Under The Sword, Excerpt by Luv Lubker

From acclaimed Victorian historical author, Luv Lubker, the author of “Under His Spell” comes the continuing romance of the Princess Royal Victoria and Frederick III of Prussia.

Join Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter and her husband, future German Emperor Frederick III in this third installment of The Rival Courts family saga, as they climb the treacherous path to their dream of German unification in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

In the calm after the storm, Vicky and Fritz have it all: a devoted marriage, a growing family, and the promise of a bright future. But Fritz’s Uncle Karl lies in wait behind the scenes, hatching his newest plot. A shocking outcome of Vicky’s Royal duties will bring fresh doubts to Fritz’s heart, and his fatherhood.

As personal tragedy strikes and shakes them to their core, Fritz is forced to lead the largest battle history has ever seen. One which could change the face of Europe forever.

Vicky’s best friend struggles to shield her daughters from the sinister force that seeks to control them. The youngest shares her grandfather’s uncanny ability to know the truth behind others’ motives. But can she see the truth in him? In such a dangerous world, what heroic role will this small child play?

Can they escape the danger and betrayal that lurks in every corner as they travel to the icy expanse of Russia, the peaceful Mediterranean shores, and the vast Eastern deserts?

Will Vicky and Fritz’s love and marriage survive a mysterious illness, or will Uncle Karl’s conspiracies tear them apart for good?

Excerpt

He went on, toward Vicky’s boudoir. He opened the door softly, glancing in.

Vicky sat on the sofa with Baby in her arms, her head leaning down. The baby’s face was nestled against her breast, lightly covered by a white lace shawl. Both slept peacefully.

Fritz stood, gazing at Vicky’s face. How could he wake her to the misery of saying goodbye? And to say goodbye for how long? This war might be a terribly long one. And if he didn’t wake her, and… He turned, swallowing a lump in his throat, and went upstairs to the boys’ room.

Wilhelm and Heinrich were both asleep, their faces peaceful, though Heinrich’s hand twitched frequently. Fritz bent down and kissed them, and then went to Charlotte’s room. She, too, slept. Two days ago had been her 10^th birthday; today… He bent down and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Meine kleines Mädchen,” he murmured, and turned to go downstairs again. He slipped quietly into his and Vicky’s suite again, but went directly to the nursery rooms.

He opened the door softly. Mrs. Wakelin sat in the corner, fast asleep, holding Waldie in her arms. The little boy whimpered in his sleep. Fritz sighed. Waldie was having nightmares frequently since the beginning of the war scare.

Fritz turned, bending over one of the little beds. Little Vicky’s eyes flew open as his beard tickled her face. “Papa!” She stretched her hands up to him and threw her little arms round his neck. He lifted her up.

“Möhrchen, you must be good and quiet; Papa must go,” he said gently. She looked up at him, tears appearing on her cheeks.

“Papa – Papa go – go to war?” He nodded, laying her back down in her bed. “No, no, Papa,” she sobbed, clinging to him.

He sat down on the bed, taking her hand and patting it against his cheek. “Hush,” he murmured, stroking her hair out of her face. She looked up at him, swallowing her sobs. “Will Möhrchen be a good girl and be quiet and not wake Mama?” he asked. Her eyes grew wide, but she nodded silently. He rose, looked about, and took a piece of paper from a little table, wiping a tear away as he wrote. He lifted little Vicky up again, controlling a sob he felt rising as he felt her little arms go around his neck again.

He opened the door of Vicky’s boudoir very softly, closing it behind him. He set little Vicky down on the sofa next to her mother, holding a finger to his lips, and placing the note in her hand. “Give it to Mama when she wakes,” he whispered. She nodded.

He turned toward the door, but stopped, looking back, unable to go. He stepped forward, going to the sofa again, knelt, and gently kissed Baby’s forehead, and then, very softly, touched Vicky’s lips with his.

“Fritz?” she murmured, smiling a little and turning her head. “Fritz.” She sighed and settled down, holding Baby closer to her.

Fritz stood, and went to the door. He couldn’t wake her. He would take that final picture with him in his mind, not that of her tearstained face, as he had in the previous wars. But he stood still for a long time, before he finally turned and closed the door behind him.

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Meet Luv Lubker

Luv Lubker began life in the Animal World, researching creatures great and small since before she can remember, and earning her degree in chicken psychology by age twelve. Not long after, she immigrated to the Victorian era, where she has lived half her life in close company with the Brontë sisters and made friends with Queen Victoria’s extended family, whom she now knows quite as well as her own kin.

Born in a cattle trough in the Appalachian Mountains, Luv currently resides in Texas’ Great Plains when visiting the modern world. When she isn’t writing or reading, she delights in preparing and savoring gourmet raw food with her family and exploring nature on long bike rides. Her special abilities include researching in seven languages and riding a unicycle since age seven.

Luv’s research delves into the unwritten stories that history left behind. Through unpublished letters, altered manuscripts, and deeply buried secrets, she reveals emotional truths concealed beneath the era’s refined exterior. Her novels give voice to the silenced, reveal what Victorians were taught to suppress and what their biographers chose to omit, tracing invisible scars that shaped lives, choices, and history itself.