Schoolteacher Clara lives a peaceful, solitary life when she's away from the school house. That is, other than the nights when rich, powerful landowner Courtland Raymond comes to call.
Court makes Clara do and feel things she'd never before dreamed of. He is forceful and dominant, and he always knows just what she needs. Their secret arrangement allows them to enjoy each other without the disapproval of the community they both rely on for their livelihood.
Clara loves Court, and she'd do nearly anything to be with him forever, a real relationship, but she's not willing to risk their stolen moments. But when their secret trysts are exposed, will she be able to hold on to Court? Or lose him forever?
General Release Date: 6th September 2013
Clara lifted the heavy iron kettle, her hands protected by the woollen potholders. The wooden floor was cold under her bare feet and she took the few steps across the tiny house to where the copper tub stood on tiptoes. As she filled it to the brim, steam rose, heavy with the scent of lavender oil—an expensive gift. She breathed in deeply before she returned the kettle to the top of the stove and went to the window. She used the heel of her hand to melt the frost on the window then placed her cold hand against her cheek as she peered out. It was late. The snow reflected the moonlight and made it bright enough to see the school house across the meadow. Clara watched the snow scuttling along the ground, blown by the force of the storm, then drew the blinds closed. For now, for tonight, she didn’t have to be strict Miss Wilder, the school teacher.
She unfolded the tri-fold screen and set it up around the tub. The light from the fireplace and the lanterns shone through the crimson fabric of the screen, bathing the corner in a rosy glow. Clara untied the belt of her silk robe and let it slip off her shoulders, the fabric swishing against her skin until she caught it as it fell over her hands, before laying it on the back of the wooden chair that stood against the wall.
Despite the cheery fire, the chill of the winter night crept into the house and Clara shivered, her bare skin reacting with goose bumps. She dipped a foot in the water and the sudden shock of heat against her cold toes made her recoil. First one foot, then the other adjusted to the warmth and she bent her knees, lowering herself to sit in the tub. The water was too hot, really, but after days and days of standing at the front of the draughty schoolhouse with the chill sinking into her bones, Clara revelled in the feeling of being too hot. She leant back against the copper side of the tub, sinking into the water up to her chin, breathing in the soothing scent of the lavender, the water warming her to her core. She smiled.
He would come to her tonight.
Clara reached for the soap she’d set on the nearby chair, getting a shiver as her wet arm was exposed to the air. It was his soap, the silky soft vanilla scented bar he’d brought her last time. She breathed in the smell, remembering. It had been fall then, the trees that surrounded her little home bright with oranges and yellows and reds, the air crisp. He’d come to her, his hands rough like always, his mouth demanding and hot. Clara’s breath caught as she remembered. She slowly scrubbed up and down her arms then lifted each leg out of the water to slide the soap over her skin, imagining it was his hands that touched her, smoothing over her breasts, down her stomach and between her legs.
The bar of soap floated to the surface as her knees fell apart. She used her own hand to trace the path his had taken so many times, and she closed her eyes, her cheeks heating from more than the hot water as she tried to believe it was him—his fingers that circled the soft tissues, his fingers that plunged inside her again and again. The waves created by her movement splashed against her sensitive breasts, her nipples exposed to the cool of the air only to be submerged again in the scalding water. Clara bit her lip at the mix of sensations, holding so tightly to the edge of the copper tub with her other hand that it bit into her palm. She ground down with her thumb on the nub between her legs, trying to mimic his movements, his rhythm. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t him, and she panted as she fought for release. She pictured him above her, his face stubbled with beard and creased from the sun, his hair brushing her face as he kissed her, moved over her.
He would come to her tonight.
Celeste Rupert lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and (other than the lack of indoor plumbing) would love to live in the Old West. As time travel hasn't yet been invented, she lives in the era through her characters.
Reviewed by Jeep Diva
Clara Wilder has a clandestine relationship with Court Raymond. They maintain this secret relationship because Clara’s a teacher and Court’s a powerful landowner. With a need for control, Court...
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Celeste Rupert - Interview for Holding Court
If time travel were invented where would be the first place you would go and what would you do there?
I am a huge local history geek, so it’s Alberta history that I would explore first. The native culture, the fur trade, the whiskey trade, the Northwest Mounted Police, the homesteaders and ranchers… I’d want to see it all. See, told you I was a geek!
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