A Suitable Match: Historical Romance (The Marstone Series Book 2)
Page 26
Nick gave Bella’s hand a quick squeeze before turning to his father. “Are you sure?”
“Don’t fuss, boy,” Lord Carterton muttered.
He grinned—that was Father’s usual response. “Good, I’ll warn the coachman.”
“Shall we take a picnic?” Bella asked. “We can always find an inn if the weather isn’t warm enough to eat out of doors.”
“Good idea.” He looked at Robbie, now fascinated by a jewelled fob that Father was dangling before him. The pair of them would play happily together for some time.
“Will you take a turn about the gardens with me, Bella?”
She nodded, holding her hand out again, and he pulled her to her feet. They walked slowly, stopping to look at the roses, larkspur and delphiniums in the borders and discussing the details of tomorrow’s expedition. Even after two years of marriage, Nick still marvelled at the joy to be had simply walking with the woman he loved beside him, talking of matters of no import to anyone else.
“You look serious, Nick.”
He stopped and turned to face her, bending his head close to hers. “I was just thinking how well your father’s machinations turned out for us in the end. I might never have met you otherwise, or only known you as another man’s wife.”
“Well, in a way, he got what he wanted,” she said, putting one hand on his arm. “We have made a very suitable match!”
Historical notes
Gibraltar
The French diplomat Reyneval did come to England in 1782 for a secret meeting with the British Prime Minister, but not until September. By that time the Marquess of Rockingham (referenced by Luis in Chapter 28) had died, and the Earl of Shelburne had taken his place as Prime Minister. There is, however, no indication that Gibraltar was part of these discussions.
Gibraltar has been a bone of contention between Spain and the UK for centuries, and still is. It is a small isthmus of only a few square miles on the southern tip of Spain, in a strategically important position at the entrance to the Mediterranean. It became a British possession in 1713 via the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession
In 1779 the French and Spanish signed the Treaty of Aranjuez, in which Spain agreed to support France in its war with Britain, and the French agreed to help the Spanish recover former Spanish territories: Gibraltar, Menorca and Florida. As a result of this treaty, Spain became involved in the American War of Independence. The fact that there were four nations now involved in the war, all with different ambitions for territorial settlements, complicated the peace negotiations enormously.
At the time of this story, Gibraltar had been under siege for nearly 3 years. The British were able to defeat a huge attack by the French and Spanish in September 1782, and Gibraltar was resupplied in October of that year. News of this strengthened the British hand in the formal peace talks. The siege ended with the signing of peace treaties in January 1783.
Relief of the Poor Act 1782
Gilbert’s act was real, and some of its intentions are described accurately by Nick in the story. The Georgian attitude to the poor was more understanding that that of the Victorians, who tended more towards the idea of ‘the undeserving poor’.
Fashion dolls and fashion plates
The fashion dolls referred to in the story were also known as Pandora dolls. This story takes place just before the first fashion magazines became popular, so dolls were still used to give customers an indication of both styles and fabrics. Once fashion magazines were in wider circulation, the fashion plates more commonly referred to in stories of the period took the place of dolls.
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Read on for more details of the Marstone Series, and my other books.
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The Marstone Series
Sauce for the Gander
Book 1 in the Marstone Series
A duel. An ultimatum. An arranged marriage.
England, 1777
Will, Viscount Wingrave, whiles away his time gambling and bedding married women, thwarted in his wish to serve his country by his controlling father.
News that his errant son has fought a duel with a jealous husband is the last straw for the Earl of Marstone. He decrees that Will must marry. The earl’s eye lights upon Connie Charters, unpaid housekeeper and drudge for a poor but socially ambitious father who cares only for the advantage her marriage could bring him.
Will and Connie meet for the first time at the altar. But Connie wants a husband who will love and respect her, not a womaniser and a gambler.
Their new home, on the wild coast of Devonshire, conceals dangerous secrets that threaten them and the nation. Can Will and Connie overcome the forces against them and forge a happy life together?
Available from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback. Read free in Kindle Unlimited. Listen via Audible, audiobooks.com, or other retailers.
A Winning Trick
A Winning Trick is a short novella, an extended epilogue for Sauce for the Gander.
What happens three years later when Will has to confront his father again?
It is available FREE (on Kindle only), exclusively for members of my mailing list. Sign up HERE, or visit my website:
www.jaynedavisromance.co.uk.
If you don’t want to sign up, you can buy a paperback on Amazon.
A Suitable Match
Book 2 in the Marstone Series
England 1782
Lady Isabella has been kept on a tight rein by Lord Marstone, her overbearing father. She’s excited when he packs her off to London to make an advantageous match, confident her brother will preserve her from an unsuitable alliance. But when her brother is called away on vital business, he asks Nick Carterton to stand in for him.
Nick, a scholar who relishes the quiet life, has avoided marriage for years but is finally giving in to his father’s request that he seek out a bride. Looking out for a young miss new to society is the last thing he’d choose to do.
Will Nick’s attempts to help merely reinforce Isabella’s resentment at having her life arranged for her? Can Nick keep the headstrong Isabella out of trouble, put off unsuitable suitors, and still find himself a wife?
Playing with Fire
Book 3 in the Marstone Series, publishing summer 2020.
France 1793
Phoebe Deane is the poor relation in the Calvac household, unwillingly accompanying her aunt and cousin on a journey into revolutionary France. Now France has declared war on England, they need to get home as soon as they can. Her aunt’s imperious manner almost gets them arrested, but a fellow traveller comes to their aid.
Alex works alone and uses many names. An impulse leads him to help the red-head and her family, but can he get them to the coast without endangering himself and his mission?
The story of a young woman using her wits and courage, gaining the confidence to choose the life she wants for herself and finding love along the way.
Playing with Fire can be read as a standalone novel, or as Book 3 in The Marstone Series.
Available for pre-order on Amazon.
Also by Jayne Davis
The Mrs MacKinnons
England, 1799
Major Matthew Southam returns from India, hoping to put the trauma of war behind him and forget his past. Instead, he finds a derelict estate and a family who wish he'd died abroad.
Charlotte MacKinnon married without love to avoid her father’s unpleasant choice of husband. Now a widow with a young son, she lives in a small Cotswold
village with only the money she earns by her writing.
Matthew is haunted by his past, and Charlotte is fearful of her father’s renewed meddling in her future. After a disastrous first meeting, can they help each other find happiness?
Available from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback. Read free in Kindle Unlimited. Listen via Audible or AudioBooks.com.
An Embroidered Spoon
Wales 1817
After refusing every offer of marriage that comes her way, Isolde Farrington is packed off to a spinster aunt in Wales until she comes to her senses.
Rhys Williams, there on business, is turning over his uncle’s choice of bride for him, and the last thing he needs is to fall for an impertinent miss like Izzy – who takes Rhys for a yokel.
Izzy’s new surroundings make her look at life, and Rhys, afresh. But when her father, Lord Bedley, discovers that the situation in Wales is not what he thought, and that Rhys is in trade, a gulf opens for a pair who’ve come to love each other.
Will a difference in class keep them apart?
Available from Amazon on Kindle paperback, and Large Print paperback. Read free in Kindle Unlimited.
Captain Kempton’s Christmas
A sweet, second-chance novella.
Lieutenant Philip Kempton and Anna Tremayne fall in love during one idyllic summer fortnight. When he’s summoned to rejoin his ship, Anna promises to wait for him.
While he’s at sea, she marries someone else.
Now she's widowed and he's Captain Kempton. When they meet again, can they put aside betrayal and rekindle their love?
Available from Amazon on Kindle paperback, and Large Print paperback. Read free in Kindle Unlimited.
About the Author
I wanted to be a writer when I was in my teens, hooked on Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer (and lots of other authors). Real life intervened, and I had several careers, including as a non-fiction author under another name. That wasn’t quite the writing career I had in mind, but finally I am writing historical romance.
www.jaynedavisromance.co.uk