Escaping from the Shadows by C L Tustin
Piers Talbot is an enigma, a charming bachelor with only one woman in his heart. But when offered a choice between fixing his estranged family and obtaining his heart’s desire he makes probably the worst decision of his life.
When Anastasia rekindles her past relationship with Piers’ younger brother, the lines between love and loyalty become blurred. Amid danger, betrayal and deception, Anastasia is forced to question everything she thought she knew.
But will Anastasia have the courage to escape from the shadows?
This scene takes place on New Year’s Eve and sees Bryan struggling to come to terms with the break-up of his relationship and the tacit understanding between friends of what Anastasia really wants. It leads into a confrontation between brothers and an unexpected hook-up…
Bryan stopped just outside The Cathedral, an exclusive haunt
located down a side street in Soho. Its neon sign easily visible
from a distance, he could see the queue was already massive; full
of hopefuls desperate for a chance to rub shoulders with a rock
star or the latest soap opera diva. He ran a hand through his now
dark blond hair and hoped very much that he was still on the
VIP list. Bryan brushed past a group of scantily clad girls who
giggled as they recognised him and called out suggestions for
his entertainment. He looked a little grim as he approached the
bouncers—he was not in the mood, he had come for one reason
only—and he was thankful when they just waved him on in.
He immediately started looking for Anastasia. As he made
his way towards one of the bars, he could hear whispers; could
see the faux sympathetic looks and hear people murmuring to
him, “So sorry to hear you’ve split up,” and “Such a shame. And
at Christmas, too.” Bryan knew some of them were genuine,
but most were just happy to see him humiliated. He wanted a
drink. Several drinks.
“Bryan!” a voice called out.
Bryan looked up, still with that dark look in his hazel eyes,
and was thankful to see a friend, Theo Cavendish, smiling and
waving at him. At least Theo would understand.
“How are you? Where’s Stasia?” Theo asked blithely. He
obviously had not heard.
“She has a new man, Theo. I expect they’ll be here soon.” He
caught the bartender’s eye and ordered several drinks.
Theo frowned. “What happened?” Then, seeing Bryan was
disinclined to answer him, he asked cautiously, “Has Piers finally
made a move?”
Bryan downed one, two, three shots in quick succession and,
laughing bitterly, replied, “I could have taken that, but no. His
brother got there first.”
Theo was dumbfounded. “His brother? Which one?”
Bryan downed another. “His youngest, Mark. The git.” Bryan
carried on drinking.
Theo’s eyes clouded and he repeated the name, tapping into
a memory from long ago that still rankled. “Mark? The bloke
she had a fling with when we split up over me going to Europe?”
Bryan eyed him speculatively. “You hate him, too?”
Theo sighed. “It was a long time ago, and it was my fault,
anyway. As soon as I got back, I turned up in Belgravia with
roses and champagne and …” He broke off, grinning. “God,
that was a good night!”
Bryan gazed at him with hostility and ordered more drinks.
“Steady on,” Theo cautioned. “I didn’t know you belonged to
the Piers Talbot School of How To Get Hammered.”
Bryan shrugged and carried on drinking. “You in for the
duration?”
“No,” Theo replied slowly, counting how many glasses were
now empty. “No, I’m off shortly to a do at the Ritz with my wife.”
“Oh, aren’t we superior? Must be fun being a member of the
aristocracy, your ladyship,” Bryan responded sarcastically.
Theo laughed. “You’re such a knob, Darnell. Anyway, I only
came in to see Piers. I’m fancying a night out with him and
Stasia soon.”
“I don’t expect her new man will let her out of his sight. And
if he’s got any sense, he’ll get her to kick Piers into touch,” Bryan
remarked cryptically.
“Yeah, right. As if that will ever happen.” Theo held Bryan’s
slightly out of focus gaze and they both knew he was right.
Bryan shrugged. “I’ll get out of your way, mate. She won’t
come over to you if I’m around. Catch you soon.”
He tried to move away, now unsteady on his feet, and Theo
stopped him. “Word to the wise. Ease up on the sauce. If you
do anything stupid and jeopardise your album release, Rick will
not be happy. And you know more than most not to piss off Rick
Lascelles!” Unsure if Bryan had heard him, he watched his now
inebriated friend wander off.
C L Tustin began writing at the age of 11 when she didn’t see why James Bond had to be a man and created a spy code named The Cat with 10 planned adventures. Her first published novel “Escaping from the Shadows” is a romance with an undertone of threat set in the social media free world of 1990. She is currently working on editing and completing her second romance “Desert Rose” whilst writing a brand new story “Flower of Death”. Future projects already planned include two Regency romances and a sci-fi thriller.
Whilst raising her son C L Tustin continued to balance writing and work with completing a BSc(Hons) in Science and a MSc(Merit) in Earth Science with the Open University. This was a most rewarding experience despite the long hours and hard work involved.
C L Tustin has worked for two major banks, a tool company, the MOD and the NHS. She has completed 3 Thames Bridges walking challenges for charity, volunteers for Butterfly Conservation and passionately supports rescue dogs. C L Tustin lives currently with her rescued 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier and a diverse collection of books and sci-fi memorabilia.
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