Attract”

…

A visit to New York

…

I remember my first trip to New York.  We came via Los Angeles, and we were late arriving and therefore missed our outgoing flight.

It was winter, but in LA it was not cold.  That first trip we didn’t really know what cold was about.

Then, New York had been suffering from snowstorms and the weather was so bad it had stopped arrivals.  We were delayed, then got on the plane, and waited, and waited, until the pilot decided we were going, come hell or high water.

What happened?

We arrived at two in the morning, at a terminal that hadn’t been used for years, along with four or five other planes and thousands of bags sans carousels.

It was the stuff of memories, no matter how much hardship was thrown at us.

Of course, none of this is relevant to the story.  Our boy is summoned to New York, gets a ride in the corporate jet, and is staying at a swanky hotel.

There will, he knows, be a price to be paid.

But, reunited with the love of his life, all is good.

For now.

…

Today’s words:  2,138, for a total of 21,186

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 26 days

Your friends are not my friends

…

So, integration into the Featherington empire is not going according to plan.

Whose plan, it might be asked.

Instead of just settling into a life of luxury and being the plus one for a woman who simply needed a consort, David has the nagging feeling everything around him is not as it should be.

He could cite the pain-killing drugs sending him into a world of conspiracies and hallucinations, that not everything around him was suspicious.

Take, for instance, her new business partners, far too handsome for their own good, and why is Susan flirting so openly with them?

Then there are the three Russian maids.  See no evil, hear no evil, speak evil, if they’re maids, why did they look and act like Russian spies?

Perhaps an old friend might be able to clear that up for him/

And why does the old family Butler, the only authentic person, other than the housekeeper who truly is both British to the core, and as genuine as they get, whispering in David’s ear that the mistress has changed, and he is concerned/

On day one in the London residence, it doesn’t take long to realize the walls have both eyes and ears, and thus the game’s afoot.

Once more he finds himself back in the murky world of lies and deceit.

…

The worst part of it is that he has no tangible truth that anything is amiss, and truth be told, David just wants everything to go back to the way it was.

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 25 days

Some people just don’t go away

…

Why do all the heads of clandestine operations look like they’re a hundred years old?…

Prendergast is no exception.

David thought once he had inexplicably exited the service, he would no longer see or hear of the old man again.

Susan had to disappear, and David has to go after her, and yes, he needed the old departmental resources.  And, it didn’t take long to realise taking anything from Prendergast came with a steep price.

Except for Alisha.  She takes more than a passing interest in David and has him on her radar, so when he gets into trouble, she’s there.  More than once.

Like himself, she was not a resource that Prendergast could completely control, and she is investigating, off book, an interesting relationship between Susan and Russia, so it was inevitable David and Alisha’s paths should cross again.

David is also intrigued that Prendergast is apparently more involved with Susan than ever before, an added complication to his path back into her life.

And with everything Prendergast did, there was always an ulterior motive. 

It might be to police that promise he made, that he got back together with Susan, or go back to work for Prendergast, or it might not.

It was yet another layer of intrigue surrounding the mysterious enigma that was the new Lady Featherington.

…

NANOWRIMO November 2023 – Day 11

“Opposites Attract”

…

A visit to New York

…

I remember my first trip to New York.  We came via Los Angeles, and we were late arriving and therefore missed our outgoing flight.

It was winter, but in LA it was not cold.  That first trip we didn’t really know what cold was about.

Then, New York had been suffering from snowstorms and the weather was so bad it had stopped arrivals.  We were delayed, then got on the plane, and waited, and waited, until the pilot decided we were going, come hell or high water.

What happened?

We arrived at two in the morning, at a terminal that hadn’t been used for years, along with four or five other planes and thousands of bags sans carousels.

It was the stuff of memories, no matter how much hardship was thrown at us.

Of course, none of this is relevant to the story.  Our boy is summoned to New York, gets a ride in the corporate jet, and is staying at a swanky hotel.

There will, he knows, be a price to be paid.

But, reunited with the love of his life, all is good.

For now.

…

Today’s words:  2,138, for a total of 21,186

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 25 days

Some people just don’t go away

…

Why do all the heads of clandestine operations look like they’re a hundred years old?…

Prendergast is no exception.

David thought once he had inexplicably exited the service, he would no longer see or hear of the old man again.

Susan had to disappear, and David has to go after her, and yes, he needed the old departmental resources.  And, it didn’t take long to realise taking anything from Prendergast came with a steep price.

Except for Alisha.  She takes more than a passing interest in David and has him on her radar, so when he gets into trouble, she’s there.  More than once.

Like himself, she was not a resource that Prendergast could completely control, and she is investigating, off book, an interesting relationship between Susan and Russia, so it was inevitable David and Alisha’s paths should cross again.

David is also intrigued that Prendergast is apparently more involved with Susan than ever before, an added complication to his path back into her life.

And with everything Prendergast did, there was always an ulterior motive. 

It might be to police that promise he made, that he got back together with Susan, or go back to work for Prendergast, or it might not.

It was yet another layer of intrigue surrounding the mysterious enigma that was the new Lady Featherington.

…

“Strangers We’ve Become” – The final countdown to publishing in 26 days

Your friends are not my friends

…

So, integration into the Featherington empire is not going according to plan.

Whose plan, it might be asked.

Instead of just settling into a life of luxury and being the plus one for a woman who simply needed a consort, David has the nagging feeling everything around him is not as it should be.

He could cite the pain-killing drugs sending him into a world of conspiracies and hallucinations, that not everything around him was suspicious.

Take, for instance, her new business partners, far too handsome for their own good, and why is Susan flirting so openly with them?

Then there are the three Russian maids.  See no evil, hear no evil, speak evil, if they’re maids, why did they look and act like Russian spies?

Perhaps an old friend might be able to clear that up for him/

And why does the old family Butler, the only authentic person, other than the housekeeper who truly is both British to the core, and as genuine as they get, whispering in David’s ear that the mistress has changed, and he is concerned/

On day one in the London residence, it doesn’t take long to realize the walls have both eyes and ears, and thus the game’s afoot.

Once more he finds himself back in the murky world of lies and deceit.

…

The worst part of it is that he has no tangible truth that anything is amiss, and truth be told, David just wants everything to go back to the way it was.