Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Knight With a Violin
    Knight With a Violin
    Knight With a Violin
    Ebook112 pages1 hour

    Knight With a Violin

    By Judith Laik

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A violinist with a mission
    When musician Bayard Pytchley’s childhood sweetheart is abducted, he sets aside his newly realized ambition of playing in the Florenz Theatre orchestra to rush to her rescue.

    A stroke of fate strands Bayard with a down-on-their-luck thespian troupe. Viviana Fairweather’s joie de vivre inspires him as only music did before. Despite his noble intentions, Bayard proves all too susceptible to the charms of the troupe’s beautiful leading actress.

    A free-spirited actress
    Viviana cannot imagine a more satisfying life than touring with her family and performing for ordinary folk in the towns and villages of rural England. But when violinist Bayard Pytchley joins their troupe temporarily, she realizes what she has been missing—a man to share her life and love.

    Caught between honor and love
    Viviana can’t help but admire the man for his loyalty. Yet, how will her shattered heart mend when he leaves the troupe to search for his first love?
    What’s a man of honor to do when he falls in love with the wrong woman?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJudith Laik
    Release dateJan 1, 2017
    ISBN9781370476107
    Knight With a Violin
    Author

    Judith Laik

    I live on a mini-farm near Seattle with my husband, daughter, some horses, two cats, and a number of Collies -- we're a dog show family.Our vintage farmhouse needs constant upkeep, which we can barely keep up with, since it always needs new paint or new fences or...Luckily the most recent thing we repaired is the plumbing, so that’s working pretty well these days. With us living out in the country, we experience frequent power outages. There’s nothing more romantic than huddling under blankets in front of a cozy fire in the fireplace, with more blankets blocking the drafts from the other rooms in the house. The downside is that without power the well doesn’t work, either.My husband and I like to get away as often as we can, taking off for a few days at the ocean or the lake. I usually bring my laptop with me on these excursions, working on whatever my current writing project is. I love to travel to more faraway places also. Our most recent adventure took us to the Amazon. The river, not the online book-and-everything seller, though I do confess I spend a lot of time there also, and anyplace else that has books. You can tell that by the stacks and boxes of books all around the house.My favorite destination, though, is England. My most recent trips there, in 2003 and 2005, were with groups equally fascinated with the Regency period and we visited many sites with associations to that time. Heaven! There’s nothing like actually seeing the locations where my stories took place, even if altered to varying degrees by the 200-some years since those events happened. As a bonus, the gift shops at many of the museums and historic sites have more lovely books that I would never have come across at home!

    Related to Knight With a Violin

    Related ebooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Books

      Jan 20, 2020

      Theresa’s former husband Theo has been little but a shadow in her life: he’s spent the past two decades in an institution. Now that he’s dead, she finds herself unsure how to mourn for a man she’s tried so hard to put behind her. But going through a

      4 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Feb 19, 2021

      At a local newspaper in South East London in 1957, journalist Jean Swinney receives a curious letter written to the editor. Gretchen Tilbury – abeautiful, well-to-do woman – claims her 10-year-old daughter is the product of a virgin birth. Gretchen h

      5 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      May 21, 2020

      Book Club
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Old Un’s Notes

      Jun 29, 2022

      The Old Un’s Notes
      6 min read

    • Article

      Plenty Of Room At This Inn

      Dec 13, 2023

      Plenty Of Room At This Inn
      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Aug 16, 2023

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      What Larks With Larkin!

      Jul 27, 2022

      What Larks With Larkin!
      4 min read

    • Article

      The little NIGHTINGALE

      Dec 28, 2022

      The little NIGHTINGALE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Aug 16, 2023

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jan 5, 2022

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Four Of A Kind

      May 3, 2023

      Four Of A Kind
      4 min read

    • Article

      Remembering Inge Feltrinelli

      Oct 5, 2018

      Remembering Inge Feltrinelli
      10 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Special

      Dec 28, 2023

      The distinctive depth of characterisation shines in this tightly knitted story of therapist Nick and retired solicitor wife Zoe, as they decide to view a deconsecrated Victorian church which is for sale. It’s “even more picturesque than it looked onl

      11 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Than Fiction

      Apr 12, 2024

      Stranger Than Fiction
      5 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading

      Dec 30, 2020

      Summer Reading
      3 min read

    • Article

      On Classic Party Fiction

      Mar 21, 2019

      On Classic Party Fiction
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Dresser Undressed

      Nov 25, 2021

      The Dresser Undressed
      7 min read

    • Article

      When Lizzie met Maggie

      Dec 13, 2023

      The Grim Reaper has been having a high old time of late. I've barely had a moment to keep up with my diary, I have been so busy writing letters of condolence, attending funerals and giving addresses at memorial services. I was especially saddened by

      3 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jul 20, 2022

      Book Club
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Knight With a Violin

    4/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Knight With a Violin - Judith Laik

      Knight with a Violin

      A Novella in the Unsuitable Bride Series

      Judith Laik

      Copyright © 2016 by Judith Laik.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

      Smashwords Edition

      To my Beau Monde critique group, excellent writers, and thoughtful, honest, and always helpful critiquers: Bliss Bennett, Laurie Alice Eakes, and Jess Russell.

      I found them by responding to a post on the Beau Monde forum by one of them, looking for a group to share critiques. It was my lucky day when I wrote back.

      One of the perks of being in the group was getting to read works-in-progress of three new favorite authors!

      I also dedicate this story to my cover artist, Dar Albert, who always comes up with a stunning cover.

      And to my own hero, Rein, as always!

      About Knight with a Violin

      The Unsuitable Bride Series Book 2.5

      A violinist with a mission

      When musician Bayard Pytchley’s childhood sweetheart is abducted, he sets aside his newly realized ambition of playing in the Florenz Theatre orchestra to rush to her rescue.

      A stroke of fate strands Bayard with a down-on-their-luck thespian troupe. Viviana Fairweather’s joie de vivre inspires him as only music did before. Despite his noble intentions, Bayard proves all too susceptible to the charms of the troupe’s beautiful leading actress.

      A free-spirited actress

      Viviana cannot imagine a more satisfying life than touring with her family and performing for ordinary folk in the towns and villages of rural England. But when violinist Bayard Pytchley joins their troupe temporarily, she realizes what she has been missing—a man to share her life and love.

      Caught between honor and love

      Viviana can’t help but admire the man for his loyalty. Yet, how will her shattered heart mend when he leaves the troupe to search for his first love?

      What’s a man of honor to do when he falls in love with the wrong woman?

      Table Of Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      About The Author

      Chapter One

      April 8, late afternoon, London

      Bayard Pytchley approached the backstage door to the Florenz Theatre. He’d achieved his long-held dream of employment at a London theatre nearly a fortnight ago, but his heart still swelled every time he entered the building. As he touched the handle, running footsteps sounded from behind him. Out of breath and flushed, his fellow violinist William Catesby clapped a hand on his back. Have you heard the news? he wheezed.

      Bayard tugged open the door. What news?

      The Foxworth girl was abducted last night. Arietta?

      No! The breath whooshed out of him as though he’d been kicked in the gut.

      It’s true, Catesby insisted. They’re saying her abductor—some blueblood—is taking her to Gretna Green to marry her. Not likely, I’d say.

      Bayard pushed his violin case at Catesby. I’ll be a little late for rehearsal. Ice freezing his innards, he ran straight to the rooming house where the Foxworths lived, about a mile away. Mr. Foxworth, his music teacher, had died several months before, leaving his widow and two daughters in financial straits. It couldn’t be true—more trouble facing the Foxworths!

      He charged up the stairs, shouldering a bulky man out of the way, and knocked at the door. His breath came in rasps as he waited.

      The landlady opened the door and Bayard’s words tumbled out. Mrs. Culpepper, is it true about Arietta, er, Miss Foxworth being abducted?

      She held up a hand. I’ll speak to you later, Mr. Pytchley. This gennulman don’t need to ’ear all your business.

      He finally looked at the other man. Perdition! A swell, his considerable girth stuffed into fancy togs. Bayard compared himself to the appearance of the gentleman. His suit was clean and freshly pressed, but purchased secondhand and it never had been of the highest quality fabric or tailoring as the older man’s clothing clearly was. And unfortunately, Bayard’s untamable red hair automatically reduced any chance that he’d be regarded seriously. No chance Mrs. Culpepper would place his concerns ahead of the toff’s.

      The man said, Actually, I came on the same errand, trying to learn what news I may of the Foxworths. I am a family friend, Lord Strumpington.

      Oh, she said. Well, per’aps you’d both better come in.

      She led them into a parlor, a little dingy, with aging, inexpensive furnishings. Strumpington perched gingerly upon the settee, which creaked ominously under his weight.

      Bayard rocked on his heels, too on edge to sit.

      I fear it’s true, your lordship. The young miss has been taken, the landlady announced, directing her attention to Lord Strumpington.

      No! Bayard cried.

      Mrs. Culpepper ignored him. Miss Arietta was stolen away by a man named Mr. Linton—brother to a lord, so I understand. Miss Beatrice went after her, and then Mrs. Foxworth persuaded another gennulman, a Mr. Hollesley, to help her. They all be ’eading to Gretna Green.

      He can’t mean to marry her. A musician and a lord? If he had honorable intentions, he’d hardly have needed to abduct her! Bayard clutched his hands together. She wouldn’t have run away with anyone, especially someone she had never mentioned to him. He and the Foxworths had been close friends—he was practically a brother to both young ladies, Beatrice, the elder, and Arietta. He had lived with the family for some years while he apprenticed with Mr. Foxworth.

      Her image rose before him—her golden hair, blue eyes filled with passion—for her music! Shortly after Mr. Foxworth had died, Bayard had realized his brotherly feelings for Arietta had matured into romantic love, and rashly, he’d proposed to her. She had gently turned him down. Just as well, at the time, for he could not yet have supported a wife.

      His hopes had recently been renewed that he could persuade Arietta to marry him, now that he finally had enough income to afford a wife, between his position in the Florenz orchestra, the students he tutored, and occasional other musical engagements.

      Now, Mr. Pytchley, you don’t know exactly what happened. Mrs. Culpepper cast him a dismissive smile as though to a wayward child, turning back to Lord Strumpington. So, you see, your lordship, things is as desperate as may be right now, though I’m sure it will all come right in the end. Mr. Hollesley is heir to a viscount, so he’ll sort things out.

      Thank you, Lord Strumpington said, his jowls quivering. You’ve been very helpful. As you say, no doubt everything will turn out fine. He remained seated, a frown on his face, belying his cheerful words.

      Bayard’s insides roiled. Aristocrats weren’t of much use in his experience. Strumpington’s calling on the landlady was suspicious; Bayard would swear he couldn’t be a friend as he’d claimed. Bayard knew all their friends, and they’d never mentioned a lord among them.

      This Hollesley no doubt had his own reasons for pretending to help, as well. And the man Linton who’d abducted Arietta—that was easily enough explained, though not forgiven. What man wouldn’t desire the beautiful young woman? You’re certain they were headed for Gretna Green? He addressed Mrs. Culpepper.

      Mr. Hollesley was quite convinced of that. The woman fidgeted. Look, if you’re through with your questions, I ‘ave work to do.

      It seemed Bayard had garnered all the information she could give, so he took his

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1