In the singular form the lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use. As a plural noun, a lexicon is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject. To distinguish lexicon from a dictionary, it is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject.
These examples are a mix of what one might hear upon the lips of the aristocracy, as well as examples of Cant used upon London’s streets and those terms used by farmers and like in the country.
under the hatches – to be without funds
undress – a term for the more casual clothes one might wear at home
union– short for a workhouse; usually built by a union of several individual parishes
up – used in referring to moving toward London; used in referring to coaches (and later to trains)
up – meant toward Oxford or Cambridge (to go up); in contrast, to be sent down was to be expelled from university
up in the boughs – to be overly elated or upset and the emotions associated with either
up the River Tick – bound for debtor’s prison; highly in debt; some believe debtor’s notes were called “tickets “– shortened to tick
Bath Assembly Rooms – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org Three chandeliers adorning the Tea Room
Upper Rooms– Bath possessed two large assembly rooms. The older Lower Rooms were near Bath Abbey in the lower part of the city. The Lower Rooms were destroyed by fire in 1820. The Upper Rooms were located near The Circus and Bennett Street in the upper part of the city. Although damaged by bombing in World War II, the Upper Rooms have been refurbished.
upper orders – same as the “ton“; upper class; high society
upper servants – those with the most seniority in a household; included the butler, the housekeeper, valet, and the lady’s maid; the housekeeper was always addressed as “Mrs.”
upper ten thousand – the term was likely coined by Georgette Heyer in her Regency books; meant to refer to the ton; most say it came from the wealthy families of New York in the 1840s
usher– an assistant to a headmaster of a school
vacation – the period between terms at the universities or the terms for London’s high courts
vail – a form of gratuity given by a departing guest to the household servants who attended him
valet – the counterpart to a lady’s maid; the valet took care of a gentleman’s dress/clothing; referred to as a gentleman’s gentleman; the gentleman’s personal manservant. He dressed and undressed his master, shaved him, did his hair, kept his clothes neat and meticulously ironed, blacked his boots, sewed buttons as needed, and kept secret any flaws of his master’s figure that might need correction by means of a male corset, shoulder pads, or false calves. But most importantly of all, the valet had the solemn duty of starching and tying that showpiece of male attire—the cravat.
Vauxhall Gardens – an eleven-acre pleasure garden across the Thames from London; one of the leading venues for public entertainment in London from teh mid 17th Century to the mid 1800s
vellum – a parchment made from sheep or goat skin and used for fine quality writing paper
Venerable – a term of respect used when addressing an archdeacon of the Church of England
verger – the man who tended to the inside of a church
Vernon, Lady Susan – the main character in Austen’s Lady Susan novella; known as “the most accomplished coquette in England”
Very Reverend – form of respect/address for a dean in the Church ofEngland
vestry – the room where the clergyman dressed for the service; also where the bride and groom signed the registry following the wedding ceremony; was often used to store sacred vessels or to conduct parish business
vexed – being highly annoyed
vicar – a parish priest appointed to the living by a landowner; he shared the tithes with the landowner; in contrast, a rector received all the tithes
vinaigrette – a small silver box containing vinegar; it was used to revive women who swooned or fainted; A small sealing box with a second pierced lid inside to contain gauze soaked in vinegar, lavender water, or other scent, the smelling of which was to revive when faint or to relieve from unpleasant odors. Carried inside a reticule or hung from a chatelaine, vinaigrettes were made by fine silversmiths.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman with Strictures on Political and MoralSubjects (1792)– written by the 18th-century British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In it, Wollstonecraft responds to those educational and political theorists of the 18th century who did not believe women should have an education. She argues that women ought to have an education commensurate with their position in society, claiming that women are essential to the nation because they educate its children and because they could be “companions” to their husbands, rather than mere wives. Instead of viewing women as ornaments to society or property to be traded in marriage, Wollstonecraft maintains that they are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men.
ving-et-un – a card game; basically, it was the equivalent of “21”; getting as close to 21 without going over
vis-à-vis — a carriage capable of carrying four people; two seats; passengers in the front face backwards/rearward and those in the rear face forward; from the French for “face-to-face.”
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/379422 ~ Design for Vis-A-Vis Cabriolet Carriage ~ Established in 1810 by James Brewster (1788–1866) in New Haven, Connecticut, Brewster & Company, specialized in the manufacture of fine carriages.
viscount – a peer ranking below an earl and above a baron; his wife is a viscountess; was spoken of or called the “Right Honourable” and addressed as Lord__________
visiting card – a card displaying one’s name; left when paying a call
visitation – when a bishop or archdeacon made a tour of a parish or a diocese
Volume the First – one of the three sections of what is known as Jane Austen’s “Juvenilla”; it contains Austen’s “Jack and Alice” and “Henry and Eliza”; Austen copied many of her pieces in three volumes; the volumes are NOT in chronological order
Volume the Second – the earliest of Austen’s three volumes, likely completed when she was 14-15 years of age; it is marked with “Ex dono mei Patris” (From my father); it is dated in 1790; two of the better selections in this volume is “Love and Friendship” and “The History of England,” which made fun of Oliver Goldsmith’s History of England
Volume the Third – another of Austen’s “Juvenilla”; inside is written in her father’s handwriting “Effusions of Fancy by a very Young Lady Consisting of Tales in a Style entirely new”; this volume contains “Caatharine; or The Bower” and “Evelyn”
volumes – books during the Regency were published in volumes; most often the books were three-deckers (three separate volumes); in Jane Austen’s case, all her books are three-deckers, except Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, which were two volumes each
On a snowy afternoon, while walking on Hampstead Heath, author C.S. Lewis was inspired with the idea for a new novel; it became The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. https://www.heathandhampstead.org.uk/heath/
Some people who read Regency-based novels do not realize London itself was not all the areas we writers mention in our novels. Many areas, such as Hampstead Heath (famous for its duels), Kew Gardens (founded in 1840 from the exotic garden at Kew Park in Middlesex), Richmond Park (where we often see our characters picnicking, located 8.2 miles west-southwest of Charing Cross), Mayfair and Hyde Park (both located in Westminster), were not part of London proper in the Regency era. In other words, the wealthy lived outside of London proper.
For example, Westminster is now a government district in Central London within the City of Westminster, part of the West End, on the north bank of the River Thames. However, historically the area lay within St Margaret’s parish, City & Liberty of Westminster, Middlesex. The name describes an area no more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster immediately to the west of the River Thames. The settlement grew up around the palace and abbey, as a service area for them. The need for a parish church, St Margaret’s Westminster for the servants of the palace and of the abbey, who could not worship there, indicates that it had a population as large as that of a small village. It became larger and in the Georgian period became connected through urban ribbon development [Ribbon development is building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement.] with the City along the Strand. [The Early History of Westminster]
The link below from the Survey of London holds extensive information about the development of the streets and who lived there. Note the excerpt provided.
The Bartlett School of Architecture – Survey of London – University College of London (***Be certain to screen down and open the draft chapters of volumes 51 and 52. Lots of interesting information found there. – Such as Chapter 18 discusses Upper Regent Street, saying, “North of Oxford Circus, Regent Street runs for just three full blocks. Beyond this short section, sometimes known informally as Upper Regent Street, the ‘New Street’ laid out by John Nash for the Crown from 1813 twists westward as Langham Place, connecting with the earlier Portland Place, thence to Park Crescent and Regent’s Park, where Nash’s great planning vision for London resumes at a fresh pitch of grandeur and invention. These 250 yards at the top of the street were unique only in having the rotunda and steeple of All Souls, Langham Place, as their beguiling northern focus. In their earliest years they were less commercial than the central run of Regent Street between the circuses, but that was already changing by 1840.” Is it not lovely to have such resources at our disposal?
In 1812, the Regent’s Canal Company was formed to cut a new canal from the Grand Junction Canal’s Paddington Arm to Limehouse (from west London to the River Thames in the east), where a dock was planned at the junction with the Thames. The architect John Nash played a part in its construction, using his idea of ‘barges moving through an urban landscape’. Nash’s masterplan provided for the canal to run around the northern edge of Regent’s Park; as with other projects, he left its execution to one of his assistants, in this case James Morgan. The first phase of the Regent’s Canal was completed in 1816 and finally completed in 1820. Unfortunately, it was built too close to the start of the railway age to be financially successful and at one stage the Regent’s Canalonly narrowly escaped being turned into a railway. But the canal went on to become a vital part in southern England’s transport system.
The aristocrats lived in the West End: Mayfair, Westminster, etc. Most of them had moved away from the water and the stink of the Thames.
If you are exceedingly interested in this topic, you might have a look at A-Z Regency England, which has maps but a book about Mayfair describes the squares where the wealthy lived. “The London Topographical Society A to Z series consists of seven books, which provide fully-indexed maps of London at roughly 100 year intervals. Each reproduces a key map of the period. The indexes allow users to identify the position of streets and buildings, in some cases right down to small courts and alleys. They appeal to anyone interested in the development of London and are invaluable for those researching family history. The A to Z Regency London with introduction by Paul Laxton and index by Joseph Wisdom. Horwood’s Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster (3rd Edition 1813) in book form on a scale of 14 inches per mile, with key and index. Extends Hyde Park-East India Docks; Pentonville-Walworth. A3 size approximate.”
Bankers and merchants might have live within London, but I do not think it was a salubrious place to live by the Regency. They went to Vauxhall by boat and many lived closer to the water outside of Mayfair and London.
Below is a link to an actual 1818 map of London that is partitioned into blocks. If you click on any block, you will get a blow-up of that section. The upper left hand block has a directory of various places. [Note! The site is not as secure as I would personally prefer.]
For those of you who are my Austen followers, try Louise Allen’s Walking Jane Austen’s London. This book presents nine walks through both the London Jane Austen knew and the London of her novels! Follow in Jane’s footsteps to her publisher’s doorstep and the Prince Regent’s vanished palace, see where she stayed when she was correcting proofs of Sense and Sensibility and accompany her on a shopping expedition – and afterwards to the theatre. In modern London the walker can still visit the church where Lydia Bennett married Wickham, stroll with Elinor Dashwood in Kensington Palace Gardens or imagine they follow Jane’s naval officer brothers as they stride down Whitehall to the Admiralty. From well-known landmarks to hidden corners, these walks reveal a lost London that can still come alive in vivid detail for the curious visitor, who will discover eighteenth-century chop houses, elegant squares, sinister prisons, bustling city streets and exclusive gentlemen’s clubs amongst innumerable other Austenesque delights.
“An Act for Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage,” popularly known as Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act (1753), was the first statutory legislation in England and Wales to require a formal ceremony of marriage. Precipitated by a dispute about the validity of a Scottish marriage, the legislation took effect on 25 March 1754.
Before the Act, canon law of the Church of England governed the legal requirements for a valid marriage in England and Wales. These requirements involved the calling of the banns and a marriage license. The stipulation also required that the marriage should take place in the resident parish of one of the participants. However, these stipulations were not mandatory and did not render a marriage void for not following the directory requirements. An Anglican clergyman pronouncing the vows was the only indispensable requirement.
The Act tightened the existing ecclesiastical rules regarding marriage, except for Jews, Quakers, and, ironically, members of the British Royal Family. The exemption for the Royal Family was the basis of objection for Prince Charles’s 2005 civil ceremony with Camilla Parker-Bowles, civil marriage being the creation of statue law. It was also provided that the 1753 Act had no application to marriages celebrated overseas or in Scotland.
On the most southerly point of the English border on Scotland’s west side was the village of Gretna Green. It was on the main road from Carlisle to Glasgow. The road crossed the Sark River, which marked the border itself, a half mile from Gretna Green. On the English side of the border was the village of Longtown.
Near the Solway Firth, the Regency era’s Greta Green is described in Gretna Green Memoirs as, “…[a] small village with a few clay houses, the parish kirk, the minister’s house, and a large inn. From it you have a fine view of the Solway, port Carlisle and the Cumberland hills, among which is the lofty Skiddaw; you also see Bowness, the place where the famous Roman wall ends.” Within Gretna, at the Headlesscross, is the junction of five coaching roads, and here lay the Blacksmith’s Shop.
The common phrase of the time was to be married “over the anvil,” meaning that the eloping couple took their vows at the first convenient stop, a blacksmith’s shop. “Blacksmith priests” conducted the ceremony, which was nothing more than a public acknowledgment of a couple’s desire to pledge themselves to one another.
In truth, many couples wed at the inn, or at other Scottish villages, and any man could set himself up as an ‘anvil priest.’ It was a lucrative trade. Anvil priests would receive the necessary fee, as well as an appropriate tip, which could be upwards of fifty guineas. According to Romances of Gretna Green, “…[t]he man who took up the trade of ‘priest’ had to reckon on the disapprobation of the local Church authorities.”
The Act effectively put a stop to clandestine marriages (valid marriages performed by an Anglican clergyman but not in accordance with the canons). It brought about the end of the notorious Fleet Marriages associated with London’s Fleet Prison. However, it increased the traffic along the North Road to Scottish “Border Villages” (Coldstream Bridge, Lamberton, Mordington, and Paxton Toll). In the 1770s a toll road passing through the hitherto obscure village of Graitney led to Gretna Green becoming synonymous with romantic elopements.
Despite many assertions to the contrary, the Act did not render invalid any marriage involving minors (those under 21) who married without parental consent. Since the Act specifically prohibited the courts from inquiring into the couple’s place of residence until after the marriage had been celebrated, many chose having the banns called in a different parish without their parents’ permission. The Act also did not do away with common-law marriages, or informal folk practices such as handfasting or broomstick marriages.
One of my favorite Regency authors, Louis Allen, has a fabulous post on Harlequin.com Community on “The Romance of Elopement,” in which she speaks of the expensive race to the Scottish border. She explains, “ London to Gretna, via Manchester, is 320 miles. That is £20 for the chaise and horses alone at a time when a housemaid would be glad to earn £16 a year, all found.”
Reading of the Banns occurred on 3 consecutive Sundays or Holy Days during Divine Service, immediately before the Offertory. At least one of the marrying couple had to be a resident in the parish, in which they wished to be married; the banns of the other party were read in his/her parish of residence, and a certificate provided from the clergyman stating it was properly done. Banns were good for three months. The wedding ceremony was scheduled at the church between 8 A.M. and noon.
Wording: “I publish the Banns of marriage between Groom’s Name of–his local parish–and Bride’s Name of–her local parish. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first [second, third] time of asking.”
Common/Ordinary Licence – This could be obtained from any bishop or archbishop; a common/ordinary license meant the Banns need not be read – and so there was not the delay of two weeks. A sworn statement was given that there was no impediment [parties were not related to one another in the prohibited degrees, proof of deceased spouse given, etc.]. The marriage was required to take place in church or chapel where one party has already lived for 4 weeks. It was also good for 3 months from date of issue. Cost of the license: 10 shillings.
Special License – Obtained from Doctors Commons in London, from the Archbishop of Canterbury or his representative. The difference between this and the Ordinary license was that it granted the right of the couple to marry at any convenient time or place. All other requirements were the same. Names of both parties were given at the time of the application. Cost: In 1808 a Stamp Duty was imposed on the actual paper, vellum or parchment the license was printed upon, of £4. In 1815, the duty increased to £5.
So how does the details of a Scottish marriage fit into my latest novel, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy?
The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery
A THRILLING NOVEL OF MALICIOUS VILLAINS, DRAMATIC REVELATIONS, AND HEROIC GESTURES THAT STAYS TRUE TO AUSTEN’S STYLE
SHACKLED IN THE DUNGEON of a macabre castle with no recollection of her past, a young woman finds herself falling in love with her captor—the estate’s master. Trusting him before she regains her memory and unravels the castle’s wicked truths would be a catastrophe.
Far away at Pemberley, the Darcys happily gather to celebrate the marriage of Kitty Bennet. But a dark cloud sweeps through the festivities: Georgiana has disappeared without a trace. Upon receiving word of his sister’s likely demise, Darcy and his wife, Elizabeth, set off across the English countryside, seeking answers in the unfamiliar and menacing Scottish moors.
How can Darcy keep his sister safe from the most sinister threat she has ever faced when he doesn’t even know if she’s alive? True to Austen’s style and rife with malicious villains, dramatic revelations and heroic gestures, this suspense-packed mystery places Darcy and Elizabeth in the most harrowing situation they have ever faced— finding Georgiana before it’s too late.
In the singular form the lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use. As a plural noun, a lexicon is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject. To distinguish lexicon from a dictionary, it is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject.
These examples are a mix of what one might hear upon the lips of the aristocracy, as well as examples of Cant used upon London’s streets and those terms used by farmers and like in the country.
tailcoat – everyday wear for a fashionable gentleman; worn over shirts and waistcoat; it was square cut around the waist for formal attire and sloped for more less formal situation, as well as for riding
take orders – becoming a clergyman in the Church of England
A 1903 caricature of Robert McCall KC (formerly QC) wearing his court robes at the Bar of England and Wales. For court, he wears a short wig, and bands instead of lace at the collar, but he retains the silk gown and court tailcoat worn on ceremonial occasions. Public Domain. Leslie Ward – Published in Vanity Fair, 19 November 1903. http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Queen’s_Counsel #/media/File:QC_Court_ robes_crop.jpg
take silks – a barrister would wear a silk gown once he became the King’s Counsel (or the Queen’s Counsel)
taking the waters – spa towns such as Bath or Tunbridge Wells were thought to be places of healing; to “take the waters” meant to drink the mineral waters available there or to bathe in them
tallow – fat from oxen or sheep, which was used to make soap and candles
tambour – a hoop filled with material; used for embroidery work
tandem – a team of two horses harnessed one behind the other, rather than side by side
tanner – slang for a sixpence
taproom – an inn’s room where ordinary laborers were served (as opposed to a private parlor for the genteel sect)
Tattersall’s – near Hyde Park Corner; established specifically for the sale by auction of horses, carriages, harnesses, etc., though one could purchase a hunting dog there, as well; held accommodation for 120 horses, a large number of carriages, and a spacious kennel for hounds; held a sporting lounge for gentlemen when horse auctions (around 100 horses were for sale each week) were not happening; home of the Jockey Club; subscribers paid one guinea per year and all sporting bets were settled there, regardless of where the sporting event took place
tea caddy – a box that held tea
teapoy – a 3-legged stand used for serving tea
Tea Room – located in the Bath assembly rooms; one could take tea in the room, but it was also used for concerts
tea service – in contrast to the suppers served at private balls, at assemblies or public balls, teas was served halfway through the evening; gentlemen sat with the ladies with whom they had danced prior to the tea service
Temple – the site for two of the four Inns of Court (the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple); was once occupied by the Knights Templar
Temple Bar – a gate that marked the formal entrance to the City of London; the sovereign had to request permission of the Lord Mayor to enter the city; north of the Temple at the eastern end of the Strand
tenants – prosperous farmers who rent land; not necessarily the poor
tenner – slang for a ten-pound note
Test Act – legislation that forbid Catholics from holding public office, including Parliament; was repealed in 1828
Thirty-nine Articles – the basis of the Church of England; a clergyman “read himself in” to a new parish congregation by reading the articles aloud to the congregation from the pulpit
New Grub Street (Victorian novel) raunerlibrary.blogspot. com/2011/11/triple-headed-monster.html
three-decker novel – a common occurrence in novels of the 18th and 19th Centuries; the novel is divided into three volumes within one book; the volumes were published as separates (only Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are two volumes; all other Austen works were 3 volumes)
tick – was the Regency version of buy now and pay later; also referred to as “run upon a tick”
ticket-of-leave – an early release from jail (similar to parole)
ticket porter – a member of the official group licensed to carry goods, parcels, etc.; a ticket porter carried a badge which identified him as a member of this occupation; like a guild member
ticket to a public ball – anyone who could afford a ticket to a public ball or assembly was admitted; a season of tickets would cost between one pound and ten guineas (depending on the country or in London)
tidewaiter – a customs official for incoming boats/ships
tiffany – a transparent silk gauze
tiger – usually a young boy who served as a groom; the term comes from the orange and black-striped waistcoat he worn; he was responsible for holding the horses reins when the master disembarked from his carriage; he would also exercise the horse while his master was making business or social calls; he road on a seat at the back of the carriage, so situated as not to throw off the balance of the carriage while in motion; a very fashionable thing to employ a tiger; not a popular term until about 1817
tights – thin, skintight pants worn by gentlemen in the early part of the century; were so tight that men resorted to carrying a purse for their money
tilbury – the cloth covering part of a wagon; A tilbury is a light, open, two-wheeled carriage, with or without a top, developed in the early 19th century by the London firm of Tilbury, coachbuilders in Mount Street. A tilbury rig is little more than a single “tilbury seat”—the firm’s characteristic spindle-backed seat with a curved padded backrest— mounted over a raked luggage boot, and fitted with a dashboard and mounting peg, all on an elaborate suspension system of curved leaf springs above the single axle. The tilbury has large wheels for moving fast over rough roads. A tilbury is fast, light, sporty and dangerous.
Times– the most important newspaper of the day; one could find the entire text of parliamentary debates in the Times
tinderbox – used to start a fire before matches became common; one struck the flint from the box against a piece of metal in hopes that a spark would light the rags inside the box; candles, etc., were lit from the tinderbox
tippet – a fur scarf that hung about the neck and down either side of the chest; many times the tippet was a dead animal (think Fox furs, a boa, a stole, etc.) In the latter part of the 1700s, they were long and thin, more like a boa might be nowadays. However, by the Regency, they took on the look of a caplet.
The print shows a detail from “Morning & Walking Dress,” Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, November 1810. It is described as a “French tippet of leopard silk shag.” – via https://candicehern.com/regency-world/glossary/
tithes – the amount paid in kind to the local parish clergyman; equal to 1/10 of the farmer’s or tradesman’s annual produce
toad eater – a flatterer; one giving false praise
ton – the word is always in Italics for it comes from the French word bon ton, which can be translated to mean “good form,” i.e., good breeding, good manners, well spoken, etc.; fashionable society; those of the peerage or the gentry class
too high in the instep – snobbish; someone who is very proud, or haughty
top – the place in a ballroom or assembly from which the orchestra played; the “top” couple in a line of dance was the one closest to the orchestra; to be at the top of the line was a place of honor, usually afforded to the highest ranking aristocrat in the room
top boots – high boots used for riding
topsy turvy – utter confusion; Derived from the obsolete 1528 English word terve to turn upside
toque – became popular towards the end of the Regency period; close-fitting hat with no brim; turban-like; could be worn both for daytime and evening wear
Town – meaning London; therefore, it would be capitalized; people went “up to Town”
Town bronze or Town polish – fashionable manners expected of those in Town (London)
training college – a college that trained teachers for the national schools
Transatlantic Trade Triangle – goods were shipped from British ports to the west coast of Africa, where they were exchanged for slaves; the slaves were taken by The Middle Passage to the Americas; slaves were traded for agricultural goods (cotton and sugar) and returned to England
transportation – sending English criminals overseas as punishment; until 1776, the American colonies were the destination; afterwards, the criminal was sent to Australia
traveling post – a hired driver, chaise, and horses for a journey
treacle – a sweet medicine (similar to molasses); Treacle is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar. The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and a darker variety known as black treacle. Black treacle has a distinctively strong, slightly bitter flavour, and a richer colour than golden syrup, yet not as dark as molasses. Treacle is a common sweetener and condiment in British cookery, found in such dishes as treacle tart and treacle sponge pudding.
trousers – a looser-fitting pants than were breeches or pantaloons; worn to the ankles; customarily had a foot strap that fit around the arch of the foot to hold them in place
truck system – paying one’s employees in goods, food, etc., rather than money
tucker – a piece of lace to cover a woman’s chest in lady’s garments
tulip – a very fashionable man (think Beau Brummell)
turbans – a popular ladies’ fashion in the early part of the century; an imitation of a Middle Eastern headdress
turnkey – a jailer
turnpike – a toll road; the average toll was 2-3 pence per mile
twelfth cakes – cakes made for Twelfth Night; those who found the coin or bean inside became the “king” or “queen” of the celebration
Twelfth Night – January 5; the night before the 12th day after Christmas; when Christmastide officially ended; January 6 is the Epiphany
two-dance rule – a couple was expected not to dance more than twice; dancing more often with a partner was a symbol of serious matrimonial interest
two-penny post – London’s local mail delivery system, which was run as a separate entity from the national mail system; similar local mail delivery systems rose up within other large metropolitan areas
tucker – often worn for modesty purposes on both daytime apparel and low-cut gowns for evening wear; it was an edging of white lace, muslin, or lawn, that was usually frilled and added to disguise a low neckline; if it hung down over the front of the bodice, it was called a “falling tucker”
“Round dress of white net over white satin, with full short sleeves of the same materials. This dress is most superbly finished at the borders by rich embossment of satin and chenille. The bust is chastely displayed with a beautiful falling tucker of fine broad lace…” Ackermann’s Repository – Nov 1819
turnpike – The 1663 Turnpike Act set up tolls/fees to be paid to travel certain roads; a gate across the road prevented people from crossing until they paid the necessary fee; in 1706 the government created the Turnpike Trusts, which were private companies who collected the tolls and were also responsible for maintaining the roads
twelvemonth – the term covers a typical 12-calendar month
Upon occasion I have come across a plot line in a Regency historical novel where the couple is married by proxy. Unfortunately, such a marriage was not valid. Today’s interpretation of a marriage by proxy tells us that it is a wedding in which one (or both) of the people seeking to be married are not physically present and are being represented instead by another person. If both partners are absent a double proxy wedding occurs.
Nowadays, a proxy marriage might occur if one or both partners cannot attend for reasons such as military service, travel restrictions, imprisonment or when a couple lives in a jurisdiction in which they cannot legally marry.
Here is the U. S., four states deem proxy marriages as legal; those states are Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and Montana. Only Montana permits double-proxy marriages. A Federal Court in the U.S in 1924 upheld a proxy marriage of a Portuguese woman and a man living in Pennsylvania, where common-law marriages were legal at the time. Afterwards, the woman immigrated to the U.S., the marriage making her legal, whereas, before the marriage she would have been inadmissible due to being illiterate. In the early 1900s, Japanese “picture brides” arrived at Angel Island, California creating a significant increase in proxy marriages at the time. In the United States, if a proxy marriage has been performed in a state that legally allows it, many states will recognize it fully or will recognize it as a common law marriage. The exception to this is the state of Iowa where it is completely unrecognized.
Under English Common Law, if a proxy marriage is valid by the law of the place where the marriage took place (lex loci celebrations), then it is recognized in England and Wales. However, generally speaking, proxy weddings are not recognized as legally binding in most jurisdictions. There was no provision for marriages of English subjects in England by proxy marriage. Even before the Hardwick Marriage Act, a couple could be “half married,” meaning the betrothal, but they still required the ceremony in the Church of England to make their joining a fully valid marriage. The couple had to be present before the clergyman and swear to being there voluntarily before a marriage would be conducted.
A famous 17th-century painting by Peter Paul Rubens depicts the proxy marriage of Marie de’ Medici in 1600. By the end of the 19th century the practice had largely died out. Wikipedia
From the Middle Ages onward, European monarchs and nobility were sometimes known to by married by proxy. Some of those were
Mary, Queen of Hungary to Louis I, Duke of Orléans, 1385
Henry IV to Joanna of Navarre, the daughter of Charles d’Évreux, King of Navarre, 1402
Catherine of Aragon to Prince Arthur, 1499
Charles I of England to Henrietta Maria of Francy, 1625
Marie Antoinette to Louis-Auguste, 1770
Napoleon I of France to Austrian Archduchess Marie Louise, 1810
Other Recent Pieces on Proxy Marriage in the UK and the Laws in Place:
Almost every Regency era romance writer has written at least one scene where the hero and heroine elope, racing to Scotland and a place such as Gretna Green.
Yet, when one sets the elopement could change the pair’s destination. What do you know of the Code Napoleon? Also, did you know for a period of time France would have been easier to reach and in a faster time than a race to the Scottish border?
Permit me to make the waters a bit murky for some of you.
As a general rule, the English accepted all marriages as valid that were valid in the country where it was celebrated. However, there were few marriages of English persons in France during the war, except those of soldiers who had a chaplain officiating. A marriage that took place after the war was declared invalid because it was not done in accordance with local law.
There were channel islands, where some people went to be married, but usually these were people who lived in the southwest corner of the country and were accustomed to the sea.
Napoleonic Code Early version of the Code Civil des Français (“Civil Code of the French”; known as the Napoleonic Code), dated 1803 (year XI of the French republican calendar). The code was promulgated in its entirety in 1804 (year XII) by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte. Public Domain Photo ~ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Napoleonic-Code
On 20 September 1789, the age of legal majority was reduced to 21 for both men and women, confirmed in 1804, and parental permission was no longer required. But here is the catch: the Code Napoleon came into effect in the early 1800s, and it automatically repealed all previous laws, including the 1789 one mentioned above.
Back in that 1789 law, women reached their majority for the purposes of marriage at 21 and men at 26. Note, however, that under the Code Napoleon, there were different majority ages for different aspects of the law.
But given that Britain was at war during a good part of the Regency, one would either need to set one’s story AFTER the war had ended, or NOT have one’s couple elope to France. Having them elope to France during the war simply because it is supposedly easier than going north would have me instantly tossing the book aside. An author would need to convey very strong reasons for them to go to France other than it being easier than going to Scotland to have any hope of my continuing to read the book. Even having them elope to France after the war would be a big task of the reader.
BUT – there are other factors one needs to consider before pursuing this course.
In the early 19th century (and throughout the period we call the Regency) family consent was required for most marriages in France. Women who had not attained their 21st birthday, and men who had not attained their 26th birthday, required permission from a parent or guardian, though only the father’s permission was required if the parents were in disagreement.
If the parents refused consent for women aged between 22 and 25, or for men aged between 26 and 30, the couple had to make three written requests, at one-month intervals, seeking permission. If all three requests were denied, then one month after the third denial, a marriage license would be issued. For women over the age of 26 and men over the age of 30, only a single written request and denial was required. These requirements were, I guess, the state’s way of providing the couple an enforced cooling off period.
Both parties had to present birth certificates (or notarised acts in the case of lost or destroyed birth certificates), AND the parents’ death certificates if other relatives were acting as guardians, AND notarised acts of consent if the parents are unable to come to the town hall to give consent in person.
Foreigners in France were subject to the same laws, but with additional restrictions, depending on marriage law within their country of origin.
The French marriage would be legitimate in France, but France did not have reciprocity agreements with its European neighbors, meaning the foreign couple could not return to their own country and expect their marriage would be considered valid. I don’t know if there were reciprocity agreements in place with England, but I very much doubt it given the Code Napoleon was introduced before the Regency era properly began.
In any event, to avoid issues of foreigners being stuck on French welfare rolls, the French government ordered its officials to ensure that foreigners adhere to all regulations of their country of origin before any marriage service was performed in France.
“Napoleonic Code, French Code Napoléon, French civil code enacted on March 21, 1804, and still extant, with revisions. It was the main influence on the 19th-century civil codes of most countries of continental Europe and Latin America.
“After the French Revolution, codification became not only possible but almost necessary. Powerful groups such as the manors and the guildshad been destroyed; the secular power of the church had been suppressed; and the provinces had been transformed into subdivisions of the new national state. Political unification was paired with a growing national consciousness, which, in turn, demanded a new body of law that would be uniform for the entire state. The Napoleonic Code, therefore, was founded on the premise that, for the first time in history, a purely rational law should be created, free from all past prejudices and deriving its content from “sublimated common sense”; its moral justification was to be found not in ancient custom or monarchical paternalism but in its conformity to the dictates of reason.” [Napoleonic Code]
This article on the Napoleonic Code tells us, “The law was composed of scattered laws that sometimes overlapped creating contradictions and problems. It therefore became necessary to create compilations of laws to give it coherence and avoid such contradictions. Sometimes the compilations ended up mixing all kinds of rights such as civil with criminal and administrative. Thus, were born the following compilations of laws:
The law of the twelve tables: It was the law established to eliminate the privileges of the patricians (descendants of the founders of Rome) in ancient Rome and is one of the first to group the regulations by theme. However, they did not include all the legal rules because some were over-understood.
Justinian’s Corpus Iuris Civilis: This approached code consideration. However, it was constituted in a compilation because it included legal norms without validity. In addition, it included philosophical elements on the source of law and quotations from classical judges. A scholarly compilation of Roman law and its sources.”
Women had more or less control of their own lives depending on the specific area covered by the Code. For example, a woman could not be forced to marry against her will or marry at all before age 21 – but then not without the permission of her parents or grandparents.
So, having one’s couple eloping to France likely was a bad idea (especially after 1804) because they would not have parental permission. All the rules of the local law had to be followed for the English courts to declare the marriage valid.
Georgette Heyer used that device in Cotillion, but I can’t remember if she brought a time frame into that book. Of course, that’s fiction! I love the impeccable use of various story elements executed in her stories, but Heyer also allowed a man to scratch out the name of the bride on a special license and substitute another, which is absolutely not valid. Trusting Heyer for all historical facts is not always the best choice.
As for the Channel Islands, they were properties of the English Crown, but they had their own legislature and laws. They were not part of France, though their proximity to the French coast made travel there dangerous during the war. According to my notes, they allowed marriage to anyone 21 or older without any residency requirements. My notes don’t mention what the rules were for younger people as I wasn’t researching that situation when I made them…
France was (and still is) mainly a Catholic country–not a Church of England one. Also, the Revolution threw out the church, but then Napoleon made up with the Pope, who was all for Napoleon being crowned Emperor, so it was back to Catholic. All this means is it was unlikely for an English couple to think about running away to get married in France. (Scotland is mainly Protestant.) Plus, how did one go about finding a church in which to marry? Most parishes wanted a person to be a resident in the area for a set time before you were permitted to marry (remember Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and that was a Church of England wedding), and most priests would want to make certain the person was a good Catholic and they could not do that if they did not know the person.
Unless the lovers had relatives in France, it is highly unlikely they could marry there. War conditions really make it impossible for any Englishman to be in France from 1793 until 1814 . . . one would have only the brief peace in 1803.
Religion is also a bar with elopements to Spain, Italy, or any other country that is primarily Catholic, unless one of the couple is also Catholic with relatives in that country, and then the residency issue still comes into play. Remember there were restrictions on Protestant/Catholic marriages. The couple had to first be married in the Protestant church for their marriage to be legal (an issue I played with in my Realm series, book 7, A Touch of Honor).
Of course, Mary Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley eloped to France in 1814, but they were in no way respectable, and he was still married to Harriet at the time, so I doubt that is best replicated.
In the singular form the lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use. As a plural noun, a lexicon is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject. To distinguish lexicon from a dictionary, it is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject.
These examples are a mix of what one might hear upon the lips of the aristocracy, as well as examples of Cant used upon London’s streets and those terms used by farmers and like in the country.
s. – the abbreviation for shilling (a shilling is a English silver coin worth twelvepence; 20 shillings = one pound)
Sabbatarians – VERY strict observers of the Sabbath
sack – a dry white wine from Spain
St. Giles – a notorious London slum with a large Irish and Jewish population; a center for prostitution
St. James Palace – the official residence (until 1837 when Queen Victoria moved the royal residence to Buckingham Palace); St. James’s Palace is the senior Palace of the Sovereign, with a long history as a Royal residence. As the home of several members of the Royal Family and their household offices, it is often in use for official functions and is not open to the public.
“Saint Jane” myth (not necessarily a Regency term, but important to the era) – When Henry Austen wrote his biography of his sister Jane, he presented a “saint” to the world, which is in sharp contrast to the Jane Austen we meet in her letters.
saloon or salon – a large room, such as a drawing room, used for receiving and entertaining guests; this room often doubled as a picture gallery in a fine house
salver – a silver tray which held calling cards; either placed on a table in the hallway or delivered by the head servant to his master/mistress; also used by servants to passing around biscuits during social gatherings
sal volatile – smelling salt (made with ammonium carbonate)
sandals – used by ladies in the early part of the century; slipperlike shoes that fastened over the instep with a strap
sash – worn by little girls as a complement to the muslin frock
sawbones – originally referred to army surgeon who were often called upon to saw off bones; as more and more soldiers returned home the term came to be applied to all doctors and surgeons
schoolroom – where children received their lessons in a wealthier home; large enough for dancing lessons and to accommodate games indoors; “in the schoolroom” meant a young lady had not made her “Come Out”
scout – a man servant at Oxford
Scottish reel – a folk dance with gliding steps and jumps; a quick-stepping dance
scullery – place where dishes were washed and stored
scullery maid – the lowest ranking household servant (also referred to as “scullion”); one assigned to wash the dishes, as well as other unpleasant duties in the kitchen
sealing wax or sealing wafer – a drop of wax (dropped wet over the fold of a letter and allowed to dry) or a sealing wafer (a thin disk of dried paste used to seal a document) was used to seal a letter (There were NO envelopes.); a signet ring or seal pressed into the wax secured the paper seal; usually made of beeswax; red wax was used only for business; other colors for social correspondence; black wax indicated mourning
seals – small ornament on a watch chain, including a seal to set the wax on a letter; it contained an emblem or the initials cut into the metal surface, which was called “itaglio’; the image was pressed into the metal wax so a raised imprint remained; the image was specific to a particular family name, business, or official title; the seal might also be inset in a signet ring or it could be available it a “stamp” format for a house’s butler to frank letters or the housekeeper to carry one on a chatelaine or fob to mark orders being requesting for the household
sealing wax – a mixture of shellac and turpentine or even beeswax that was melted and used to seal envelopes and/or stamp official documents; the standard was to use red for business, black for mourning, and another color of one’s choice for social letters
sedan Chair – a rickshaw-like enclosed chair with two poles, carried by two men, one at the front of the poles, another at the back of the chair holding the rear poles; the men were called “bearers”; a sedan chair might also be called a “Palanquin”
Season – meaning the social “Season” which began in early spring after Easter, and lasted until the end of June (basically when Parliament was in session). The original idea was to provide amusements and gathering for the families of the members of those in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, but soon it was required for young ladies to be presented to society and to socialize regularly, which was not easily done when in the country’s shires
seedcake – a sweet cake usually made with caraway seeds
sell up – selling all of a person’s worldly goods to settle his debts
seminary – the most fashionable, educational, and expensive institution for young ladies; girls learned sewing (“work”), reading, writing, mathematics, French, and history, along with dancing, music (instrument and singing), and art (although these fine arts often cost extra)
senior wrangler – in Cambridge’s math honors exams, the top students were called “wranglers”; the highest ranked student was the “senior wrangler”
sennight – a contraction of “seven nights” = one week
sent down – expelled from a university
servants’ hall – a special room where the servants of a household ate and socialized
servants’ quarters – servants (both male and female) had their bedrooms in the manor house’s attic, basement, or a separate wing of the house (The lady’s maid often had a room near her mistress.)
set – the name given to a group of dancers in a dance, as well as the series of dances they perform
settee – an indoor chair on which two people could sit
settle – a wooden bench with a high back on which several people could sit; usually found in taverns and rustic homes; often faced the fireplace
settlement – the legal arrangement of property; marriage settlements involved ensuring that a woman would receive pin money, a jointure and portions for her future children; strict settlements ensured that a landed estate remained entailed against the possibility of a male heir selling or mortgaging it; settlement under the Poor Law meant a person could not receive financial relief in a parish without being born in the parish, been apprenticed in the parish, or being married to a parish resident
Seven Dials– an infamous criminal district in London; it was the seven streets that converged upon St. Giles (see above)
sexton – the man who rang the bells and dug the graves at a churchyard
shaking hands – was a sign of real friendship, not generally part of an introduction as it is in current times; occurred less frequently between members of the opposite sex; was considered improper
shawl – worn by women throughout the century
sheriff – in previous centuries the High Sheriff was the king’s representative in the shire (i.e., the Sheriff of Nottingham); by the 1800s, the “sheriff” was a country gentleman who entertained the assize justices when they made their judicial circuit; in some areas, the sheriff also carried out official county business
shift– a long kind of nightgown type of material which women wore as underwear, along with the corset (“drawers” did not become popular until the 1860s); “shift” replaced the word “smock”; eventually, “shift” was replaced by the word “chemise”
shilling number – a monthly installment of a serialized novel (very popular in the mid and later part of the 19th century-more of a Victorian term, rather than a Regency one)
shilly-shallying – taking too long to complete a task; wasting time
ship-of-the-line – a warship usually of 60+ guns; one that could take its place in the “line” of battle
shire – unit of regional government run by the earl and the sheriff (shire reeve) in the monarch’s name; the Normans substituted the word “county” for “shire”; “The shires” in foxhunting groups referred to the Midland shires, including Rutland, Northamptonshire, and Leicestershire
shivaree – a noisy mock serenade (made by banging pans and kettles) to a newly married couple (also referred to as belling, charivari, chivaree, callathump, and callithump in regional areas of the US and UK)
shorts – knee breeches
shuttlecocks and battledores – the forerunner of badminton; popular outdoor game for both sexes; it was played with small racquets (battledores) and netted shuttlecocks
shove-halfpenny– a children’s game similar to shuffleboard, but played on a table and with coins
sideboard – dining room furniture that held extra dishes; later, it became a storage place for plate, silverware, etc.
silhouettes – tracing a person’s profile with the help of a shadow; a popular art form during the reign of George III; it was named after a French artist who perfected the form, Etienne de Silhouette
Cassandra Leigh Austen
Sir – the title by which baronets and knights are addressed
sitting room – used for morning activities (reading, letter writing, cards, painting, sewing, etc.); in smaller manor houses the husband would have his study at one end while the wife had her sitting room
sizar – scholarship students at Cambridge
skittles – similar to bowling (nine pens or skittles)
small clothes – knee breeches; A gentleman wearing shirt and breeches (only) is considered to be undressed. Though modestly covered by modern standards, by 18th Century standards he is considered to be in his ‘small clothes’ – his underwear.
smock frock – an outer garment worn by the agricultural working poor
snob – meant someone of no social standing, the opposite of a “nob”
snuff – an often scented powdered tobacco sniffed into the nose; carried in a decorated snuffbox
snuff rasp – used to grind tight bundles of tobacco leaves into fresh snuff; small to fit into a pocket, made of a variety of materials and often ornate; could be stored with the leaves in a separate snuff box
snuffers – scissor-like instruments used to trim the wicks of tallow candles
Social Season – London’s fashionable high life; ran from February to June and September to pre-Christmas
solicitor – a lawyer or attorney (not usually a gentleman by birth) who dealt in wills, contracts, deeds, settlements, and estate issues; they could not appear in court; therefore, solicitors would hire a barrister to represent his client in court matters; they took a portion of the gratuity for their fee; considered part of the working class, though they could become quite wealthy depending on who they represented; they might only be accepted by the gentry if they were “part of the family,” as was Mr. Philips to the Bennet family in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Somerset House– housed various government offices, most notably the tax office (Board of Inland Revenue); located on the Strand in London
Southwark – the “Borough”; located across the Thames south of London
sovereign – a gold coin worth a pound (first came into circulation in 1817)
Spanish coin – false flattery
spatterdashes – long gaithers to protect the legs from water and mud
special license – call only be obtained from the Archbishop of Canterbury; presents a man and woman to marry at any time or place (home, church, etc.); issued for a three months’ time limit; it could not be left blank, names of the man and woman must appear on the document; only those of the aristocracy and those with great “influence” could obtain a special license
spencer – a short jacket worn by ladies of the day; for men, a spencer was an overcoat without tails
sponging house – a house run by a sheriff’s officer where debtors were housed while they repaid their debts
Sprezzatura – Though dating from the Renaissance, Castiglione’s sprezzatura remained in place during the Regency. Taught from childhood, “gracefulness” became a way of life. A member of the gentry should speak and act with modest confidence; maintain emotional control; use proper language; and be well educated in literature, the arts, history, and dancing.
squire – a term of courtesy for a member of the gentry whose family lved for generations in an area and who had tenants on his property; often served as the justice of the peace in the area
stagecoach – public transportation, generally for the lower classes; the Royal Mail coaches were quicker and more expensive than the regular stagecoaches (Note: Jane Austen’s house in Chawton was located beside a main stagecoach route; therefore, the noise of the carriages was commonplace for Austen in those days.)
stair rod – metal rods clamped along the base of a riser to hold the carpet in place
stall – metonymy at work; a position a prebendary held (i.e., Dr. Grant in Austen’s “Mansfield Park” succeeds to a stall in Westminster.)
stand up – to dance with someone
Fitzroy Stanhope was a designer of carriages in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Several vehicles are associated with his name. http://www.caaonline. com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key= 15&MCat=9
stanhope – a light carriage with no top; could have 2 or 4 wheels; named for the Honourable and Reverend Fitzroy Stanhope (1784-1864)
Statute of Wills – passed by Henry VIII in 1540, the statute allowed a person to leave his property to anyone he wanted, provided he had stated his desires in a will; unfortunately, Parliament had not abolished the “Statute of Uses” from 1536, which supported the concept of primogeniture, so primogeniture remained the preferred inheritance method
stay – one of the two halves of a corset; used to hold in the waist and lift the bosom; made of a sturdy canvas cloth, which was faced with silk; they could be tightened by laces in the back; reinforced with whalebone (which had a bit of give in it and not be so stiff)
staylace – one of the laces used to tighten a corset
steeplechase – a horseback ride or race across country; originally the gentlemen raced toward a distant steeple; therefore, it was a straight course, but that did not mean the race lacked obstacles
steward – managed the estate for the owner so that the owner did not have to deal directly with tenant farmers; the steward would oversee the estate’s accounts, settle tenant squabbles, purchase seed and animals, etc.
stile – a set of three or four wooden steps built to help people over a wall or fence constructed in a field to keep animals enclosed
stillroom – where preserves and wine were kept in a house; also where coffee and tea was made
stock – a tight, stiff collar worn by men, especially soldiers; it was also the black shirtfront over which the white bit of collar was fastened for clerical dress
stone – a measurement of weight = 14 pounds
strand – shore of a river or ocean
stuck his spoon in the wall – died
stud – horses raised for breeding or racing
stuff – name for different kinds of fabrics, but generally applied to those commonly made of wool
sugarloaf- the hard, crusty form in which sugar was available; usually shaped like a cone
sugarplum – a round piece of flavored candy made chiefly of sugar
surgeon – a man who tended to external injuries (broken bones, wounds, etc.) “Physicians” never bloodied their hands. Physicians were addressed as “doctor,” whereas surgeons were referred to as “mister.”
surtout – a man’s overcoat, very much like a frock coat
swallowtail coat – a man’s coat, which had long tails that tapered down the gentleman’s back
sweetbread – the thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal, especially a calf or lamb, used for food
Lady Claire Waterstone has spent more years out of England than she has enjoying English society. In fact, she feels very odd in making her Come Out with girls four to five years her junior. Claire has never known a “home” of her own. And while several gentlemen are eager to claim her hand, she knows their ardor has more to do with the size of her dowry than true affection. Then she encounters Lord Ainmire Fearghal, an impoverished Irish earl, whose tales of how he sees his land creates in her a desire to share it with him. Claire, therefore, abandons decorum and proposes to Lord Fearghal. However, his roguish charm soon has her wishing for more than a marriage of convenience.
HE BARGAINED FOR HER FORTUNE, NOT HER HEART
Fearghal has only one purpose in marrying Lady Claire: Save his estate. Melhman Manor reeks from inherited debt, and Fearghal requires a wealthy wife immediately. Originally, he thought to leave Claire in London, but his wife soon puts an end to those thoughts, but when she suggests Ainmire’s cousin could be working against Ainmire’s efforts to save his land, Fearghal and Lady Claire strike a different type of bargain – one based in trust and loyalty and the beginnings of love.
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Five delightful Regency stories, from USA Today bestselling and Award winning authors, all focused around summer weddings. Lose yourself in the Regency world, and be swept away by love! ***** READ NOW ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ***** This anthology contains:
This anthology contains: Her Wily Duke by Arietta Richmond ~ A Marquess desperate to protect the Dukedom from his increasingly unstable older brother, a highwayman apparently bent on the destruction of the ducal estates, a young music teacher caught in the middle of it all, a desperate plan which, in the end, leads to love.
Lord Fearghal’s English Bride by Regina Jeffers ~When an Irish Lord, who needs to marry an heiress to save his estates, meets an aristocratic Englishwoman who seeks an interesting life, there is an instant attraction, and a very rapid marriage. But there are those who do not wish them well, and desperate action is called for if they are both to reach their Irish home alive, and save his estate from foreclosure. Will they survive long enough for that attraction to grow into lasting lov
Contradance by Janis Susan May ~ Life looks bleak for Miss Rosemary Coyningham as plans proceed apace for her cousin’s wedding to the Earl she was betrothed to as a child. Once Matilda is married, what will happen to Rosemary? Surely her uncle will no longer wish to have her living in his house? When Matilda’s intended returns from the continent, with a Princely friend, it all gets more complicated… for Rosemary is drawn to Matilda’s betrothed, when she meets him for the first time… and Matilda seems struck with admiration for the Prince… Will there still be a summer weddind?
The Baron Banishes His Rival by Olivia Marwood ~ Lady Anne Calthorpe is delighted when her closest friend and neighbour returns from his studies at Oxford, and even more so when he steps in to protect her from the man who had bullied her as a child – a man who now seems most intent on paying attentions to her. George Marlestone, Lord Houghton, finds his breath stolen when he sees Lady Anne again, and desire for more than friendship fills him. But before he can act on that desire, he will have to overcome the machinations of those who would drive him away from Lady Anne… Will they succeed, between them, in driving off her pursuer, or will their love be torn apart?
Mother of the Bride by Victoria Hinshaw ~ Widowed Amy, Countess of Blakemore is utterly focused on the arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. She needs no distractions, or surely it won’t all get done on time! Then, for the first time, she meets her son-in-law-to-be’s much older half-brother, who proves to be more distracting then she could ever have imagined. William Easton, Baron Hartley, had shown no interest in marrying again, since the mother of his two daughters died. Now, as his half-brother is about to marry, the idea suddenly seems much more appealing. Of course, that might just be because he can’t take his eyes off the beautiful mother of the bride-to-be. But will she accept his suit?
In Ireland, the question of a legal marriage between a Protestant and a Catholic could often be prompted by whether the couple had married in both churches or simple one, as well as which ceremony came first.
On 25 March 1754, the Hardwicke Act went into effect in England. It was designed to prevent Clandestine Weddings (Read More on Clandestine Weddings HERE) and to force couples marrying in England to follow certain guidelines or have their marriage declared illegal. Under an earlier Statute of King George II (19 Geo. 2. c. 13), any marriage between a Catholic (Popish) and a Protestant or a marriage between two Protestants celebrated by a Catholic priest was null and void, meaning any children conceived would be considered illegitimate.
Prior to the Hardwicke Act, couples simply required a clergyman ordained by the Church of England to administer their vows. We often hear of a Fleet Marriage, which is the best-known example of an irregular or a clandestine marriage taking place in England. These joinings were popular at the end of the late 17th and early 18th Century. The Marriage Duty Act 1695 put an end to irregular marriages at parochial churches by penalizing clergymen who married couples without banns or license. By a legal quirk, however, clergymen operating in the Fleet could not effectively be prosecuted for disobeying the Act, and the clandestine marriage business there carried on. In the 1740s, over half of all London weddings were taking place in the environs of the Fleet Prison.
The Hardwicke Act made marriages more public. A calling of the banns became a requirement, which could only be put aside if the couple obtained an “ordinary” or “standard” license from the local bishop or a special license from the Archbishop of Canterbury. The standard license came with a bond of £100. This bond was forfeited if the couple lied to the local bishop regarding their fitness to marry. The license named the specific parish church where the exchange of vows would be held. It required a 7-days’ waiting period.
A calling of the banns had to take place over three successive Sundays before the couple could marry before an ordained Church of England clergyman. Two witnesses were required for the ceremony to be legal.
Only Quakers or Jews were exempt from the Hardwicke Act. All others, including Roman Catholics, had to follow the law’s guidelines. NO exceptions! Catholics in England who married only under their own rites were not considered legally married under English law. They had to be married by a Protestant minister legally to be considered married. The Catholics disagreed with this requirement, and many married in the local Catholic church first and then almost immediately in the Protestant church. If they had not married in the Protestant church, their children were illegitimate under the Hardwicke Act. During this time, a Catholic priest faced fines and possible imprisonment for marrying a Protestant to a Catholic unless the couple had already been married by a Protestant clergyman.
In Ireland, where my story takes place, the Catholics did not need to be married by a Protestant at all, but the clergy was still forbidden to celebrate a mixed marriage unless there had already been a Protestant one. All through the 19th Century, the restrictions against other religious groups were eased, and there even was a provision for a civil marriage, but a Catholic and a Protestant still could not marry in the Catholic Church unless they had already married by civil or Protestant ceremony. Any marriage of a Protestant to a Catholic by Catholic ritual alone was considered invalid.
Book Excerpt:
As the music died away, a voice called out before a round of applause had circled among those looking on. “How quaint! Very quaint indeed!”
Ainmire set Claire behind him. “Good day, Uncle,” he responded as the crowd parted to permit Lord Ross Fitzlaud to come to stand before him.
“I understand you have married, Fearghal—without even the care of a notice of your doing so,” his uncle said.
“Your son journeyed with me to England,” Ainmire responded. “I suspect you knew my marital state before I even arrived back in Ireland.”
“Yet, my son did not attend the actual wedding. Is that not correct, Simon?” his uncle demanded. “No one from your family actually stood witness to your joining.”
Ainmire stated, “I asked Simon to stand witness to my marrying a British . . . well, I shan’t dignify the word Simon called my future wife by repeating such foulness.”
The crowd buzzed with indignation directed to his uncle for discrediting their new mistress.
“If no one from the family stood witness to the marriage, how do we know your marriage be legal? If not, then my family still remains as your heirs. An illegitimate child cannot inherit, as you well know.”
Mr. Connelly stepped between them. “I assure you, sir, Lord and Lady Fearghal’s marriage has been properly recorded in the parish records.”
“How so?” his uncle demanded. “You did not perform the ceremony nor stood as witness to my nephew’s wedding.”
“I have received a certificate and an official letter from the Archbishop’s office in London so I might include a record of his lordship’s joining in my parish records,” Connelly declared with a great deal of haughtiness. The cleric never appreciated anyone speaking out against his authority.
“And how often have you received such a document previously? Would you recognize the Archbishop’s signature?” his uncle said with a smile of satisfaction, indicating he had heard of the document previously.
“Never, but the seal indicated it was from His Grace’s offices at Doctors’ Commons in London,” Connelly argued.
“Yet, it is possible my nephew is not legally married to Lady Claire Waterstone,” his uncle said in triumph.
“Lady Claire and I married at St George Hanover Church in Mayfair,” Ainmire growled in displeasure, “and I take great umbrage that you dare to smear my wife’s good name simply because she outmanoeuvred your attempts to prevent the payment of the mortgage you held on Mehlman.”
“Pardon, my lord,” a voice said from a place off Ainmire’s shoulder.
He turned his head briefly to note Father Hannigan looking on. “Yes, Father?”
“I thought if you and your wife wished to ‘remarry,’ so to speak, I would be pleased to conduct the ceremony. Mr. Connelly could stand as your witness. In that manner, your marriage to Lady Claire would be sanctioned by both the Protestants in the community, as well as the Catholics. You have tenants of both persuasions and many in the community are present to stand as witnesses to your marriage.”
Giveaway: Comment on any or all of the six posts featuring Regency Summer Weddings Anthology for a chance to win an eBook copy of the book. The giveaway ends on Friday, July 5. Winners will receive their copies of the book then. Good luck to all!
Lady Claire Waterstone has spent more years out of England than she has enjoying English society. In fact, she feels very odd in making her Come Out with girls four to five years her junior. Claire has never known a “home” of her own. And while several gentlemen are eager to claim her hand, she knows their ardor has more to do with the size of her dowry than true affection. Then she encounters Lord Ainmire Fearghal, an impoverished Irish earl, whose tales of how he sees his land creates in her a desire to share it with him. Claire, therefore, abandons decorum and proposes to Lord Fearghal. However, his roguish charm soon has her wishing for more than a marriage of convenience.
HE BARGAINED FOR HER FORTUNE, NOT HER HEART
Fearghal has only one purpose in marrying Lady Claire: Save his estate. Melhman Manor reeks from inherited debt, and Fearghal requires a wealthy wife immediately. Originally, he thought to leave Claire in London, but his wife soon puts an end to those thoughts, but when she suggests Ainmire’s cousin could be working against Ainmire’s efforts to save his land, Fearghal and Lady Claire strike a different type of bargain – one based in trust and loyalty and the beginnings of love.
Five delightful Regency stories, from USA Today bestselling and Award winning authors, all focused around summer weddings. Lose yourself in the Regency world, and be swept away by love! ***** READ NOW ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ***** This anthology contains:
This anthology contains: Her Wily Duke by Arietta Richmond ~ A Marquess desperate to protect the Dukedom from his increasingly unstable older brother, a highwayman apparently bent on the destruction of the ducal estates, a young music teacher caught in the middle of it all, a desperate plan which, in the end, leads to love.
Lord Fearghal’s English Bride by Regina Jeffers ~When an Irish Lord, who needs to marry an heiress to save his estates, meets an aristocratic Englishwoman who seeks an interesting life, there is an instant attraction, and a very rapid marriage. But there are those who do not wish them well, and desperate action is called for if they are both to reach their Irish home alive, and save his estate from foreclosure. Will they survive long enough for that attraction to grow into lasting love?
Contradance by Janis Susan May ~ Life looks bleak for Miss Rosemary Coyningham as plans proceed apace for her cousin’s wedding to the Earl she was betrothed to as a child. Once Matilda is married, what will happen to Rosemary? Surely her uncle will no longer wish to have her living in his house? When Matilda’s intended returns from the continent, with a Princely friend, it all gets more complicated… for Rosemary is drawn to Matilda’s betrothed, when she meets him for the first time… and Matilda seems struck with admiration for the Prince… Will there still be a summer wedding?
The Baron Banishes His Rival by Olivia Marwood ~ Lady Anne Calthorpe is delighted when her closest friend and neighbour returns from his studies at Oxford, and even more so when he steps in to protect her from the man who had bullied her as a child – a man who now seems most intent on paying attentions to her. George Marlestone, Lord Houghton, finds his breath stolen when he sees Lady Anne again, and desire for more than friendship fills him. But before he can act on that desire, he will have to overcome the machinations of those who would drive him away from Lady Anne… Will they succeed, between them, in driving off her pursuer, or will their love be torn apart?
Mother of the Bride by Victoria Hinshaw ~ Widowed Amy, Countess of Blakemore is utterly focused on the arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. She needs no distractions, or surely it won’t all get done on time! Then, for the first time, she meets her son-in-law-to-be’s much older half-brother, who proves to be more distracting then she could ever have imagined. William Easton, Baron Hartley, had shown no interest in marrying again, since the mother of his two daughters died. Now, as his half-brother is about to marry, the idea suddenly seems much more appealing. Of course, that might just be because he can’t take his eyes off the beautiful mother of the bride-to-be. But will she accept his suit?
My heroine, Lady Claire Waterstone, has never truly lived in England, so when, first, her mother dies, and, then, her father, she is brought back to England and rushed into the “marriage mart” to find a husband. She is as ill at ease in London society is Lord Ainmire Fearghal, an Irish earl who requires a rich wife, while Claire requires a home.
Once she is in Ireland, Claire is determined to leave her mark on her husband’s estate and the surrounding community, by starting a school and providing his lordship’s tenants with what we might nowadays call “cottage industry.” Enjoy this short scene about some of her goals and about something called Irish moss, and it has nothing to do with that green stuff growing on rocks.
Book Excerpt:
“Would you object, my lady, if I make these used linens and drapes and so forth available to his lordship’s tenants?” Mrs. Galax asked. “The previous Lady Fearghal kept that as a standing order, but she passed some seventeen years prior, and neither Lord Ainmire nor his father thought the gesture necessary.”
“Would they want them?” Claire asked and then quickly remembered the “untouchables” in India and how they wished for the smallest bit of cloth to cover themselves.
“Most be handy with a needle and their children require clothes, especially during the winter,” the housekeeper shared.
“Assuredly, I hold no objections. If they have a use for the worn sheets and drapes, I am not opposed to you presenting them what is left.” She asked, “Do the children attend school?”
“No, my lady. Most work the farms along with their fathers. The land be all they know.”
“Yet, how do they recognize someone who means to cheat them if they cannot read the signs nor the bills presented to them?” Claire asked in shock. “Has not Lord Fearghal addressed this matter? How is a future to be achieved if one’s feet are planted in the mud of the past?”
“In truth, I not be confident that his lordship has thought much on it. His father invested in one bad scheme after another. Yer husband, ma’am, inherited an empty dream. He has fought for years to revive the estate. From dawn and into the night.”
“I would like to see a school for the children, even if they learn nothing more than their basic sums and common everyday words. I shall speak to his lordship when he returns. I was also thinking of other means for the cottagers to earn money. There are sections of England where many of the households specialise in producing a particular food, like blueberry jam or lemon curd or even lace making. You said many of the women were good with a needle. Do any make lace?”
“I doubt if they would ever see the thread required, but I imagine many of them could be taught,” Mrs. Galax said with a look of contemplation on her features. “Can people earn money in such a manner? There are machines that can turn out yards and yards of lace a day.”
“But not all of it is of good quality. There are women of society who turn their noses on machine made clothing and lace and buttons. They want what they have always had: A piece of lace on their dresses that is one of a kind.”
“Well, is that not something?” Mrs. Galax said in appreciation.
“Some areas of England are known for their confectionaries, such as the Dorset House shop on Fleet Street in London or those of the Cadbury brothers. I understand there is a food in Ireland that those in England have forgotten. Lord Fearghal called it ‘carrageen pudding.’”
“Yes, it is also called ‘Irish moss,’” Mrs. Galax said. “Now would that not be something to be able to best the English in such a manner.”
Carrageen Pudding (This information comes from the website British Food: A History. I am quoting much of it.) In truth, the only thing I knew of carrageen was it can be found in low fat yogurt to help thicken it. I was warned against it years ago. Therefore, I am depending on someone more knowledgeable than I.
“Carrageen pudding is a set dessert akin to jellies, blancmanges and flummeries, but it is made from the gelatinous seaweed carrageen, also known as Irish moss. It used to be gathered in Yorkshire and South-West England, going by the name ‘Dorset Moss’. … flavoured it the traditional way with sugar, lemon and brandy. … there was something of a Lemsip about it. … it wasn’t the flavour that put people off; it is more gummy than a gelatine set dessert, and doesn’t dissolve cleanly in the mouth. As John Wright puts it: it doesn’t have an acquired taste – it barely has any – ‘more of an acquired texture.’ … I refined the recipe, adding some whipped cream to give it a mousse-like texture and flavoured it with elderflowers.
“Carrageen is a common seaweed found throughout the coasts British Isles, except for parts of Lincolnshire and East Anglia.2 It is found in rockpools, is branched and a dark red colour. The wonderful food writer Theodora Fitzgibbon describes it as ‘a branching mucilaginous seaweed found on all rocks in Ireland’, which does not sound appetising, I realise. She goes on the comfort the reader, telling us that ‘it does not taste at all marine when properly prepared.’3 It is picked and dried in the sun, typically in April and May, and during the process it lightens from a dark red-brown to a creamy brownish beige, tinged with a pink-red hue.
“To prepare carrageen, it is reconstituted in cold water, drained and then simmered in fresh water. It quickly turns viscous, bubbling away like the contents of a witch’s cauldron. The gloopiness is caused by the release of a trio of closely-related carbohydrates together called carrageenan.2 To extract it properly, the whole lot has to be squeezed through some muslin (cheesecloth). These carbohydrates are not digested by the body, and are therefore an excellent source of soluble fibre. Indeed, carrageen has been used as a treatment for a range of stomach and digestive complains and it ‘is considered extremely salutary for persons of delicate constitutions’.4“
These are also the references included in this article if anyone is interested:
References
Hartley, D. Food in England. (Little, Brown & Company, 1954).
Wright, J. River Cottage Handbook No.5: Edible Seashore. (Bloomsbury, 2009).
FitzGibbon, T. Irish Traditional Food. (St. Martin’s Press, 1983).
Leslie, E. Miss Leslie’s Complete Cookery: Directions for Cookery, in Its Various Branches. (Summersdale Publishers Limited, 1851).
Giveaway: Comment on any or all of the six posts featuring Regency Summer Weddings Anthology for a chance to win an eBook copy of the book. The giveaway ends on Friday, July 5. Winners will receive their copies of the book then. Good luck to all!
Lady Claire Waterstone has spent more years out of England than she has enjoying English society. In fact, she feels very odd in making her Come Out with girls four to five years her junior. Claire has never known a “home” of her own. And while several gentlemen are eager to claim her hand, she knows their ardor has more to do with the size of her dowry than true affection. Then she encounters Lord Ainmire Fearghal, an impoverished Irish earl, whose tales of how he sees his land creates in her a desire to share it with him. Claire, therefore, abandons decorum and proposes to Lord Fearghal. However, his roguish charm soon has her wishing for more than a marriage of convenience.
HE BARGAINED FOR HER FORTUNE, NOT HER HEART
Fearghal has only one purpose in marrying Lady Claire: Save his estate. Melhman Manor reeks from inherited debt, and Fearghal requires a wealthy wife immediately. Originally, he thought to leave Claire in London, but his wife soon puts an end to those thoughts, but when she suggests Ainmire’s cousin could be working against Ainmire’s efforts to save his land, Fearghal and Lady Claire strike a different type of bargain – one based in trust and loyalty and the beginnings of love.
Five delightful Regency stories, from USA Today bestselling and Award winning authors, all focused around summer weddings. Lose yourself in the Regency world, and be swept away by love! ***** READ NOW ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ***** This anthology contains:
This anthology contains: Her Wily Duke by Arietta Richmond ~ A Marquess desperate to protect the Dukedom from his increasingly unstable older brother, a highwayman apparently bent on the destruction of the ducal estates, a young music teacher caught in the middle of it all, a desperate plan which, in the end, leads to love.
Lord Fearghal’s English Bride by Regina Jeffers ~When an Irish Lord, who needs to marry an heiress to save his estates, meets an aristocratic Englishwoman who seeks an interesting life, there is an instant attraction, and a very rapid marriage. But there are those who do not wish them well, and desperate action is called for if they are both to reach their Irish home alive, and save his estate from foreclosure. Will they survive long enough for that attraction to grow into lasting love?
Contradance by Janis Susan May ~ Life looks bleak for Miss Rosemary Coyningham as plans proceed apace for her cousin’s wedding to the Earl she was betrothed to as a child. Once Matilda is married, what will happen to Rosemary? Surely her uncle will no longer wish to have her living in his house? When Matilda’s intended returns from the continent, with a Princely friend, it all gets more complicated… for Rosemary is drawn to Matilda’s betrothed, when she meets him for the first time… and Matilda seems struck with admiration for the Prince… Will there still be a summer wedding?
The Baron Banishes His Rival by Olivia Marwood ~ Lady Anne Calthorpe is delighted when her closest friend and neighbour returns from his studies at Oxford, and even more so when he steps in to protect her from the man who had bullied her as a child – a man who now seems most intent on paying attentions to her. George Marlestone, Lord Houghton, finds his breath stolen when he sees Lady Anne again, and desire for more than friendship fills him. But before he can act on that desire, he will have to overcome the machinations of those who would drive him away from Lady Anne… Will they succeed, between them, in driving off her pursuer, or will their love be torn apart?
Mother of the Bride by Victoria Hinshaw ~ Widowed Amy, Countess of Blakemore is utterly focused on the arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. She needs no distractions, or surely it won’t all get done on time! Then, for the first time, she meets her son-in-law-to-be’s much older half-brother, who proves to be more distracting then she could ever have imagined. William Easton, Baron Hartley, had shown no interest in marrying again, since the mother of his two daughters died. Now, as his half-brother is about to marry, the idea suddenly seems much more appealing. Of course, that might just be because he can’t take his eyes off the beautiful mother of the bride-to-be. But will she accept his suit?
In Wednesday’s post, I spoke of Lady Claire’s travels to reach her husband’s estate of Melhman near Kanturk, Ireland. Today, we are following Lord Ainmire Fearghal’s journey, which was a more arduous one and a more dangerous one. Ainmire and his cousin, Mr. Simon Fitzlaud, took the coast road (which generally backs up against the Wicklow Mountains) from Dublin to Waterford.
Day 1, LEG #1 – Ainmire travels from Dublin to Bray, which is about 23 miles. Bray was turned into a resort town in the 1800s. The River Dargle, which enters the sea at the north end of Bray rises from a source near Djouce in the Wicklow Mountains. Bray Head is situated at the southern end of the Victorian Promenade with paths leading to the summit and along the sea cliffs. The rocks of Bray Head are a mixture of greywackes and quartzite. There is a large cross on the summit.
Day 1, LEG #2 – From Bray, Ainmire and Simon traveled to Greystones, which is about 5.5 miles from Bray. It is the second largest town in County Wicklow. Its newer name is “Delgany.” The town was named after a half-mile stretch if grey stones between two beaches on the seafront. The North Beach is a stony beach and is overlooked by the southern cliffs of Bray Head. The South Beach is a broad sandy beach about one kilometer long.
Day 1, LEG #3 – From Greystones, the pair traveled to Wicklow, which would be a little over 14 miles. Wicklow’s weather is very much like the rest of northwestern Europe, with cool summers and milk winters, with little temperature fluctuation. May is the sunniest month and October is the wettest. Wicklow is sheltered from the rain by Ballyguile hill and more distantly by the Wicklow Mountains. It enjoys a higher average temperature than much of Ireland proper. Though it is protected from the westerly and southwesterly winds one finds in much of Ireland, Wicklow is particularly exposed to easterly winds, meaning one might experience sharp temperature drops in winter for short periods of time.
Day 2, LEG #1 – Ainmire’s cousin takes ill, and so Lord Fearghal must travel alone. He leaves Wicklow and travels to Arklow. Ballymoyle Hill overlooks and some say dominates the town. Arklow is situated in the southeastern section of the Wicklow Mountains, with the actual coastline being a little over a mile away. From Wicklow, it would be a little over 14 miles to Arlow.
Arklow sets at the mouth of the River Avoca, which divides the town, with the northern side called Ferrybank. The Nineteen Arches Bridges is the longest handmade stone bridge in Ireland. It was built between 1754 and 1756 by Andrew Noble. Before the bridge, all the crossings were made by small boats, which were pulled across the five on a rope, with landing platforms on both banks. The south terminal was the “town bank” while the north was known as the “ferry bank.” Wicklow as a major seafaring town, with both fishing and shipping firms using the port, with shipbuilding also a major industry.
Day 2, LEG 2 – From Arklow, Ainmire traveled 15.5 miles to the market town of Gorey in County Wexford. Among the earliest recordings of the parish and town of Gorey, also sometimes historically known as Kilmichaelogue (Irish: Cill Mhocheallóg, meaning ‘church of Mocheallóg’), are Norman records from 1296 which record an existing town on the site. Several centuries later, in 1619, the town was granted a charter as a borough, under the name Newborough. However, as noted by cartographer Samuel Lewis and publisher George Henry Bassett, this name “never [grew] into general use” as the “inhabitants did not take kindly to the name chosen for the town”. Together with other developments in the area, and as the principal local landlords, the Ram family built a large estate to the north of the town. The manor house of this estate, Ramsfort, was burned following the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and again during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Ramsfort house was rebuilt in the 19th century to designs attributed to architect Daniel Robertson.
Day 2, LEG 3 – Ainmire leaves Gorey, meaning to reach, first, Einniscorty (18 miles), then Wexford (another 15 miles), Waterford (36 miles), then turn inward to cross through the mountains (123 miles) to Mallow (the same town Claire traveled through), and another 13 miles on to Kanturk. However, he was attacked upon the road.
Book Excerpt:
Late March, 1814
Lord Ainmire Fearghal watched his cousin watching him and Ainmire’s new wife. Simon Fitzlaud had been Ainmire’s best friend since they were children, but now Ainmire had wondered if his cousin held his own ambitions. Fitzlaud had gone to London with him, for Ainmire required a rich wife to save his impoverished estate in Ireland. Having had the “luxury” of an English education, Ainmire knew something of what was and was not acceptable in an English ballroom; therefore, his cousin had agreed to play the role of his valet and stay in the let rooms Ainmire had secured in one of the small towns surrounding London proper. To reach London, it was an hour on horseback. Naturally, they had also had to let a carriage, which took a bit longer, but was considered more acceptable. A man could not woo a prospective bride smelling of horseflesh.
His cousin believed Ainmire should not have married Lady Claire Waterstone, for Claire was, most assuredly, like no woman he had encountered on English soil. “She be too assured of herself,” Simon had said more often than Ainmire cared to remember. “Ye be needin’ someone more docile.”
However, from the beginning, Ainmire had enjoyed Claire’s willingness to hold an actual conversation with him about the things she had seen as the daughter of a British soldier stationed all over the empire and how she listened to his hopes for a better life for his cottagers. He had held nothing back in those private moments, for he found he admired the woman more than he should. It was one thing to claim her fortune, but, unlike his cousin, Ainmire could not betray her trust in him to protect her for the remainder of their days.
He had no idea why she had chosen him, but he was more than a bit excited to be spending his life with Lady Claire by his side. Surely, she knew he had pockets to let, or she found out quite quickly. He had required a rich wife, and with the woman’s “encouragement,” he had thrown his hat into the ring, along with a half dozen other young lords wishing to claim both the woman’s beauty and her substantial dowry.
Ainmire admittedly was not immune to his wife’s beauty, for she was without a doubt fair of face. Any man alive would be happy to have her by his side. But things were not quite as they seemed to be. So, they two placed their heads together and decided to learn the truth. There were things upon his estate that had gone missing or were torn down by mistake or even had caught fire when there was no lightning to set the blaze.
Giveaway: Comment on any or all of the six posts featuring Regency Summer Weddings Anthology for a chance to win an eBook copy of the book. The giveaway ends on Friday, July 5. Winners will receive their copies of the book then. Good luck to all!