Welcome to my spot on the Random Things Tour for Mango Bay by Serena Fairfax. Read on for an excerpt from the novel. Then be sure to check out the reviews for the book from the book tour. In this scene, Audrey, a young Scottish woman, meets Nat, an Indian lawyer, on a dance floor and the sparks fly!
Mango Bay by Serena Fairfax
Genre: historical fiction
Publication: September 2020
Jazz clubs, yacht clubs, aunty bars and a Bollywood beauty shadowed by her pet panther.
This is glamorous Bombay in the late 1950s.
Love has blossomed in London between vivacious Scottish Presbyterian, Audrey, and clever Indian lawyer, Nat Zachariah.
When the happy newlyweds move to Nat’s exotic homeland and the striking family villa, Audrey must deftly navigate the rituals, secrets, intrigues and desires of his Bene Israel Jewish community, and adjust to perplexing new relatives.
In time, the past unlocks, old family ties unravel, lies are exposed and passions run high as different generations fall out. Then something shocking happens that undoes everything.
Will this marriage that has crossed boundaries survive?
Read an excerpt from Mango Bay
England 1956
Across the dimly lit, maple-wood dance floor of the sumptuous London Palais de Danse, Audrey’s eyes lingered on the lean man with a clever cinnamon-brown face and inky-black hair. Smartly dressed in a dark suit, crisp white shirt and polished black shoes, he’d been there several Saturdays in a row and she’d spotted him each time, swaying with a shapely brunette, beneath a star-spangled ceiling. ‘Green Door’ throbbed from the five- piece band.
…What’s that secret you’re keeping…?
The brunette waggled a cerise-manicured finger in his face as the music ended on a clash of cymbals.
‘Hello! May I have the pleasure?’ He’d caught Audrey’s eye and smiled as he shouldered his way to her. He gave a little bow, and something in her shifted pleasingly at the elegiac formality. ‘I’ve seen you several times but somehow flunked it….’ His deep, quiet voice, tinctured with an accent she couldn’t place, was hesitant.
‘What changed your mind?’ Audrey’s heart gave a lurch and she beamed, allowing herself to be spun away to ‘That’s Amore’ as a babel of languages surged round. Depending on the dance, different tinted lights were lowered and, for a waltz, it was Danube blue.
‘I told myself that if I saw you again tonight it was a lucky omen and I’d send up a prayer and hope for the best.’
She flicked back a strand of her long, silky blonde hair and swept her gaze in the direction of the brunette. ‘And what would your special someone think?’ His soft, freshly shaven cheek nudged hers and her pulse quickened.
‘Oh, there’s nothing to tell. She’s the Welsh fiancée of a Ceylonese friend and they’re sailing to Colombo next week.’ He waved to the woman and her sturdy sweetheart who, cheek to cheek on a balcony, were whispering sweet nothings. ‘He never learned to dance so I’m his proxy. And she’s the one who spurred me on to take the plunge.’
‘Ah, Ceylon. The Pearl of the Eastern Seas.’ It conjured up cinnamon gardens and tea plantations. ‘Is that where you’re from?’ He was a nimble dancer and she yielded to his body, relaxed yet persuading.
‘Bombay’s home. But,’ he was cryptic, ‘that’s not where the heart is.’ He didn’t elaborate and continued with a rush. ‘By the way, I’m Nathaniel Zachariah — everyone calls me Nat — and the girl from the Valleys tells me that the powder room tittle-tattle says you’re Audrey Cuthbertson.
Her eyes widened. He knows my name. What else does he know about me? ‘Guilty as charged. My home couldn’t be farther from your palm-strewn shores. It’s Jedburgh, a market town on the Borders, known for its dewy days, rolling hills, castles, ancient battles and Viking conquests.’
‘That’s a long way from the Smoke. What brought you down south?’
He was probing but she liked that. She liked unbridled interest. Before she could answer, the band was belting out ‘Jealousy’.
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Buy Mango Bay
About Serena Fairfax
Serena spent her childhood in India, qualified as a Lawyer in England, and worked in a London firm.
Some of her novels have a strong romantic arc although she burst the romance bubble with one quirky departure. Other novels pull the reader into the dark corners of family life and relationships. She enjoys the challenge of experimenting and writing in different genres.
Her short stories and a medley of articles feature on her blog, and she reviews crime fiction and thrillers for Promoting Crime Fiction.
Fast forward to a sabbatical from the day job when Serena traded in bricks and mortar for a houseboat that, for a hardened land lubber like her, turned out to be a big adventure. A few of her favourite things are collecting old masks, singing and exploring off the beaten track. (from author’s website)
Serena and her golden retriever, Inspector Morse, who can’t wait to unleash his own Facebook page, live in London.
Twitter @Sefairfax
Thanks so much for the blog tour support x