Parallel Wife

By Lindsey Power

Lizzie King, suburban book-keeper, is bored with her life and her nice husband. She immerses herself in romance novels for a bit of spice and adventure. But when a routine operation goes wrong, she suddenly finds herself thrust into a parallel life on a parallel world, and gets more adventure than she bargained for.

Waking into the body of her counterpart, the Lady Elizabeth, she enters an unknown city and a house full of strange people. She finds out the hard way her husband is not the same man she knows in her real life.

Why is she being held a prisoner in her home? Who are all these scantily clad people, and why is somebody trying to kill her?

Thrown in at the deep end, Lizzie has no choice but to find out what's going on before it's too late, and finish what Lady Elizabeth has started.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lindsey Power
• Release date: Oct 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301034338

Lindsey Power

I had thought about writing a novel for a long time but never got around to it - so many things to do! While watching in dismay as the release date for a favourite author's latest book got put back further and further, I decided to have a go at writing a romance myself.There are lots of Regency Romances set in England, but as I live in rural New South Wales, I thought I would base my story here. The result is my first novel, The Convict, set around Parramatta and the Hunter region in New South Wales in the 1830's. It is a romance between a convict and an innocent young lady. Not the usual regency romance!For my second story, I tried something contemporary. I read a blog from a book editor who mentioned a lack of stories featuring older women so... my next novel, Hell on Wheels, was a sexy romance between an older woman and a younger man, set in urban Sydney. Things get quite hot between this couple (adults only!)My third story, Parallel Wife, is a short paranormal adventure. Not strictly a romance but it does have some romantic elements. What would you do if you suddenly woke up in a parallel life in the middle of a drama you know nothing about? My heroine soon finds out!I think my fourth story, Gentleman Jack, is my best effort to date. It's a mix of romance, revenge and adventure set in Colonial New South Wales. Unlike my first historical novel, which was originally written to a romance formula, I just wrote this for myself. Knowing I was going straight to an e-book meant I didn't have to pad it out or worry there were too many secondary characters. They just appeared when they were needed.I hope you enjoy my stories and leave me some positive feedback.

Book preview

Parallel Wife

by Lindsey Power

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Lindsey Power

www.lindseypower.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission.

The principle characters in this book are fictitious..

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

Captain Ramirez grabbed hold of Leonora about the waist. Do you think I'd let you escape that easily?

Let me go! she cried.

His cruel grin flashed a gold tooth as his mouth came down over hers. She pushed against his chest as his other hand cupped and squeezed her tender…

Would you like another cup of tea love?

Lizzie looked up from her novel. Oh? No thanks, she smiled at her husband. He fidgeted with his phone, put it down, then picked up the newspaper again.

She pushed against his chest as his other hand cupped and squeezed her tender breast. She tried to cry out but his relentless kiss smothered her protests.

He pulled her tighter and moved his hand down to her skirts. He began to lift them up…

I think I might go and get myself a cup of something, he said.

What? Oh, yes okay.

Do you want me to get you anything to eat?

No thanks love.

I'll just be a few minutes.

Just go! Stop fussing! she said exasperated, dropping the book to her lap.

He looked sheepish and quickly left the room.

Lizzie sighed and immediately felt guilty. She was doing her best to try and keep her mind off tomorrow's operation, but so much depended on it… and Vic's constant fussing was just getting on her nerves.

The thoughts that had been going over and over in her mind for months… no, years… threatened to engulf her again. What if the operation was not successful? What if they could never have children?

She took a deep breath. No, there was no point working herself up any further. The doctor seemed to be optimistic that after the surgery she would have a good chance of conceiving naturally.

Vic came back into the room with a cup of tea and a sandwich and smiled at her.

I'm sorry love, she said, I didn't mean to snap at you.

I know, he said, sitting back beside her. You're feeling stressed about tomorrow. He held her hand and looked lovingly into her eyes.

It wasn't his fault, but lately she couldn't help taking her frustrations out on her husband. Their inability to have children and the many stressful procedures they had gone through had taken the edge off the remains of their romance.

When she and Vic had married eight years ago they had been a handsome couple full of hopes and dreams for the future, but as complacency and disappointment took their toll they had stopped making an effort. Lizzie knew she was as guilty as he in that regard.

She looked over and smiled at him again. He was still handsome somewhere under that awful beard. Years of sitting in front of a computer had turned his once-toned body soft, his paunch hidden under the old flannelette shirt.

Why couldn't they be more like the couples in the novels she read? Romantic characters didn't get old or fat, or grow god-awful beards. They took charge. They had adventures. They had great sex. They didn't have to time their lovemaking with a calendar and thermometer. They certainly didn't leave their socks on when they did make love.

Are you okay love? he asked.

Sure.

I was thinking… we should go away for a holiday when you've recovered. Get away from the house and all the stress of the last few years. What do you think?

She narrowed her eyes at him. I'm not going anywhere with you until you shave off that beard.

You don't think it makes me look… what's the word… distinguished? he asked, stroking it.

The word I was thinking of was 'toilet brush' - or is that two words? I'd like to see the man I married.

Hmmm. We'll see. He grinned and turned back to his newspaper as Lizzie turned her attention back to Captain Ramirez.

*

How are you feeling Mrs King?

Lizzie looked at the surgeon, his features mostly obscured by the mask and glasses he wore.

Nervous.

Never mind. It will all be over soon.

Lizzie could see people in masks and gowns moving about. A man came and put something over her mouth.

Now, Mrs King, just breathe in and count backwards from ten. When you open your eyes again it will be all over. Count with me now... ten… nine… eight… seven…

Lizzie felt perfectly calm.

It was dark and peaceful, and warm. Warm like a womb. She could hear distant voices and felt herself drawn towards them.

At first she could just perceive a glow of light but then she started to see people. They were dressed in green robes and standing over something. She was looking down on them from the ceiling of the room. Lizzie wanted to see what they were doing, and the thought instantly moved her towards the group. They looked like doctors. That's right, she was in hospital.

Lizzie looked down at the person on the bed. That's strange, she thought. That looks like me.

She instantly moved closer and examined the face. The dark curly hair was tucked under a paper cap but it was definitely her face. She'd seen it in the mirror every day for twenty-eight years. She could see every hair in her eyebrows in detail. They needed plucking.

She looked down along the body and saw the rise and fall of the chest, and then the strange instruments. Silver tubes poking into the stomach - her stomach, but she could feel nothing. The surgeon was fiddling with something on the tube outside the body. As soon as she wondered what he was doing, she was instantly on the inside, watching something being cut while something else was pulled with big tweezers. She could see blood and her awareness immediately followed the source, moving up the arteries and into the heart where the blood was squeezed and pumped through the valves.

She sought the light again and came back up into the room and watched from above as the people passed things to each other. A nurse swabbed the surgeon's forehead. They were talking about golf.

Lizzie noticed how the people glowed. They were surrounded with light and colours that moved when they did. It was very pretty.

They were taking out the tubes now. The man