My regular editor is very good at finding phrases that I have forgotten to check when writing my stories. Some are appropriate for the time period. Some are not. What about “Just deserts”?

The phrase “just deserts” means receiving the exact punishment or reward that one’s actions have earned. The single ‘s’ spelling is correct. It is unrelated to a sandy wilderness or sweet food.

According to the South China Morning Post, “I don’t mean dessert, with double ‘s,’ the last course of a meal, usually sweet. Dessert – entering English at the start of the 17th century – comes from the French dessert, originating in desservir, from the Latin dis + servīre, meaning to remove what has been served, that is, to clear the table of the main dishes and put out sweet dishes or fruit to end the meal.

“In the phrase ‘just deserts,’ the word – also stressed on it second syllable [‘de-ZERT’], thus homophonous with dessert – is, however, spelt with a single ‘s,’ and comes from a different French word, ‘desert’ [masculine]/ deserte [feminine]. derivatives of deservir ‘to deserve.’ This also originates in the Latin servīre ‘to serve,’ but the prefix dē meaning ‘completely, zealously.'” [Language Matters]

Check out its origins and details:

Etymological Roots: The word “desert” (pronounced dih-ZERT) comes from the Old French word deservir, which shares the same root as the modern English verb “deserve”. [Just Deserts vs. Just Desserts]

Origin and History: Dating back to the late 1200s, the noun “desert” originally meant “that which one deserves”. By the early 1500s, the full phrase “just desert(s)” emerged, utilizing “just” in the sense of being fitting or appropriate. [Wiktionary]

The Single ‘S’: The expression is frequently misspelled as “just desserts” (with a double ‘s’) because people confuse it with the after-dinner sweet treat. However, the post-meal dessert entered the English language around 1600 from a completely different French word (desservir, meaning to clear the table). [Merriam Webster]

Excerpt from Chapter Thirteen:

“I am confident you are correct, Grandfather,” she said obediently. She chose not to remind him that the colonel had viewed her in a state of near nudity when he removed the bullet fragment from her arm. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s weight had held her down while he cut into her skin. A man and a woman who had shared such an intimate moment were beyond a glimpse of bare leg.

“I pray we will soon be free of this madness,” her grandfather said from his place outside the open door. 

“There are more than a handful of the aristocracy attempting to bring Lord Whitmorris to some form of justice,” she assured. 

“Whether Whitmorris receives his just deserts or not, I want your mother and your brother to come stay with us at Kirkland Manor,” he said. 

“Us? Am I to come? If the government cannot prove Lord Whitmorris has acted against British interests, what occurs with the agreement my mother made with his lordship?” she asked as she dragged the blanket upward to cover herself better. 

“You are not yet of age,” he declared. “You were born in England to English parents. Such makes you an English citizen, who has been living abroad,” he reasoned as he cracked the door a bit wider so she might view him and his obvious determination. “As such, with your father’s passing, you became the ward of either the Kirkland earldom or the Summerville baronetcy. I have drafted a letter to Sir Jasper to inform him of my plan to bring your mother and your brother to England and ask for his and Lady Anna’s support in returning our joint family to English shores. As Grayson is to inherit the Kirkland earldom, I believe he should stay at my home estate. At his age, he should learn the ins and outs of the estate, as well as his responsibility to the earldom.”

“In truth, Grandfather, I doubt Grayson has considered all you mentioned. Despite his age, he still heavily depends on mother’s opinions. If she chose to return to her parents’ home, I would expect Grayson would follow.” 

Her grandfather did not speak for several minutes. “You will stay in Derbyshire, will you not, Christiana? I have so many things I wish to show you.”