Archive for the ‘Historical Tidbits’ Category

Happy Monday, my dear friends! I am here today to celebrate the release of my fifth book, Never Love a Scoundrel, which is also the fifth installment of the Secrets and Scandals series. When I thought about what historical morsel I wanted to share today with regard to this story, I thought of tipstaves. Or truncheons. Or, as we might call them: police batons or nightsticks. I had no idea these clubs were the early law enforcer’s weapon, badge, and even vessel, as some were hollow in order to carry a warrant inside. I found them so fascinating, in fact, that I could honestly see myself trying to collect them!

I wish I could say a tipstaff figured into Never Love a Scoundrel, but it was more of a “rathole research” endeavor. That’s what happens when I’m researching one thing, become interested in something else entirely, and before I know it, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time researching something I’m never going to use. I’m certain the other duchesses know exactly what I’m talking about. It also didn’t help that there isn’t a ton of information about these interesting items, which made the research particularly rathole-ish, to coin a word, which like the research it represents, I may never use again.

There is, however, a Bow Street Runner featured in Never Love a Scoundrel and he does carry a tipstaff. I do expect it to make an appearance in the next book Scoundrel Ever After. In fact, one (though not his) does make an appearance in the first scene, which you can read on my website.

What makes tipstaves and truncheons so interesting to me is their uniqueness. There are many different sizes and they’re made from different materials, and in most cases, each one is individualized based on the holder’s office. Some bear their names, the location of their service, and the date it was invested to them. Some even bear dates of some event, such as a riot or other occurrence of lawlessness. Many have a cipher or coat of arms, typically of the reigning monarch. Some are quite plain—just wood with an inscription, while others have a crown at the top (perhaps even with a velvet insert!) and are etched with fancy script. The uniqueness can be credited to the fact that there was no central police force until the Metropolitan Police Force was formed in 1829. Consequently, these items were not mass-produced until the mid-nineteenth century did not follow a general form.

The golden age of the truncheon died out by 1880 as warrant cards took their place. Warrant cards are still used today to identify the officer. This isn’t to say that the art of truncheons or tipstaves died out entirely. They still figure into police insignia and have been created for various commemorative purposes, such as during World War II.

Because there isn’t a lot of information about tipstaves and truncheons, I was unfortunately unable to procure an image or two to post here. However, you can see a stunning array of tipstaves and truncheons here.

Now, what book release celebration would be complete without an excerpt and a contest? None, I tell you! Here’s an excerpt from chapter three of Never Love a Scoundrel, which is the second time Lydia and Jason meet. They’re at a tea, which is Jason’s first social appearance in seven long years. His arrival is . . . well, read and find out.

Mrs. Lloyd-Jones’s butler appeared in the doorway. “Lord Lockwood, my lady.”

Every head turned at once, and the resulting gasps were audible.

Lydia had reached for her cup, but was glad she hadn’t picked it up. She likely would have dropped it. The sound of breaking china echoed her thoughts and drew everyone’s attention to Miss Vining, who stared open-mouthed at the door, her teacup in pieces at her feet. Suddenly Mrs. Lloyd-Jones’s suppressed smile made sense—she’d known his arrival was imminent.

Lord Lockwood’s intimidating figure filled the doorway. Lydia’s heart hammered as she looked up at him. He was, without question, the most broad-shouldered man she’d ever seen. And quite tall, with dark hair, and of course that vicious scar running down the left side of his face.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” His deep tone filled the drawing room as he stepped over the threshold. He offered a serene smile, which drew her to stare at his scar again. Did it pain him? How had it happened? Did he hate it very much?

Lydia shook herself from her fancy and caught sight of Lady Trevett’s horrified expression. Goodness, couldn’t the woman rein in her reaction? He wasn’t ghastly to behold. Oh, but perhaps that wasn’t the cause of her distress. It was simply his scandalous presence.

Mrs. Lloyd-Jones stood abruptly. She grinned and because Lydia knew her, she knew the welcoming expression was genuine—just as everyone else’s shock was equally real. “My dear boy, do come in. I’m honored by your attendance. Indeed, I shall be the envy of every woman in Town.” She gestured to the lot of them seated about the room. “All of us will be.

“Lord Lockwood,” she said with a knowing smile, “I believe you’ve already met my dear friend Lady Lydia Prewitt.”

He moved slowly closer, and the advance seemed somehow predatory. She attributed such nonsense to his size and ignored the way the drawing room suddenly felt quite small. And warm. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Lady Lydia.” He bowed and Lydia wished she’d offered her hand. What would it feel like to have a man such as him touch her? He was vice and scandal incarnate. Delicious. Oh confound it, there was that word again!

She smoothed her skirt as if she could gentle the thudding of her heart. “The pleasure is mine, my lord.”

“Would you care for tea?” Mrs. Lloyd-Jones asked as she sank back down onto the settee.

“Yes, thank you. No cream, and just a bit of sugar.” He looked around at the shocked faces of the other women. “I hope it’s all right I’ve invaded your drawing room.” He turned his attention to Mrs. Lloyd-Jones.

Mrs. Lloyd-Jones poured his tea and stirred in a trifle of sugar. “You are more than welcome. Please, sit.” She gestured to the rather feminine-looking, pale yellow-cushioned gilt chair situated very near Lydia.

He lowered himself to the edge of the seat, looking as if he feared he would break the piece. Perhaps he would. He was huge. Wild. Unlike any other gentleman Lydia had ever met. But then he wasn’t a gentleman, even if he had given evidence to the contrary—holding gates open for her and her maid, bowing elegantly before her.

Mrs. Lloyd-Jones finished with the tea. “Lydia, be a dear and give Lord Lockwood his teacup.”

Lydia picked up the cup and saucer and transferred them to Lord Lockwood. His fingers brushed against hers. Though they were both gloved, her imagination threatened to run away with itself from the slight contact—had he intended to touch her?

“Mrs. Lloyd-Jones’s blend is excellent.” Lydia mentally chastised herself for the inane comment. Lockwood likely didn’t give a fig about tea!

Lord Lockwood’s gaze was intent, and when it was combined with that ferocious scar, he looked utterly imposing, like some warrior of old. Thankfully, he shifted his heady regard to their hostess. “I must apologize that it’s taken me so long to accept your kind invitation.”

“Not at all, my dear. Though, forgive me for saying, your presence is most remarkable,” Mrs. Lloyd-Jones said.

Miss Vining gasped again, and Lydia didn’t suppose it was due to the footman who was cleaning up the mess of her broken teacup. Mrs. Lloyd-Jones threw her sister an exasperated glance. “Bridget, pull yourself together. We’re being visited by Lord Lockwood, not Lucifer.”

Lord Lockwood cradled his teacup in his massive hands, making him seem even more masculine, if that were possible. “I’m certain there are those—perhaps even in this room—who would argue there is no distinction.” He lowered his voice and gave Mrs. Lloyd-Jones and Lydia a provocative stare. “And I wouldn’t blame them.”

You can read another scene (from chapter one) here.

Contest time! In the comments, do tell us what research rathole you recently fell down. Or if research isn’t your thing, what other rathole dragged you away from what you should have been doing—perhaps a Netflix marathon that kept you up for three days or a book binge that devoured an entire weekend. One lucky commenter will win a copy of one of my backlist novels in either ebook or paperback. Choose from Her Wicked Ways, His Wicked Heart, or To Seduce a Scoundrel (only US and Canadian residents may choose paperback). Plus, I’ll throw in an ebook copy of book four, a novella, To Love a Thief, which features a former constable who definitely keeps his old tipstave of office in a safe place!

Darcy Burke wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. An RWA Golden Heart^® Finalist, Darcy lives on the edge of Oregon wine country with her devoted husband, their two great kids, and three cats. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. She’s also a fair-weather runner, and her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com, follow her on Twitter, or like her Facebook page.

Never Love a Scoundrel is available at:

Kindle | Nook | iTunes | Kobo | All Romance eBooks | Smashwords | Amazon UK

I am excited to present to you fellow Avon Author Elizabeth Boyle today, who is visiting the Dashing Duchesses today!  Elizabeth is RITA-winning author who has penned twenty adventurous and romantic novels, with seventeen of them hitting bestseller lists. That might make her a Grand Duchess… and means we might want to offer her more than tea! Without further ado, I give you the fabulous Lady Boyle.

Everyone always asks, where do you get your ideas. Well . . . I get ideas in all sorts of ways—sometimes it is an item in the newspaper, other times it might be a pair of teens gossipy about their “BFF”, and for my new book, AND THE MISS RAN AWAY WITH THE RAKE, the idea for my correspondence match up came from two places: an article in the Jane Austen magazine about matchmaking advertisements at the time, and one of my favorite movies, Shop Around the Corner (and my less favorite remake, You’ve Got Mail).

I had just read the matchmaking article as I was beginning to write the first book in the series, ALONG CAME A DUKE. When I saw this actual advertisement from Regency times, I died—the very notion of a gentleman advertising for someone to find him a Lady of Fortune was hilarious, and wanted to work something akin to this into the story—using it eventually as a joke of sorts.

But that joke, the hero placing a matchmaking advertisement in the paper for his staid and proper uncle, Lord Henry Seldon, just kept prodding the idea hopper. What if someone actually answered such an ad? What if LOTS of women responded to his ad? What would poor Henry do with baskets and baskets of perfumed letters? The idea was just too much fun, too delicious to pass up and thus starts my latest book, AND THE MISS RAN AWAY WITH THE RAKE.

In actuality, placing ads was one way for lonely hearts to find a mate during the Regency time period, just as people go online now. And just like now, there were cautions about meeting a potential suitor that way. Several women responded to such ads and were never seen or heard from again, or arrived to find their future husband already had a wife.. . or two already.

So I have to ask—has anyone used online dating or answered a personal ad? What happened? And did you find your rake, as Miss Daphne Dale did?

Elizabeth Boyle is the author of 20 historical romances and an avid fan of all things Regency, especially quirky little bits of history like matchmaking via the newspaper. You can find a list of Elizabeth’s books at her website (http://www.elizabethboyle.com) or LIKE her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElizabethBoyle) or follow her on Twitter(https://twitter.com/ElizBoyle) , where she waxes poetic and snarky, depending on her mood.

I love writing romance with an added bit of swashbuckling and adventure. Give this girl a pirate, a smuggler, or a spy any day. After all, who doesn’t love a bad boy? And I always gift my bad boys with equally feisty heroines. This means I end up arming my feisty heroines…which leads me to the fun research: historical weaponry!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a weapons expert. I’m not even halfway knowledgeable.  I have never touched or fired a present-day gun, let alone anything historical. Nor have I handled any kind of knife beyond a butter knife. But I have researched weapons for my heroines, which I’m going to share with you today. Mostly because I thought they were so neat I couldn’t help myself. Still, in the scheme of things, this is only a very basic primer on a few interesting weapons. If you want more information, there are many, many experts and enthusiasts that would gladly share their knowledge.

So. Without further do,  the weapons. It is quite difficult to conceal a weapon if you are an 18th or 19th century society lady. A lady doesn’t run around London with a huge pistol in her reticule such as this 9 inch pistol circa 1800. It wouldn’t fit. And a 9 inch pistol does not accessorize well.

What does a girl do? Invest in a pocket pistol, so called because it could fit in a great-coat pocket (which is not useful for my heroine unless she intends to rely on the hero–which of course, she does not). It will also fit inside a ladies’ muff (which is quite useful for my heroines, assuming it’s winter when the book takes place).  The size of a pocket pistol varies. Here are a set of pistols circa 1800 that are about 7.5 inches long.

Here is a French pocket pistol that is 5.75  inches long. The handle is a carved bird, which is both interesting and disturbing. Look at the wonderful details in these pictures!

Flintlock pocket pistols, by Nicolas Noel Boutet, Versailles, c. 1805, ebony grips, engraved steel barrels – Royal Ontario Museum
Wikipedia Commons – Photograph by Daderot

My favorite, the pistol set to the left is only 4.5 inches long–very easy to conceal!

Of course, in the late Regency, my heroine would most likely carry a flintlock pistol, though percussion pistols were beginning to be available around 1820.  Thus, many of the caveats of flintlock pistols apply. They don’t fire in rain or damp weather as the powder will be too wet. Also, they frequently misfire. This is bad. One wouldn’t want to accidentally shoot an eligible bachelor while dancing!

But what about knives? Less chance of misfire and still concealable, so perhaps this would be an ideal weapon for my heroines. Knives can be made to any length and any size, and their shapes change based upon their purpose. The stiletto, for example, which is long and slim with a sharp point is meant for thrusting. At the risk of being too blood-thirsty, a stiletto is meant to pierce deeply, not to have sharp edges for cutting. (Ick.) It dates back to the late 1400’s in Italy.

Stiletto – Wikipedia Commons
Released by photographer Jerryk50 into public domain

And last but not least, a bodice is another place to hide a knife. Though I imagine it would be a bit uncomfortable (and sharp!) if you move just wrong. Still, there were such things as bodice daggers in the Medieval times, when both men and women regularly carried daggers for eating and self-defense.

And now we are coming to my very favorite knife. The salvavirago. A Spanish knife which is also called a “chastity knife.” Guess who gets to use this knife? Yep. Feisty heroines. I couldn’t find a lot of information on this knife beyond that Andalusian women carried it in their garters or bodice. It was smaller form of the navaja, which was a larger Spanish folding knife. Here is a picture of a navaja knife fight, and here is a picture of a salvavirago.

I don’t think hiding a knife in a bodice would work quite as well in the Regency as in earlier times, however, when the bodices were so short! But I’m betting an ingenious female spy might figure out a way to make that work!

Alyssa Alexander writes historical romantic suspense about spies and smugglers and nefarious villains. She avoids even the dullest of kitchen knives. Watch for her debut release The Smuggler Wore Silk coming from Berkley in early 2014.

My debut book, Seducing Charlotte, is set more than 200 years ago, but one of its key themes—conflict and disenfranchisement due to the rapid advance of technology—remains relevant today.

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While we worry about the video games our children play, or the strangers they might meet during their forays into the virtual world, most of us have come to embrace the smart phones, electronic tablets and social media that have invaded our lives in the last few years.

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Those who resist getting caught up in this technological onslaught might be called Luddites. Read the rest of this entry »

“Alle shalle be wele, alle shalle be wele, and alle maner of thynge shalle be wele.”

To remind the world how much He loves His children, God gave these words of hope to the Christian mystic Julian of Norwich (ca. 1343-1416) during a series of ecstatic visions.

Julian of Norwich. Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons.

A contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland, Julian of Norwich wrote about these visions in a timeless and passionate way. The result,  A Revelation of Divine Love, became the first book written by a woman in the English language. Ever.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Problem with Seduction

I am so, so incredibly excited to be able to say that THE PROBLEM WITH SEDUCTION is finally available! SEDUCTION is my favorite of all of my books so far, and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world. Go on and grab yours; I’ll wait.

Back? This all started with THE TROUBLE WITH BEING WICKED, my debut novel released last December. Two of my favorite books of all time are Mary Balogh’s MORE THAN A MISTRESS and NO MAN’S MISTRESS. I loooooved the idea of a virgin hero falling in love with an ex-courtesan. WICKED pairs a hero who is not a rake (although he’s also not a virgin) with a woman who isn’t currently a courtesan (although she hasn’t entirely given up the craft). I spent months researching courtesans before I wrote WICKED, and after investing all of that time and brain space, I figured I would carry on the series by writing about another courtesan in the follow up novel. Read the rest of this entry »

Never in my wildest dreams had it occurred to me that I would one day live in Budapest. Little old me, a girl from Minnesota, living in Hungary? A former Communist country? Eastern Europe?

What a remarkable and beautiful city Budapest is. What fascinating history. I have fallen in love with it all. It just so happens that my favorite royal fell in love with this country as well. The Empress learned the language, considered to be the second most difficult language in the world, and was so loved by the Hungarians, she became a historical icon. They built a summer palace for her just outside Budapest. One can find any number of statues bearing her likeness throughout the city, and one of the bridges crossing the Danube that connects Buda to Pest is named after her.

  Read the rest of this entry »

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an heiress in possession of enormous tracts of land must be in want of a husband. Or at least that was the universal truth during the high middle ages—to the point where such an heiress risked being abducted and forced to marry her captor so he could gain control of her property.

At the age of fifteen, Eleanor of Aquitaine became just such an heiress when her father died suddenly, leaving her in possession of a territory nearly 1/3 the size of modern France. But like his daughter, William X Duke of Aquitaine was  intelligent and left a provision in his will to ensure Eleanor wouldn’t fall prey to the first kidnapper who came along.

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I think all good Historical tid-bit posts start with, ‘did you know…?’, so forget this first sentence and let me properly begin:

Did you know that in the Regency period there were all sorts of cosmetics and the author of The Mirror of Graces, who was known rather dashingly as ‘A Lady of Distinction’, compiled a list of helpful recipes for various beauty preparations?

Well, now you do, so let me tell you more! Some of these preparations I find hilarious and some rather clever.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, the Dashing Duchesses are pleased to welcome Regency author (and attorney) Ella Quinn.  Ella has agreed to share with us some fascinating tidbits about estate law, Regency style. So, pull up a leather chair in the study, dears, and let’s learn about the law.

During the Regency period, the Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753 was in effect. The purpose of the Act was to regularize all aspects of marriage and the ending of a marriage. The Act itself was not very specific about many matters except that it had to be performed by clergy of the Anglican Church. The Church rules were specific as to marriages.

There were three ways to marry: reading the banns, buying a license, and elopement.

Read the rest of this entry »