Miss Fanshawe's Fortune: Clean and Sweet Regency Romance (The Brides of Mayfair Book 2)
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fustian!: “Nonsense!” “Don’t be absurd!”
G
gaming: Gambling. Nothing to do with ‘game’ in the sense of hunting, or innocent playing of games.
gig: A one-horse carriage. Light, two-wheeled, and popular in the early century.
groom: The servant who looked after the horses.
Grosvenor Square: (pronounced “Grove-nuh”) A part of Mayfair, considered the most fashionable square in London. Mr. Mornay’s town house is in the Square.
H
hack: A hack was a general purpose riding horse, but the term might also refer to a “Hackney Coach” which was a coach-for-hire like a taxicab today.
have a pet: a tirade; a burst of temper .(to “freak out” in today's lingo.)
L
Ladies’ Mile: A (horseback) riding road in Hyde Park for women.
lady’s maid: The servant who cared for her mistress’s wardrobe and grooming. A French lady’s maid was preferred, and she was particularly valued if she could do hair in all the fashionable styles. A lady’smaid was an “upper servant,” and could not be fired by the housekeeper; she might also be better educated than the lower servants.
lorgnette: Used by ladies, the lorgnette was eyeglasses (or a monocle), held to the eyes with a long handle, or could be worn on a chain around the neck. The monocle used by a man was called a “quizzing glass.”
laudanum: A mixture of opium in a solution of alcohol, it was used for pain relief and as an anesthetic.
livery: A distinctive uniform worn by the male servants in a household. No two liveries, ideally, were exactly alike. Knowing the colour of the livery of someone could enable you to spot their carriage in a crowd. The uniform itself was an old-fashioned style, including such things as a frock coat, knee breeches, powdered wigs, and a waistcoat.
M
mama: Always pronounced by the upper-class with the accent on the second syllable.
Mayfair: The ritziest residential area of London, in the West End, and only about a half mile square in size.
mews, the: Any lane or open area where a group of stables was situated. The townhouses of the rich often had a mews behind them, or close by, where they kept their horses and equipages when not in use.
modiste: (French) seamstress.
muslin: One of the finest cottons, muslin was semi-transparent and very popular for gowns; (beneath which a chemise would be worn).
O
on-dit: (French; literally, “It is said.”) During the Regency it was slang for a bit of gossip.
P
Pall Mall: A fancy street in the West End of London, notable for housing some of the most fashionable men’sclubs. Carlton House faced Pall Mall.
pantaloons: Tight-fitting pants that were worn, beginning in the early 1800s, and which pushed breeches out of fashion except forformal occasions. They had a “stirrup” at the bottom to keep them in place.
parlour: The formal or best room in a modest home. Grand houses often had more than one; a “first” or “best,” and a “second parlour.”
peer: A nobleman, that is, a titled gentleman with the rank of either duke, marquis, (mar-kwiss), viscount (vy-count) or baron. The titles were hereditary, and the owners were entitled to a seat in the House of Lords.
pelisse: An outdoor garment for women, reaching to the ankle or mid-calf; and often hooded.
pianoforte: The piano. Genteel young women were practically required to learn the instrument.
pin money: A colloquialism for a woman’s spending money. The allowance agreed upon in her marriage settlement, to be used on small household or personal (vanity) items.
R
regent: A person who reigns on behalf of a monarch who is incapable of filling the requirements of the crown. When George III’s relapse of porphyria (most scholars agree this was his malady) rendered him incapable of meeting his duties, his son, the Prince of Wales, became the Prince Regent. The actual regency lasted from 1811-1820.
reticule: A fabric bag, gathered at the top and held by a ribbon or strap; a ladyʼs purse. Reticules became necessary when the thin muslin dresses of the day made it impossible to carry any personal effects in a pocket without it seeming bulky or unsightly. The earliest reticules (apparently called ‘ridicules,’ as it seemed ridiculous to carry oneʼs valuables outside of one’s clothing) were, in effect, outside pockets.
rubber: In games like whist, a rubber was a set of three or more games. To win the rubber, one had to win two out of three or three out of five.
S
season: The London social season, in which the fashionable elite descended upon the city in droves. It coincided, not unnaturally, with the sitting of Parliament, though the height of the season was only March through June.
smelling salts (smelling bottle): A small vial filled with a compound that usually contained ammonia, to be used in case of fainting.
spencer: For women, a short jacket that reached only to the high “empire” waist. For men, an overcoat without tails, also on the short side.
squire: 19th century term of courtesy (like “esquire”) for a member of the landed gentry.
T
tendre: (French adj. soft, tender;) Regency slang for “a soft spot”; an attraction to.
ton, the: (pronounced ‘tawn’) High society; the elite; the “in” crowd; Those of rank, with royalty at the top. To be “good ton” meant acceptance with the upper crust, and opened most any door in fashionable society. Occasionally, those without fortune or pedigree could enter the ton—if they were an Original, for instance, having something either sensational or highly attractive about their person or reputation; or could amuse or entertain the rich to a high degree.
V
valet: The “gentlemanʼs gentle- man.” The male equivalent of a lady’s maid, his job was to keep the wardrobe in good repair and order, help dressing his master, stand behind him at dinner if required, and accompany him on his travels.
Vauxhall: A famous pleasure garden, across the Thames from London, especially popular in the Georgian era.
W
wainscoting: Wainscot was a fancy, imported oak. The term ‘wainscoting’ came to mean any wooden panels that lined generally the top or bottom half of the walls in a room.
waistcoat: Vest.
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Book Three: The Country House Courtship
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