But Bristol lent a dimension to this book that it would not have had in the abstract.
The Bristol Riots that Old Blazer describes in 1831 were the result of a large number of disenfranchised citizens who became very angry when a bill that would have increased the number of eligible voters was scotched in Parliament. The result of the riots, and similar unrest throughout Britain, was a series of changes affecting Britain’s government from the local to the national level. The Reform Bill passed Parliament the next year. Increased scrutiny into Bristol’s governance over the next years yielded some embarrassing results. For a lengthier account, including some indications that Bristol’s ruling class had been embezzling from charitable institutions prior to reform, Graham Bush’s Bristol and its Municipal Government is excellent.
Parliament passed the Municipal Corporations Act, which was supposed to be a major reform. In truth, however, many of the same people who had been running the show before were simply put in charge once more. The result was a ruling class who cared a great deal about the few enfranchised voters (still not a large proportion of the population) and not at all about the working poor.
At the beginning of this book, Miranda notes that in the years before Smite sat as magistrate, only one person had been found innocent in the petty sessions. I know this sounds unbelievable, but it’s exactly what I discovered when I visited the Bristol Records Office and examined the notes from the petty sessions from that time period. I saw conviction after conviction after conviction. The only people who weren’t convicted were those who had some strong indicia of wealth—for instance, a person could afford to hire a lawyer, or who owned substantial property. In all the records I examined, I found precisely one person who was not convicted and who appeared to be poor. In that case, the court reporter was so sure of a conviction that he had actually written down that he was convicted before the verdict was handed down—and had to cross off the erroneous result and write in the acquittal.
But I did take a bit of a liberty with regard to other actions by magistrates. In Unraveled, the other magistrates essentially rubber-stamp police requests for warrants and the like. In reality, my trip to the records office suggests that the magistrates did exert at least a modicum of real oversight on these questions.
The ending is a bit of a fairytale, I’m afraid; I’d love to fantasize about a version of Bristol where the constables served the entire population, not just the wealthy and middle-class citizens as early as the 1840s. But history suggests that just wasn’t so. I prefer my version.
Richard Dalrymple, in the first handful of chapters, gets the 1840s version of a parking ticket. Those really did exist; you can find a picture of an early-Victorian parking ticket on my website.
The SS Great Britain was one of the first iron steamships constructed. It really was docked for months after its launch in the Floating Harbour because its hull was unable to fit through the locks. Eventually, the harbormaster agreed to enlarge the locks and, almost a year after it was officially launched, the Great Britain finally sailed. The Great Britain has been restored to its original condition; if you visit Bristol, you can (and should!) visit it.
I took a few liberties with regards to the interior of the Great Britain; I invented an interior for Temple Church and another for the Royal Western Hotel and the theater. There is no opera house in Bristol. I suppose an opera could have played in the theater. Since the theater wouldn’t have been officially opened in November, in this book it could have been hired out for a short space of time.
Astute readers with legal backgrounds might wonder about two elements of law in this book. The first is this: would it not be a violation of principles of double jeopardy for Smite to charge Billy Croggins with arson after he had already been charged with another offense based on the same underlying conduct? The answer is that in England in that era, double jeopardy didn’t attach to non-felonies, and it didn’t attach preconviction.
Readers might also wonder about Smite’s refusal to hear cases in which he had an interest. The concept of recusal existed at the time period, but the principles that Smite applies to himself are substantially more strict than the historical norm. Justices were supposed to act impartially, but the procedure by which that impartiality was procured is described, for instance, in George Oke’s The Magisterial Synopsis: “Cases also frequently arise to which…local circumstances…attach a fictitious or imaginary importance, which renders them fit to be discussed in the presence of several magistrates, in order that their administration of justice may not only be impartial, but beyond suspicion.” In other words, if there was the possibility of a suspected interest, the solution was typically to have many magistrates decide together, not to have one magistrate walk away. Blackstone is even clearer on the question: “The law will not suppose a possibility of bias or favor in a judge, who is already sworn to administer impartial justice.”
The modern, more familiar, American standard, which says that judges should avoid even the appearance of impropriety is significantly stricter.
Nonetheless, recusal was not an impossibility. A judge’s statement that he could not administer impartial justice in a case would have been given extraordinary weight. Smite’s principles are without a doubt a great deal nicer than the British historical norm—but his objection was grounded in the oath of office that he swore, and while it was out of the ordinary, it was not unheard of. It doesn’t surprise me that on this point, as in all others, Smite holds himself to a higher standard than those around him.
The Patron is, of course, my own invention.
Acknowledgments
For Unveiled: I HAD A LOT OF HELP writing this book.
The discussion about marriage I had with Tessa gave rise to the central premise of this book; Tessa, Amy and Leigh talked me through the basics one cold morning in Vail, and the Northwest Pixies brainstormed titles on a Friday night (Darcy Burke gets the credit).
This enhanced edition wouldn’t have been possible without Kristin Nelson, my wonderful agent, who negotiated a contract that allowed me to make this edition. I remain grateful to Margo Lipschultz at HQN Books, who pushed me to make this the best book I could. Rawles wrote the questions for the Q & A, and the amazing Tessa Dare helped out with the audio. Finally, Gwen Hayes, Heather Riccio, and Liz Pelletier at Entangled Publishing helped make distribution of this version possible. Thank you.
The Vanettes, the Pixies, Destination Debut and the Loop that Must Not Be Named—without any of you, I would have gone insane.
The lovely staff at Montacute House answered numerous strange and silly questions. Darren did his best to correct my execrable Latin. Franzeca Drouin, as always, went above and beyond the call of duty. Elyssa Patrick is still my favorite beta reader ever, and I rely on Kim Castillo for pretty much everything else.
Finally, I need to thank my husband for listening to me read parts aloud and not wincing, and my dog, for curling up patiently at my feet when I was too busy writing to take him to the dog park.
The cat gets no thanks. I still have scars.
For Unlocked: TESSA DARE, CAREY BALDWIN, AND LEIGH DENNIS heard about this novella from its inception and encouraged me to write it. Tessa listened to me whine on chat and threatened me with fairy wings. Carey, Leigh, Amanda Collins, and Elyssa Papa read early versions and provided feedback. Tessa, Kelly Gay, Susan Gee Heino, and Kris Kennedy read later versions and helped prevent complete meltdowns. Franzeca Drouin’s painstaking editing then saved me from myself.
Kristin Nelson, my agent, was helpful, brilliant, and supportive—which is not even slightly surprising to anyone who knows her. The agency staff—Anita Mumm and Lindsey Mergens—all helped me gather the information I needed to decide where to head with this.
Martha Trachtenberg was a godsend of a copy editor. My proofers caught a bunch of embarrassing mistakes: thank you to Lynn Funk, Anne Victory, Lisa Rusczyk Hazard, and Nicholas Ambrose. Nicholas served double-duty as an all-round Brit-picker—so double than
ks. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Guido Henkel and Nadia Lee for their meticulous formatting guides, which helped me produce a professional quality e-book.
And then there are the people that keep me sane—the Vanettes, the Peeners, the Pixies, and the Authors for Authors and Destination Debut loops—who helped write back cover copy and vet covers.
Finally, I know it’s the fad to dis traditional publishers, but I’ve never been one of the cool kids. I want to thank HQN Books and Margo Lipschultz, for all that they have done for me. I learned a great deal about how to produce a professional product by working with the entire team there. I would not be where I am today without them.
For Unclaimed: ONCE AGAIN, AN ARMY went into making this book as strong as it could be. Tessa, Amy and Leigh all helped with brainstorming. Kristin Nelson, my amazing agent, and the rest of the agency staff, Sara, Anita and Lindsay, smoothed the way on a thousand counts. My editor, Margo Lipschultz, tirelessly worked to make this the best book it could be, and didn’t flinch too much when I said the hero was a virgin. Thanks to Libby Sternberg, for copyediting above and beyond the call of duty. The team at Harlequin produced my favorite cover yet.
The Vanettes helped with cover copy. The Pixies, Destination Debut and the Loop that Must Not Be Named helped with sanity. Franzeca Drouin, as always, saved me more times than I could count. Elyssa Papa holds a special place in my heart for catching a mistake that would have been very embarrassing, and Kim Castillo made my life easy in a thousand other ways. And my husband didn’t complain (much) when I went to England without him.
This enhanced edition wouldn’t have been possible without Kristin Nelson, my wonderful agent, who negotiated a contract that allowed me to make this edition. I remain grateful to Margo Lipschultz at HQN Books, who pushed me to make this the best book I could.
Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to those who helped with the research for this book. Lorraine Pratten and Sue Wilson at Shepton Mallet’s Tourist Information and Heritage Centre answered numerous questions. I relied extensively on Fred Davies and Alan Stones’s accounts of historical Shepton Mallet, and would never have found Friar’s Oven without the walking guide from the Mendip Ramblers. Thanks!
For Unraveled: AS I WRITE THIS, the floor of the room where I am sitting is strewn several inches thick with the paper detritus from the last drafts of this book. I’m fairly certain that under some of those layers of paper, I will be able to find pens, clothing, and perhaps small cities.
I’d like to thank my husband for not complaining about this exciting archaeological feature over the dinners I didn’t cook, or while putting away the dishes I didn’t do, or while shelving the groceries I didn’t buy. I’d especially like to thank him for putting up with my inability to talk about anything except this book during many long walks that were supposed to be just about “us” and ended up being brainstorming sessions. Mr. Milan also provided needed medical advice—without him, I’d not have known how to describe Mrs. Blasseur’s end-stage lung cancer.
As I mention in the Author’s Note, this book started with a simple image from Asylum Denied by David Ngaruri Kenney. I also drew on Charles Dickens’s descriptions of legal matters in Bleak House and Oliver Twist—and I explicitly drew on Dickens’s hapless Jo, the street-sweeper, from Bleak House, in portraying Widdy.
I also drew on materials from a visit to Bristol. In particular, I’d like to thank the staff at the Bristol Records Room, who retrieved numerous important historical documents that helped shape this book, ranging from postcards that showed the layout of the gaol to the parchment paper that contained the oath of office that Smite would have taken. I also am indebted to the staff at The Georgian House. Miranda’s home was patterned after this historic home.
As always, I have to thank Tessa Dare, Carey Baldwin, and Leigh Dennis for (a) listening to me talk about this book, and (b) putting up with me when we met for a weekend, and I did nothing but work on it. As always, my enormous thanks to Franzeca Drouin, Robin Harders, and Martha Trachtenberg for editing. Lynn Funk, Nicholas Ambrose, and Anne Victory did wonderful proofreading work. My agent, Kristin Nelson, has been relentlessly supportive.
I have a lot of people who help talk me down from various ledges: the Vanettes, the Peeners, and the Pixies. The Vanettes in particular helped me write cover copy for this book, which I doubt I could have managed on my own.
And thanks most of all to SOC, AMK, and AK, without whom this book would have looked very different.
Most of all, I want to thank all the many readers who I’ve found over the course of writing the Turner series. The extraordinary response that you’ve had has made a huge difference in my life. Thank you all so much for reading, for engaging, for talking about these books with friends and even with random strangers on the internet. I could not be where I was today without you.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Unveiled, Unlocked, Unclaimed, Unraveled, Birthday Gift: © 2011 by Courtney Milan.
Out of the Frying Pan: © 2013 by Courtney Milan.
Enhanced materials: © 2014 by Courtney Milan and Rawles Lumumba.
Cover design © Courtney Milan.
Cover photographs © Vikacita | shutterstock.com.
Enhanced Edition 1.0
All rights reserved. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.
The rights to publish and distribute the unenhanced text of this book are currently held by Harlequin Enterprises, S.A.; the unenhanced text was originally published in 2011.
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