Saturday 2 October 2010

Bad News Blogfest - Directly Below: They're People Too blogfest!

This is my contribution to the Bad News Blogfest - it's a snippet from my novel Unbidden Billionaire Legacy! 


Brief: This scene kicks off the next morning after Tara received a telephone call asking her “Where in hell is Rick?” She had presumed him arrived at his destination in South America. The phone call itself although disturbing and distressing, far worse is yet to come.




By eight Giorgio was the first guest to surface in the sitting room. ‘Any news?’

She felt numb and lacking in emotion. ‘I wish.’

She noted the casual way he draped his jacket over the arm of the chair, and the swivel of his hips before sinking his backside into the plush cushion seat. Liza was right. He was the epitome of elegant debonair man about town with hint of darker side yet to be revealed. His suit was dark grey, almost black, his Sicilian heritage more than evident in suntanned olive skin and dark eyes.

Oh yes, he was a handsome young individual and he knew it.

His eyes met hers and she saw ally not opponent as Liza had suggested might be the case. There was empathy reflected in his dark sultry Mediterranean eyes, unlike on the previous evening when he and Liza had embarked on a sparring match. His eyes then, had given the impression that if asked, he’d kill to keep Trans Europa Shipping under the Easterly flag, despite his name that of Giorgio Denaro: his mother Darrell Easterly’s sister, his father a Sicilian businessman.

‘Miss Tara,’ said Beattie, entering in haste waving a newspaper. ‘You better see this. It bad news.’

Tara leapt to her feet and took hold of the newspaper. The front-page headline said it all: Ricky Lindon Missing. The sub heading: Air Crash in South America and the article said: Yesterday morning rumors of a missing aircraft hit the airwaves, and coastguards and air sea rescue crews were scrambled. The golden boy of Hollywood failed to turn up on location for his latest movie some six days ago. Although hopes were raised late yesterday evening when a spotter plane reported a crash site on a remote beach, the crew saw no sign of life in or around the wreckage. This morning the aircraft was confirmed to be that of Ricky Lindon’s Learjet.

She felt sick.

She read on aloud: An air rescue team reached the remote crash site early this morning, and reported the largest section of the Learjet’s fuselage was partially submerged. It’s been confirmed there are no survivors.

She couldn’t bear to read more. ‘Yes, but it’s a week since he left. What if someone else has rescued him? A boat perhaps . . . sailing past. Fishermen? I don’t know, someone . . . some how.  It’s possible, isn’t it?’

Oh god, she was clutching at straws, but she couldn’t give up on him. Heart pounding her stomach tightened, and bile rose in her throat.

The silence of the room was a deafening void.
She hardly felt Giorgio easing the newspaper from her hands.

Beattie meantime wrapped arms around in a motherly way, and tears could not be held back.

As soon as Liza and Max entered they feared the worst, and Giorgio handed the paper to Liza. Max leaned over her shoulder as both absorbed the reality of what had happened.

Liza was first to speak. ‘Oh Tara, Tara. I am so sorry.’

She needed time to think, to seek sanctuary in her own room. If she didn't she'd scream, every ounce of strength and self-restraint fast diminishing.

What had happened?

CNN would surely be reporting the latest on Rick’s crash. ‘Give me a minute or two, Giorgio, and then we’ll go through your proposal thoroughly.’ She turned to leave, addressed herself to Liza. ‘Can you go through those pointers I mentioned yesterday, and let Giorgio have the file to read through.'

Thankfully no one tried to dissuade her from leaving, and the room fell silent as she made her exit. It wouldn’t stay that way once she was out of earshot. Always at times like these she knew hushed whispers became the norm.

As soon as she stepped inside her room she cried her grief, sobbed her hurt and despaired the longing. She felt empty and lost without him, but she had to know for sure that he wouldn't be coming back, and had to know why his plane had crashed.

Was he too tired to fly that distance, after  . . .?  Oh God, why had he left in the way that he had?

She switched on the television.



What have I done, what have I done? Oh God, that we should be so cruelly torn apart like this.
I can't, can't go on without him.


Of course, Tara does go on without him but events that follow take her (she thinks) to the brink of insanity, until the night of a masked ball (held in her honour) when truth becomes stranger than fiction. Suddenly feeling as though caught up in some bizarre Cinderella set and that of reverse role play,  she then finds herself the heroine in a Beauty and the Beast scenario.  Oh how I love writing romance and putting heroes and heroines through emotional hell. ;)



To see the other participants for this blogfest go here



Directly below this post is my contribution to Tessa Conte's "They're People Too" blogfest, so please check it out and the other participants.

21 comments:

dolorah said...

Yeah, but you're so good at the "emotional hell".

Wow, this was awesome. Emotive.

I'm not sure if I'll participate or not. I've got so much going on . .

Its not Sunday yet, right?

.......dhole

Anonymous said...

Love the foreshadowing of twists and turns to come!

N. R. Williams said...

I hope you will honor us with your own writing one of these days. As for the other, I can feel the tension. Good post.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

N. R. Williams said...

So sorry Francine. I did think you quoted from someone else at first and wondered if I had gotten the purpose of the fest wrong. As before, good post, I can feel the tension.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Wendy Tyler Ryan said...

Good mone, Francine. I'm excited for the masked ball part. Still ga ga over your "They're People Too, entry.

Talei said...

Oh I love the emotional turmoil here. Really great piece! And I love the sound of the masked ball *sigh*. Can I come watch? ;)

J.C. Martin said...

I'm looking forward to the masked ball now too!

Will Burke said...

And that's why there's no books about how everything's fine and everyone's happy! Thanks for hosting this!

Dawn Embers said...

This is a good use of a bad news in the scene. Have to admit: I don't think I've heard someone refer to a male's hips as "swiveling" so that was different.

Unknown said...

Great tension, and that is truly a humongous piece of BAD NEWS the poor thing got there! I love your writing voice, it flows beautifully.

And I'm curious about the Masked Ball, too!

Anonymous said...

great use of forshadowing!
I wish I'd done all the blogfests for October but I only just managed to do the Genre Mash-up fest

Denise Covey said...

Oh this is powerful Francine and I can see it published in a category romance. Love your descriptions of Giorgio. Hot as. I love the way Tara has to go on with things, even though she's overpowered by pain.

i was disconcerted by N R Williams comments. Trying to work it out..:)

Great blogfest.

Erin Kane Spock said...

I'm interested in what Tara does next and finding out more about Giorgio. A lot more. :)
Great entry. Thanks for hosting this!

Brenda Drake said...

I loved this and I was clutching at straws right a long with her. I too want to go to the Masked Ball. Wonderful! :D

Francine Howarth said...

Hi all you lovely ladies and gentleman,

I'm so glad all of you took part in this blogfest, because it was in part a dedication to all those bloggers who've held blogfests in the past. It's my way of saying thanks to them for introducing me to the fun of bogfests. The pity being that some of those same people seem to be off-line or their blogs re/moved!

As for my entry, it is from the novel I entered into the Mills & Boon New Voices Contest, needless to say it didn't get through to round two of that contest! But, as the saying goes, ever onwards and upwards.

Hee hee, if you think Giorgio is gorgeous,let me tell you Maximillian Alphonso Armandi is hot too! ;)

best
F

Talli Roland said...

Love the intensity in this scene! And oh my. I want a piece of Giorgio!

stu said...

That's certainly terrible news, and hopefully news that will set up many interesting plot developments later on.

JJ said...

Wonderful piece, very exciting! It was so emotional and I thought you did a great job :)

Clara said...

Pretty cool- and super excitting!- piece Francine! Kudos for you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for hosting such a great blogfest!!

Another great, emotional piece you've written! I'm hoping (hint, hint here) that we'll get a glimpse of the Masked Ball and let us all in on what awaits her. :)

Elena Solodow said...

Poor girl. Loved the scene.