Far Beyond Rubies

Far Beyond Rubies by Rosemary Morris

 

Set in 1706 in England during Queen Anne Stuart’s reign, Far Beyond Rubies begins when William, Baron Kemp, Juliana’s half-brother, claims she and her young sister, Henrietta, are bastards. Spirited Juliana is determined to prove the allegation is false, and that she is the rightful heiress to Riverside, a great estate.

On his way to deliver a letter to William, Gervaise Seymour sees Juliana for the first time in the grounds of her family home. The sight of her draws him back to India. When “her form changed to one he knew intimately—but not in this lifetime,” Gervaise knows he would do everything in his power to protect her.

 Although Juliana and Gervaise are attracted to each other, they have not been formally introduced and assume they will never meet again. However, when Juliana flees from home, and is on her way to London, she encounters quixotic Gervaise at an inn. Circumstances force Juliana to accept his kind help. After Juliana’s life becomes irrevocably tangled with his, she discovers all is not as it seems. Yet, she cannot believe ill of him for, despite his exotic background, he behaves with scrupulous propriety, while trying to help her find evidence to prove she and her sister are legitimate

 

Available now as an e-book from https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/2, amazon.co.uk,amazon.com and elsewhere.

 

Available as a paperback on 30th October, 2013  from MuseItUp publishing.

 

School Assembly & New Novel

This morning I attended assembly at my 9 year-old grandson's school to watch his class perform a play about Moses. Every child had a line or more to say, and they obviously enjoyed the production. Afterwards I returned home and caught up with the housework and laundry. First thing tomorrow morning I hope to write another 2,000 words of my new Regency Novel, the sequel to Sunday's Child.

' Zoe & The Ancient Egyptians ' 16/10/2013 18:00:38

My 8 year-old granddaughter, Zoe, is studying the ancient Egyptians at school. When her parents went with her eldest brother to watch her younger brother perform in Macbeth at Watersmeet Theatre in Rickmansworth, I looked after her. She had taken books from the library, copied pictures onto the computer and added several pages of text. "Would I like to see her project?" she asked, and smiled enchantingly. My dainty, curly haired granddaughter then spared me no details of mummification. I have and extremely weak stomach. At the end of her gruesome presentation with extra verbal comments she said: "I'm hungry, grandma, time to have dinner." Dinner! My stomach heaved. Food! Would I ever be able to eat again. I deserve a medal for grandmotherly love.

From my Bookcase

Another 40 page long book I had forgotten I bought is one of the Men-At-Arms-Series (No.130) Wellington's Heavy Cavalry by Bryan Fosten, published by Osprey Military. There is a lot of useful information and it contains many black and white illustrations as well as coloured ones.

Men-At-Arms Series 126

I should catalogue my small but useful collection of non-fiction. Recently, I visited the National Army Museum in search of information. (At the moment I am researching British Hussar Regiments in the late 18th and early 19th century for my new novel, Monday's Child, the sequel to Sunday's Child published as an e-book.) Anyway, while removing a book from the shelf I found Wellington's Light Cavalry No.126 in the Men-At-Arms-Series by Bryan Fosten published by Osprey. I bought this informative book with many illustrations of uniforms and equipment ages ago and had forgotten about it. That's why I need to make a list of my books.

Home Grown Vegetables

Home grown vegetables for lunch today. New potatoes with parsley sauce, Swiss Chard dressed with powdered sesame seeds and vinegar and runner beans. Delicious.

English Costume for Sports and Outdoor Recreation.

English Costume for Sports and Outdoor Recreation 16th - 19th century by C. Willet and Phillis Cummington is a very interesting book. I don't own a copy but have frequently consulted a copy borrowed from the library.

Weeds and Pot Marigolds

The weeds have been growing like crazy, and the Lady's Mantle had finished flowering in a long narrow border, so I weeded and pruned this morning. Must say the pot marigolds look marvellous they are about two and a half feet tall, usually they are only about fifteen inches tall.

Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century

Here are two more snippets from the Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century by C. Willet and Phillis Cunnington.

COURT

'My dress at Court was a white satin petticoat with a patent net drapery - gold Brussels and fringe - gown; and train of green velvet ornamented with gold; headdress of seven white ostrich feathers and diamonds.' 1813. Journals of Mrs Calvert.

BRIDAL DRESS

'a robe of real Brussels point lace over white satin...cottage bonnet of Brussels lace with two ostrich feathers; she wore a deep lace veil and a white satin pelisse trimmed with swansdown. The dress cost seven thousand guineas, the bonnet 150 and the veil 200.' 1812. The Ipswich Journal.

Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century

Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century by C.Willet and Phillis Cunnington contains detailed descriptions of fabrics, gentlemen's and ladies' clothes and accessories.

For example: "Waistcoats: Materials: Striped Marcella, buff kerseymere, striped Valencia, casimere, swansdown, jean.

Throughout the two decades the back could be drawn in by means of one or two pairs of tapes or (rare) midline lacing.

Pockets sometimes absent, otherwise two horizontal c 5" wide, welted, containing the snuff-box, the watch being carried in the fob.

The lining and back usually twilled cotton, occasionally silk; the canvas of the eighteenth century no longer use.

Colours

'white, green buff with blue or black stripes wide asunder; blue striped twill jean manufactured expressly for the waistcoats and trousers of men of fashion. 1810 Ackermann's Repository."

Culinary Delights

Shopped for food like crazy today. This week I plan to use Swiss chard from the garden to make a chard and ricotta pie, and to use the stalks for a cheese dish. I also plan to make colcannon, mango ice cream, and courgette pickle with courgettes from the garden. I also bought ready made biscuit dough which my small granddaughter will enjoy rolling out and cutting into various shapes before I put the biscuits in the oven. And I'll make more ice lollies for the grandchildren. Well that plus my strict writing routine and some gardening should keep me out of trouble.

Regency - Research - Bucks & Bruisers

Yesterday, I collected Bucks and Bruisers, Pierce Egan and Regency England by J.C. Reid from the library.

I've leafed through the book, and it looks as though it will be very interesting.

"Pierce Egan, whose Boxiana was the incomparable record of the golden age of pugilism, was by profession printer, publisher, journalist, hack-writer, actor and dramatist. His great success was a book called Life in London...

"In this the f
irst study of Pierce Egan J.C. Reed outlines his life and descrbes his careet, his intimate knowledge of London low life, and his eccentric, cocky, resilient personality...."

Regency = Research - The Jane Austen Handbook

The Jane Austen Handbook. A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World.

"Every young lady dreams of a life spent exchanging witty asides with a dashing Mr Darcy, but how should you let him know your intentions? Seek counsel from this charming guide to Jane Austen's world. "

I found this handbook interesting and informative.

Gymnastics & Proud Grandmother

A very busy day yesterday which included Year Six's production of Aladdin at two of my grandsons' school.
The elder boy has bee practising gymnastics for 6 years. He is a member of a country team and has performed more than once in a theatre. Yesterday his performance looked effortless but he trains for 3 hours 3 times a week and sometimes on 5 days a week when a competition is imminent. ( He has already won a gold, silver and bronze medal. Not bad going for an 11-year old.)
Yesterday he came down the aisle between the audience and executed forward flips, cartwheels, handstands etc.,. Later he performed again in the from of the stage and once more at the final curtain call.
He received ample praise and, as you can imagine, I am very proud of him and admire his dedication and determination.

Regency - Research - Gardens

I have a rough book nearly filled with notes - non-fiction books for research, places of interest to visit including the ones I have been blogging about, websites and much more. Today I began to put them to good use. I reserved some books from the library, ordered some books from Amazon and visited lots of interesting websites. 

When I wrote Sunday's Child I found Regency Gardens by Mavis Batey published by Shire Publications Ltd., very useful.

"Regency architecture and gardening inherited the stylish elegance of the 18th century but added a lively touch, consistent with the mood of the new century and a high-spirited monarch in waiting."   

Museums Relevant to the Regency

I've come to the end of my personal list of museums relevant to the Regency, but I'm sure there is much more to be found. Visits to the British Museum and art galleries would probably be worthwhile.

Regency - Museum of Interest

British in India Musuem concentrates on the life and achievements of the British in India. Collections of photgraphs, uniforms, coins, documents and paintings. Sun Street, Colne, Lancashire BB8 0JJ

My main interest is the British in India from the days when the East India Company first traded in India up to and including the Regency era, so I would find out as much as possible abou the museum before visiting it.

Regency Place of Interest

Arundel Toy Museum. The collection of period dolls, dollhouses, soldiers, bears, games etc., are housed in an early 1800 cottage. 23 High Street, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9AD

The inclusion of bears in the collection means it is a mixture of Regency and Victiorian toys. Before I made a special trip to visit this museum I would phone up to find out more about it.

Regency Places of Interest

I have shared all the places of particular interest to me which are related to the Regency era in London tha I would like to visit, beginning on the 2nd June when a friend and I are going to visit Apsley House.

I also have a list of places outside London which I would like to visit which might be of interest to some of you.

The first on my list, in alphabetical order, is:-

Abbey House Museum which exhibits nineteenth - twentieth century costume,toys, dolls, domestic appliances. Also included are constructions of street scenesof the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries representing such trades as chemist, haberdasher, hairdresser, saddler, tobacconist and printer. Abbey Road, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS5 3EH.

If I decide to visit places far from home it would be worthwhile seeing if I could find several places not far apart and stay near by for a few nights.

Regency - Place of Interest

National Maritime Museum. Exhibits cover ship design,ships' logs and furnishings, telescopes,maps, weapons, uniforms and personal items, such as the coat in which Lord Nelson died. Romney Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF