The final post in our series Behind the Scenes at the Haunting of Castle Keyvnor is from Michelle Willingham, whose novella is included in the anthology BEDEVILED. Please welcome Michelle!

Don’t miss the other posts in this series:
Ava Stone
Claire Delacroix
Elizabeth Essex
Claudia Dain
Kate Pearce
Renee Bernard
Erica Monroe
Deb Marlowe
Jerrica Knight-Catania
Jane Charles

I was married on this day eighteen years ago. Happy Anniversary to us!

My own personal love story began with a blind date. One of my good friends invited me to come and play cards with her, and she mentioned that her boyfriend and his roommate would be there. I didn’t know at the time that the entire card game was a set-up. The roommate was looking for a date for an upcoming dance, and my friends thought I would be a good candidate.

We hit it off, but I can’t say it was love at first sight for either of us. We did go to the dance, became good friends, and enjoyed spending time together over the next few months. And then, out of the blue, I realized that I was looking forward to his visits more and more. Friendship gradually transformed into love, and we’ve been married for eighteen years now.

In my story, “A Dance with the Devil,” Jane Hawkins and Devon Lancaster are intrigued by one another but Jane is well aware that no man wants to marry an impoverished vicar’s daughter. They become friends by chasing down an escaped poodle, Oscar, and Jane finds Devon easy to talk to. And when they are locked in the wine cellar together, the sparks fly! It may not be love at first sight, but friendship at first sight can lead to an even stronger love.

And remember the card game I was invited to play? Ironically, we were playing “Hearts.”

Michelle Willingham is the author of over thirty historical romances and novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three children. Visit her website at: www.michellewillingham.com/book/bedeviled to read an excerpt from Jane and Devon’s story, “A Dance with the Devil.”

A Dance with the Devil by Michelle Willingham
Devon Lancaster is fascinated by the beautiful vicar’s daughter, Jane Hawkins, who has been summoned to the will reading of the late Lord Banfield. But is she truly only a vicar’s daughter? Or does her past hold secrets that put her very life in danger? Jane knows she is unlikely to find a husband among the handsome men at Castle Keyvnor because of her poverty. But when she is locked in the cellar with Devon, she finds that the Devil of Lancaster sets her blood on fire.