Book Title: HER KNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
Character Name: Sir Griffin de Beauford
Interviewer: Griffin, I understand that you’re a knight who was born in England in 1428. Is that correct?
Griffin: Aye, my lady.
Interviewer: But you were turned into a stone statue…and you were stuck that way for centuries. How long has it been since the curse was broken and you came back to life?
Griffin: It has been three days since I breathed the free air again, here in the vast city of Chicago.
Interviewer: Amazing. Well, let’s learn a little bit more about you. How would you describe your childhood?
Griffin: As the son of an earl, I trained from boyhood to be a warrior. My father could be a hard man, and he
expected me to prevail over all challengers... But it was a good life, too. I rambled in the forest, fished, trapped eels, hunted…and got into every manner of mischief. (laughs) With my parents and my younger sister, I celebrated dozens of feast days every year, and went to fairs.
Interviewer: Do you know how to read and write?
Griffin: Aye, from my tutors, I learned to speak, read, and write in French and Latin as well as English, though I cannot say I was a talented scholar.
Interviewer: What would you say you’re talented at?
Griffin: I am a swordsman with few equals...but I am sick to death of battle. I am also a fine horseman, as you may imagine. I am as good as any at singing a song or telling a story…just the other day, I delighted some good folk on the train with the tale of the werewolf king. Do you know it?
Interviewer: Um, I don’t think so—
Griffin: Ah! The story begins in Sicily, in the fair city of Palermo—
Interviewer: Wait—let’s get through my questions.
Griffin: Very well, my lady. Also, as to my talents, the ladies called me Griffin Silvertongue, and it was not because of my songs or tales.
Interviewer: Wow. Okay, speaking of ladies, do you have a significant other? I mean, is there a special lady in your life?
Griffin: My lady Emily Porter is the queen of my heart, for while I was stone, she alone could hear my thoughts. She is my sweet angel of deliverance, who broke the wretched curse and brought me back to life.
Interviewer: You must be very grateful.
Griffin: Aye, and when we kiss, fire courses in my veins.
Interviewer: Do you think she has strong feelings about you, too?
Griffin: I am certain of it, yet she doubts my constancy. She tells me that she is one of the only ladies I know, and when I have met more, my ardor for her will cool. But I know well my heart will never waver.
Interviewer: It sounds like you just need to be patient.
Griffin: (nods) She was wed once before, to a faithless, scabrous plague-sore of a knave, so I do not wonder she finds it hard to trust. I will wait at least a fortnight before I ask her to be my lady wife.
Interviewer: This next question may be a tough one, but why were you cursed and turned into a stone statue?
Griffin: I had a friend as close as a brother, and thoughtlessly, I made an enemy of him… (shakes head) It is a sad tale, which will do me no honor to tell.
Interviewer: We can move on. Are you living with Emily Porter now?
Griffin: I am, and also with her cherished hound, called Andy War-Howl.
Interviewer: That’s a great name for a dog.
Griffin: It is apt, for he is remarkably loud.
Interviewer: How do you feel about Chicago?
Griffin: There are marvels at every turn! Many of the buildings are called skyscrapers, and they do reach up into the clouds. The lake is as large as an ocean. And in Emily’s home is a shower…do you know about showers?
Interviewer: I do, actually.
Griffin: Are they not wonderful? A warm or hot rain, whenever you desire one! On this day alone, I have taken two showers.
Interviewer: Is there anything you don’t like about Chicago?
Griffin: I do not always understand what is being said…and the cars and trains speed too fast for my liking. I want very much to have friends, but doubtless I will ere long…perhaps once I find an occupation.
Interviewer: What kind of occupation are you looking for?
Griffin: That I do not know, but I do not consider any honorable work to be beneath me. I am certain some opportunity will present itself.
Interviewer: Don’t you think it’s going to be hard to find work without any kind of diploma or a driver’s license?
Griffin: …I know not of what you speak.
Interviewer: Uh…well, it’s complicated, but I’m sure everything will work out. Would you say your most pressing problems at the moment are winning over Emily and finding a job?
Griffin: Nay indeed, though I wish it were so. It is believed that my statue was stolen from the museum, since no one knows I came to life and walked out the door. Many sheriffs suspect my lady of the theft.
Interviewer: That does sound like a big worry.
Griffin: We console ourselves with the thought that there is no proof against her.
Interviewer: What are your plans for tomorrow?
Griffin: My lady Emily and I are going to attend a game of baseball. I do not know this game, but she says it will be a merry gathering.
Interviewer: I hope you have a great time!
A centuries-long curse is no match for rom-com shenanigans when a medieval knight is brought to life in modern-day Chicago.
Forgotten by time and abandoned by hope, Sir Griffin de Beauford’s existence stretches out before him. Cursed by a ruthless enchanter to see, hear, and think, but never to move or speak, Griffin suffers the long, lonely centuries trapped in stone…until an unexpected kiss from a fair maiden breathes new life into his soul—and his body.
Emily Porter, a recently divorced conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago, is charged with the restoration of a statue of a medieval English knight. Breaking curses was not part of the job description. And yet, here he is, the man of her dreams come to life, resplendent in shining armor as he joyously barrels into priceless antiquities...and goes on to dismantle her defenses, wreak havoc on her senses, and tempt her to believe once more in happy-ever-afters.
But the modern age tries Griffin’s patience and pride, and Emily is a prime suspect in the investigation of the missing sculpture. In a complicated world, can they find their way to a fairy-tale ending?
Romance Fantasy [Berkley, On Sale: December 3, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593816592 / eISBN: 9780593816608]
Bryn Donovan is the author of several romance novels, including Sunrise Cabin, a Publishers Weekly bestseller. She’s also written nonfiction books and the story treatments for two Hallmark Channel movies. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s, Writer’s Digest, and many literary journals. A former executive editor in publishing, she earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. She’s a voracious reader, a rescue dog lover, and a hopeless romantic who lives in the Chicago area and blogs about writing and positivity.
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