Where she receives a note…

If you have not read the previous week’s Sunday Snippets, I recommend doing so first.  You may find them here.
Previously on Sunday Snippets: Delaney, preparing for a quiet dinner alone is informed my her maid that her husband, the duke, is in residence.  

*****

Nancy’s words registered as Delaney was vigorously drying her hair, causing her to drop the flannel, her mind whirling with the knowledge that her husband – who had avoided her for the past twenty-four hours – was in the next room.  The maid kept prattling on about who-knew-what as she draped a cashmere dressing gown over her shoulders.  The feel of the plush material against her skin as she slipped her arms into the sleeves was enough to bring Delaney out of her trance and sit in front of the vanity.
“Crandall said I was to give you this when you came back in,” Nancy said, handing over a piece of folded foolscap.  Ignoring the maid’s mumbling and muttering about tangled hair and knots, Delaney stared at the missive in her hand.
It was perfect, of course, folded exactly square and addressed to her in her husband’s neat, bold handwriting.  Part of her wanted to toss it into the fire – after yesterday, it was the least he deserved – but she didn’t.  Instead, she took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and broke the seal.

*****

I bet you’re dying to know what was in that note!  It’s awful of me, but how else am I to keep you coming back for more?  I have been working hard on this story to get it ready for March, but somehow, I got sidetracked this past week and have been working on another, completely unrelated story.  You know when those characters want you to tell their story and they won’t take no for an answer?  Sometimes a writer just needs to tell the story that wants to be told, not the one that is currently in progress.  But I’m glad I’ve given these two other characters a chance to get some of their issues worked out.  Are they part of the “Reluctant Lords”?  I don’t know yet.  I’m thinking not, but it’s still too early to tell.

On a more serious note, Delaney wasn’t the only one who got scolded last week.  I went over the allotted eight sentences in last week’s snippet.  I must be more careful to make sure that I don’t do so again.  I can’t help it, I just can’t bring myself to use “creative punctuation”.  This webpage and these snippets represent me as an author and as a professional.  If I expect others to take me seriously as a writer – including potential editors and agents – then I refuse to put something up here that is anything less than the best I can do.  It makes me look as if I have no concept of grammar, punctuation or the English language.
So I am taking this time to apologise ahead of time if I leave you hanging at an inopportune moment.  I will   always try to end my snippets at a natural stopping point or hook as I strive to stay within the eight sentences, but I will not sacrifice the quality of my writing.  I just can’t do that.
To read more great snippets by great writers – creative punctuation aside – visit the WeWriWa blog or visit the Snippet Sunday Facebook page (they allow up to ten sentences!).
Happy reading and I’ll see you next week!
To see what happens next, click here.