Countdown to UNDER THESE RESTLESS SKIES: Day 19 Excerpt

Under These Restless Skies will be released on February 20, and every day until then, I'll be posting a small excerpt. You can check out the book's blog here, including more excerpts and information on the Tudor historical characters in the story, and the legend of the selkies on which the story is based.

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Today's Excerpt:

Illustration from Arthur Rackham's
1909 novel Undine

At the ornamental pond, Emma knelt down, putting Pourquoi on the ground beside her. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching and then pushed up her sleeve to plunge her forearm into the cool water. She sighed. Sweet relief swept through her at the touch of her element. The ornamental fish swam close to nibble at her arm to test to see if she was edible and stayed to chat when their minds connected with hers at the touch of her skin. Fish, especially those in tiny ponds, have little of interest to say, and so she wasn’t disappointed when Will said her name and she had to draw away from the water.
“Forgive me,” Will said, and she hated to see the regret in his eyes.

“There is naught to forgive,” she replied and cupped his cheek in her hand. His mind was utterly silent to her, but not his emotions, and now he was feeling guilty. Guilty because she could only have these tiny tastes of her element, brief and unsatisfying.

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