My least favourite of my own stories

Even the Author has favourites among her own stories. 

 All the characters who appear in my Regency Tales are real people to me, especially as they tend to embody memories, attitudes or events from my own life.

Each story is a pleasure to create but at some point the characters take over and develop the plot according to their own wishes. The setting also imposes certain conditions. I'm fond of all my fictional families but some of their stories please me more than others.

                                                                In All Honour

My least favourite is my second story, In All Honour ......but only because I wrote it in a hurry .......and most of the characters are sick, injured or poisoned.  One other reason is that the villain turns out to be a really vile fellow. He gets worse as the story goes on.

The tale - unsurprisingly - takes place in Bath. 

The Pump Rooms, Bath [Image courtesy of Colin Smith via Wikipedia]

Greg Thatcham the hero, starts off with his arm in a sling due to a bullet wound sustained in the Battle of Salamanca. Coming home because his older brother has died in a riding accident, Greg finds his father Sir Thomas, in very low spirits, so the two of them go to take the cure in Bath.

Richard, the youngest brother arrives in Bath with dispatches from the Ministry. In no time, he gets poisoned and poor Sir Thomas is frantic.

Sarah and her friend from schooldays Lizzie, manage to stay in better health but Lizzie must look after her Uncle Charlie, suffering from gout. Uncle Charlie [General Gardiner] thinks he's looking after her. 

Sarah and Lizzie make friends with youthful debutante Lavinia Keating and her brother John, who falls for Sarah, but in vain. That makes him another invalid if we count heartsick as a malady. 

Throughout the tale Greg suffers accidents, from being pushed under a fast-moving carriage to having the wheel on his curricle damaged. 

Everyone is under some kind of threat from the Nasty Villain Lord Percival. In addition to his dark deeds he means to have Sarah by hook or by crook. He nearly manages it and against all the rules of the independent heroine, Sarah does have to be rescued. Even an independent heroine could not survive a leap from the second floor of a house in The Circus onto stone paving.

Happily, all the invalids recover by the end of the tale.

It makes me proud that some readers consider Greg to be a worthy book boyfriend.

Also there has been praise for the setting as readers enjoy the different aspects of life in Bath.

What about the two troubled sisters?

 'Here they are, mother, Miss Hartford and Miss Sophia Hartford.' 

says Joachim as he presents the visitors to his mother [and he thinks 'I really wish they weren't here.'] 

Actually, Nell and Sophie really don't want to be there either, but having been cast out of their home in Paris they have nowhere else to go. 

Why are the sisters troubled?

They lost their brother, Captain Alex Hartford from his wounds at the battle of Waterloo. Not long after that their mother died. 

Their father, Colonel Robert Hartford thinks only of his own advancement. An aide to the Duke of Wellington, he is organising the disbanding of the Army of Occupation in Paris in 1818.[1]

In June 1817 he remarries in hopes of having another son. 

Very soon Nell sinks into a depressed state and Sophie becomes so wild, their new stepmother casts them out.

Pedestrian curricle [vélocipède] race in Paris 1817
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

Life in Paris is full of variety, fashion, entertainments and endless dances with crowds of English, Austrian and Russian soldiers. Exactly what Sophie enjoys.

Bal Bullier, an open air dance setting at Montparnasse, established in 1787. [Picture courtesy of Les Montparnos Blog]

Going from Paris to the Pyrenees is a huge shock. What ? Life in a country chateau surrounded by lakes and mountains? No dances and no soldiers to admire her? Bor-ing!

Sophie creates havoc before she has been there 24 hours, driving Joachim into such a rage he's certain flames are coming out of his ears. After ten days he realises that Nell has not smiled once since arriving. It seems life is going to be difficult for all concerned. 

Joachim's comrade Bertrand remarks: 'My friend, I don’t envy you being saddled with that pair for months. I couldn’t put up with either of them for a week, even.’

Can life with the slightly exotic Montailhac family help the sisters make a fresh start? 

Can Joachim find anything to like in either of them? 

            His wise mother uses kindness to bring about change. 

[c] Beth Elliott

[1] The Army of Occupation by the four Allies - England, Austria, Prussia and Russia - under the Duke of Wellington, guaranteed peace in France for three years, and was disbanded at the end of 1818.

What about the youngest brother?

 There are three brothers in the Montailhac family.

Henri, the diplomat and Arnaut, the businessman, horse breeder and charming Rake have both experienced their own - very different - adventures. Their two sisters are happily settled. 

That leaves Joachim, the youngest.   

                      This year, both his brothers are away and so for the first time, he is solely responsible for managing the family estate and livestock. Athletic and hard-working, he is keen to prove himself worthy of the responsibility. Living in a remote and mountainous region, guarding the various flocks of sheep, cows and horses against attacks by bears, wolves and other predators is a part of the job.

   

Joachim is determined to prove he can do as well if not better than his brothers. But life throws up complications when his mother takes in two sisters with a troubled background.  

The first problem is that they arrive very late in Toulouse. where Joachim is waiting to escort them back to the chateau. Losing a day from his work is bad enough but as for the girls.... after a couple of hours in their company, Joachim thinks : -

   " Really, mother, inviting this pair was one big mistake. We aren’t home yet and already I can’t wait for them to leave. One is sullen and the other a desperate flirt. And as for the quarrelling...! "

Not a good start to their acquaintance, and there is a lot worse to follow. 
At this point, Joachim would prefer to deal with the wolves and the bears.

But maybe matters will improve.

                      

Lac de Campauleil, Vallée d'Orlu.

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Enjoy a fast-paced adventure with Arnaut and Louise, a totally mismatched pair of messengers, racing between England and France, dodging blades and bullets as they attempt to carry out a vital quest to save France.

Arnaut is a charming rake but with Napoleon's vengeful agents never more than one step behind, how can he make time for love?

The Rake and His Honour

Hartwell House, where Louis XVIII lived in exile

Delicate Huguenot silverware

Zephyre, Arnaut's prized Akhal-Teke stallion

First meeting

                         It all starts badly. 

Riding on a vital mission through the Pyrenees, Louise is pursued by Napoleon's agents. A mighty thunderstorm makes matters worse. Then, when she seeks shelter in a cavern, it seems that is the worst choice she could make. 

She was shivering more violently than ever as he reached them and held his lantern aloft, training it first on Joseph and then on her. She forced herself to sit straight, and stared into a dark, angry face with gleaming eyes that seemed to see through her disguise.

 Joseph said something in the local dialect. Louise made out only a few words, just enough to know that Joseph had not revealed she was a woman. He had merely asked for shelter. The man held the lantern closer. His almond eyes were suspicious.

 ‘How am I to know you're not a spy?’ he growled. At least he spoke French, not this dialect she could scarcely follow.

 A surge of dislike rushed through her at his hostility. ‘I am on an urgent mission,’ she croaked, through chattering teeth. ‘I must get to my rendezvous quickly. But someone is pursuing me and I need to escape them. If you are unwilling to give us shelter from this storm, we'll leave now before night falls.’ She tugged at her horse’s bridle but to her dismay, she swayed and nearly toppled from the saddle. The man looked more closely.

 ‘You’re just a boy,’ he exclaimed, putting a hand on her horse’s nose. The beast immediately stilled. ‘Very well. Get down. You can strip off and dry.’

 Oh heavens! He would discover her secret; and as she thought again of that woman’s moans, she feared he was not to be trusted. But Joseph had already dismounted and was holding her bridle. The flash of rage had faded, leaving her head spinning with fatigue. She slid off the horse and her knees buckled. The stranger caught hold of her.

 ‘Not a seasoned adventurer, are you?’ He laughed and slid an arm round her ribs to steady her. She felt his hand jerk as it encountered her breast.  Awareness snaked through her as he brought his head close, examining her face keenly.
 ‘No, leave me,’ she protested, ‘I can manage.’ Panicked, she pulled away but staggered and sank to her knees with a little sob. Immediately his strong arms were hauling her up. Then everything blurred. 

The book is available here :   https://tinyurl.com/zlwnczj

and it will be on free offer between 14th - 18th March

Louise's cavern in the Pyrenees. She was so glad to get out of it !!

Turkish Delights and Gallic Fights

HOME | NEWS | BOOKS | ABOUT US TURKISH DELIGHTS AND GALLIC FIGHTS...ALL AT A HEART-STOPPINGLY LOW PRICE When they met in London in 1799, Rose Charteris and Tom Hawkesleigh fell instantly in love. But disapproving families and misunderstandings came between them, and the romance was over as quickly as it started. Five years later, Tom is working for the Turkish ambassador in Constantinople and he runs into Rose once again...will she succumb to her desires and give Tom back her heart? Get your copy here 1813. Napoleon is on the rampage through France. Louise Fauriel comes from a family of talented silversmiths. Using their art shop as a front, the family run messages between the Comte d’Artois and his brother, King Louis. But Napoleon’s Secret Police are patrolling the area, searching for any signs of a revolt and keen to intercept any messages that could harm their campaign... Get your copy here

Turkey, 1811. Olivia Hartford falls in love with the magical land of Turkey and meets a number of interesting people, like Lady Hester Stanhope, niece of the prime minister of England, and intrepid world traveller. And then there is the handsome Selim, cousin to the Sultan. Is Olivia destined to live a life of solitude and regret? Or will her past stay buried long enough for her to have her happy ending?  Get your copy here

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                           April and May
                                                                                                                                     

When they met in London in 1799, Rose Charteris and Tom Hawkesleigh fell instantly in love. 
But disapproving families and misunderstandings came between them, and the romance was over as quickly as it started. 
Five years later, Tom is working for a powerful minister in Constantinople and he runs into Rose once again when they cross paths in the ambassador’s residence. 

Now a widow, and a fiercely independent woman, circumstances mean that Rose has no choice but to work with Tom on a top secret and dangerous document for the Sultan. 
Work in Constantinople becomes increasingly perilous, with spies from all sides desperate to find out what is planned. 

Even back in London, danger is not far away. 
Rose also has the burden of finding her place in high Georgian society, as well as trying to decide between the increasing charms of both Tom and ambassador Kerim Pasha. 

Will Rose be able to evade the increasing threat to her well-being that her work has led to? 
And will she succumb to her desires and give Tom back her heart? 

Spanning the magical lands of Constantinople and the traditional streets of London, April and May is a heart-warming tale of a love that knows no boundaries. 

Nicola Cornick ‏@NicolaCornick  Oct 23

Thoroughly enjoyed reading April and May by @BethElliott today. A delightful Regency romance with a vivid and unusual setting.

Looking across the Golden Horn from Pera.

                       



Tom's curricle, when he returns to London.

                                                

The Rosetta Stone

Yes, these all belong in the story...........