A
servant working in a Georgian, Regency or Victorian household – the
time periods in which my books are set – was very much at the mercy
of her employer. These were the days before unions, Occupational
Health and Safety, or income protection insurance mitigated against
the ill fortune of being injured, or taken advantage of by a harsh
mistress, or a young man with a roving eye.
The
mistress of the household was often the arbiter of a servant’s
future.
Many
of my romances follow the lives of the young ladies in high society
but in my latest story, The Duchess
and the
Highwayman, my heroine, Phoebe, pretends to be
a servant after she’s wrongfully accused of murder. As a duchess,
in satin and lace, with an educated voice and bearing, she’d be
recognised instantly. However, in order to exist below the radar of
the local magistrate whose advances she’s recently rejected, she
believes her chances of survival are greater by disappearing into the
great unwashed – a servant below notice.
For
a long time she succeeds, but only through luck and the kindness of
the ‘highwayman’ who rescues her from her vengeance-filled lover
who’s just framed her for her husband’s murder.
Luck
certainly had a role in the happiness of a servant’s life. For most
servants, survival depended on their obedience and almost complete
subjugation to the wishes of their employers in return for a roof
over their heads, food and small wages.
Their
‘character’ or reputation was crucial to securing work and many a
girl cast out from a secure job without a ‘character’ ended up on
the streets, unable to secure more work because their previous
employer refused to vouch for her.
Recently,
I
came
upon
a
gem
of
a
book
discovered
in
a
pile
once
belonging
to
my
grandmother
who
was
born
in
1903.
Titled
The
Complete
Letter
Writer
for
Ladies
and
Gentlemen,
the
book,
published
in
1908,
offers
a
raft
of
letters
designed
to
be
used
as
templates
for
prospective
employers,
lovers
writing
to
upbraid
a
flirtatious
fiancée
or
to
break
off
an
engagement.
Below
are two examples of suggested wording offered by this indispensible
companion to any mistress of a household eager to ensure that her
little “below stairs” dominion was augmented by a girl of good
character.
Here’s
the
‘character’
a
servant
would
hope
her
prospective
employer
would
receive
with
all
her
questions
answered
in
the
affirmative.
Mrs.
A
will
feel
much
obliged
if
Mrs.
B.
will
kindly
give
her
the
character
of
Mary
Jones,
who
has
applied
to
Mrs.
A
for
the
situation
of
housemaid.
Mrs.
A.
will
be
glad
to
know
if
Mary
Jones
is
honest
and
respectable;
clean
in
her
work
and
person,
and
likely
to
suit.
Is
she
good-tempered
and
obliging
and
tidy
in
her
work?
If
Mrs.
B.
will
kindly
answer
these
questions
and
reply
fully
in
confidence
Mrs.
A
will
feel
greatly
indebted
to
her.
LAUREL
VILLA, ESSEX ROAD, N.,
But
woe
betide
the
fate
of
the
poor,
high-spirited
girl
referred
to
in
the
following
letter:
Dear
Madam,
My
answer
to
your
note
as
to
Mary
Gray
must,
I
am
sorry
to
have
to
say
it,
be
unfavourable.
I
was
upon
the
point
of
dismissing
her
when
your
note
arrived,
as
I
consider
her
quite
an
unfit
person
to
be
left
alone
in
the
house.
She
is
excessively
indolent
and
very
fond
of
a
class
of
company
that
a
girl
ought
not
to
see.
Believe
me,
Madam.
Yours
Sincerely,
BARBARA
ALDWIN
The book
is a real glimpse into the past and filled with gems.
I
am giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate and an ebook The
Mysterious Governess.
to randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Please
use the RaffleCopter below to enter. Remember you may increase your
chances of winning by visiting the other tour stops. You may find
those locations here.
Blurb
A
duchess disguised as a lady’s maid; a gentleman parading as a
highwayman.
She’s
on the run from a murderer, he’s in pursuit of one…
In
a remote Norfolk manor, Phoebe, Lady Cavanaugh is wrongfully accused
by her servants of her brutal husband’s murder.
There’s
little sympathy in the district for the duchess who’s taken a lover
and made clear she despised her husband. The local magistrate has
also vowed revenge since Lady Cavanaugh rebuffed his advances.
When
Phoebe is discovered in the forest wearing only a chemise stained
with the blood of her murdered husband, she persuades the noble
‘highwayman’ who rescues her that she is Lady Cavanaugh’s
maidservant.
Hugh
Redding has his own reasons for hunting down the man who would have
Phoebe tried and hanged for murder. He plans to turn ‘the
maidservant with aspirations above her station' into the 'lady' who
might testify against the very villain who would see Phoebe dead.
But
despite the fierce attraction between Phoebe and the 'highwayman',
Phoebe is not in a position to admit she's the 'murderous duchess'
hunted across the land.
Seizing
an opportunity to strike at the social and financial standing of the
man who has profited by her distress, Phoebe is drawn into a
dangerous intrigue.
But
when disaster strikes, she fears Hugh will lack the sympathy or
understanding of her unusual predicament to even want to save her a
second time.
Buy
Links
Excerpt
Hugh
stared after her and when he’d regained his senses he found he was
unconsciously touching his mouth with the fingertips of his right
hand.
Damn,
but she’d taken him by surprise with that kiss of hers. Even still
his lips were burning.
At
the window he gripped the sill and stared down the modest drive that
led from the cottage to the road.
She’d
asked him what he’d hoped to achieve by accosting Wentworth at
pistol point. Honour for his sister. Yes, it had been rash but he’d
been in his cups when he’d come up with the plan to prove to Ada
that not all men were smooth-talking confidence tricksters who led
vulnerable women down the road to ruin.
There
was also the small chance of exacting some retribution from the man.
A marriage proposal had been his ultimate aim though when he’d
confidently told Ada he’d ensure Wentworth did the honourable thing
she’d burst into tears and said she’d not marry him if he were
the last man on God’s earth.
Well,
Hugh didn’t much fancy Wentworth for a brother-in-law either but he
did love his sister exceedingly and surely marriage was better than
ruin or the convent, as Ada had at one stage desired.
And
contrary to what Phoebe believed, Ada and he had grown up without a
mother and Hugh had had a more than usual guiding influence on his
young sibling which was why’d felt Ada’s failure was somehow his.
He
fingered the scar on his wrist, sustained during a childhood show of
chivalry on behalf of his sister’s honour. Phoebe’s talk of just
now had unleashed a veritable storm of emotions. Surprisingly, her
talk about exacting retribution in the form of depriving Wentworth of
what he most wanted kept replaying itself in his head.
She’d
sounded so confident but what could a maidservant know about exacting
retribution from a man like Wentworth? Who was she really? A village
child born in some humble hovel? Her beauty had no doubt opened a
number of doors. Could she have had a noble protector who’d left
her to slide back into servitude? Is that where she’d learned to
speak and act like a lady?
He
touched his finger to his lips once more. Ha, that precious innocence
of hers for which she’d not barter a dress was a tall tale. Only a
woman experienced in the ways of men would have been so bold as to
plant a kiss like the one she’d given him. A woman used to being
paraded and feted by a gentleman.
Perhaps,
as she claimed, she could be useful to him.
But
she’d need a little coaching. He couldn’t afford for her to
embarrass them both by proving her low birth during an unguarded
moment.
He
smoothed back his hair and regulated his breathing. Yes, he would
take Phoebe in hand and teach her how to be a lady.
Then
he’d make her his mistress and she could have all the gowns she
chose, within reason.
About
the Author
Beverley
Oakley was seventeen when she bundled up her first her 500+ page
romance and sent it to a publisher. Unfortunately drowning her
heroine on the last page was apparently not in line with the
expectations of romance readers so Beverley became a journalist.
Twenty-six
years later Beverley was delighted to receive her first publishing
contract from Robert Hale (UK) for a romance in which she ensured her
heroine was saved from drowning in the icy North Sea.
Since
2009 Beverley has written more than thirteen historical romances,
mostly set in England during the early nineteenth century. Mystery,
intrigue and adventure spill from their pages and if she can pull off
a thrilling race to save someone’s honour – or a worthy damsel
from the noose – it’s time to celebrate with a good single malt
Scotch.
Beverley
lives with her husband, two daughters and a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy
the size of a pony opposite a picturesque nineteenth century lunatic
asylum. She also writes Africa-set adventure-filled romances starring
handsome bush pilot heroes, and historical romances with less steam
and more sexual tension, as Beverley Eikli.
You
can get in contact with Beverley at:
5 comments:
Hello, Beverley,
A warm welcome to Beyond Romance! This sounds like a clever premise - a duchess masquerading as a servant, and a hero who's trying to groom the so-called servant to be a lady!
Good luck with the book.
Thank you for the wonderful excerpt. I'm so happy to be introduced to a new author. I've never read a Beverley Oakley book but have now added The Dutchess and The Highwayman to my want to buy list.
Thank you so much for the great contest.
This book sounds like the kind I enjoy reading. Thanks for the info about it.
I have added it to my TBR list.
jwisley(at)aol(dot)com
What a great Guest Post! Thank you so much for sharing The Duchess and the Highwayman :)
Thank you so much, Lisabet, orelukjp0 and Joye, for taking the time to comment that you enjoyed the excerpt and premise. :)
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