A Tricky Situation

By Ellie Thomas

Christopher Holloway lives a comfortable existence in 18th century Bristol as the son of a wealthy merchant. Until, when on a night out with some aristocratic companions, he is set upon by thieves.

His friends don’t come to his rescue, but he is led to safety by a stranger, a working-class man of colour, Edmund Lowe. Although now physically safe, Kit’s sense of danger lingers due to his growing feelings for Edmund. Their mutual attraction forces Kit to question his previous values, causing an inner crisis as Halloween draws near.

Will Kit submit to the demands of family ties and social advancement? Or can he find the courage to follow his true path and choose Edmund?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646569540

Book preview

A Tricky Situation

By Ellie Thomas

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2021 Ellie Thomas

ISBN 9781646569540

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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A Tricky Situation

By Ellie Thomas

Chapter 1

Bristol, 1785

Kit ran for his life. He cursed how his smart, buckled shoes clattered noisily over the slimy cobbles of Back Street, close to the harbour. In his frantic escape from a hellish fate, even the sound of his laboured breath and the pounding of his heart might be heard by his pursuers.

Having evaded their evil grasp and raced away, he could not keep up his headlong pace and fearfully looked around for a hiding place. He spied a dark alleyway, almost too narrow for two men to walk abreast, and squeezed his way into it, waiting for the approach of his tormentors. As he caught his breath, his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to him, he berated his stupidity. On this dark October night, he had been tricked as easily as a child. He risked forfeiting his life for a moment of unwariness.

He was on full alert for the clumsy steps of those who chased him. In his imagination, they transformed from humans to distorted gargoyles that adorned the ancient churches surrounding the port. Kit wretchedly thought how his life had degenerated from virtue to