Regency Valentines

by Jo Beverley

  "Wait and see." The earl tucked Meg's hand into the crook of his arm and led her toward the door. The twins instantly bracketed them -- Richard at the earl's side, Rachel at Meg's, like sheep dogs making sure that their charges wouldn't stray.

  Meg fought tears. How frightened they must have been. Surely this must all turn out to be an improvement.

  The twins were never easily silenced. "Will there be ham, sir?"

  "Goose?"

  "Cake?"

  "Mince pies?"

  "Nuts?"

  "Oranges?"

  "Missed your Christmas dinner, did you?" the earl asked indulgently. "There'll be whatever you want that we can find. We can't do magic, however, so the goose will have to wait."

  "Ices?" both twins said at once.

  The earl halted to turn back to the servants. "I assume we can produce ices?"

  "Gunter's may have some, milord, though it's not the time of year for them."

  "Find out." And he continued out into the sunshine.

  "There's no need," Meg protested. "It's winter!"

  "But no need not to. This is our wedding celebration, and my birthday to boot, and I like ices, too."

  "You'll spoil them."

  He smiled down at her. "I'm sure you'll prevent me."

  That was all very well, but Meg feared that preventing the Earl of Saxonhurst from doing anything would be like preventing the Thames from flowing to the sea.

  Three elegant carriages had appeared, drawn by fine steaming horses. Each horse was protected by a heavy, emblazoned cloth in the same blue and gold worn by the liveried servants letting down the steps. Each carriage bore a gilded crest on the door. He really was an earl! Meg hadn't exactly doubted it, but she'd not quite believed it either.

  In moments, he was handing her into one and settling beside her on the deeply-padded, blue brocade seat. When Richard and Rachel didn't follow, however, she snapped out of the enchantment and looked out of the window.

  The earl tugged her back. "Owain will take care of them all. What do you think we're up to? The slave trade?"

  "Of course not."

  "So, relax and enjoy your wedding day. I hope neither of us have another."

  That startled her. Thus far, she'd only thought of the immediate, of getting this done so that Laura would be safe, so they would all have the means of decent survival. But marriage was for all eternity.

  She made herself meet his eyes. "I'll try, my lord."

  "Good." But then, as the carriage moved off, he drew her close, his intention clear.

  Meg instinctively braced her arms to hold him off.

  His brows rose. "You object to kisses?"

  "Anyone could be watching!"

  "We're in a closed carriage on an empty street, but I'll draw the blinds if you wish."

  He had every right to kiss her, but.... She tried for an honest explanation. "It's all so sudden, my lord. We may be man and wife, but you are still a stranger."

  "We certainly are man and wife, but I understand." He moved back, leaning in his corner, legs stretched out. "Am I to assume that you won't feel ready for more intimate attentions by tonight?"

  Meg looked away, her cheeks burning. "I will do my duty, my lord."

  "To the devil with duty. We're wed till death us do part, so I'm sure consummation can wait a night or two."

  Hearing neither disgust nor annoyance, Meg glanced back. She understood men to be somewhat greedy in their appetites. But then, of course, he didn't feel that way about her.

  Why should he?

  Any more than she felt that way about him.

  Though she did feel something, she had to admit. Whatever it was, it was not at all comfortable.

  "You look so very agitated," he said with that devastating twinkle in his eye. "I should warn you that maidenly flusters are often quite stimulating to men. The wide eyes, the heated cheek...."

  His indulgent tone put her on her mettle. "Men suffer from a hunting instinct, I see."

  His brows rose. "Hunting?"

  "Blushes and big eyes being like the smell of the prey to them."

  He laughed. "A novel notion, but likely true. Men can be very predatory."

  She suspected his flash of strong, white teeth was deliberate and wanted, so desperately, to dent his confidence. "Predators are not very discriminating, though, are they, my lord? Any prey will do."

  "Not at all. The hawk in search of rabbits doesn't snatch a hedgehog."

  "Am I rabbit, then?"

  "I am very much coming to doubt it."

  She felt an absurd warmth. "Good. I can be quite prickly."

  "So I see." Still at his ease, his lids lowered in a way that started a beat of panic in her chest. "I should warn you, my dear countess, that danger intrigues me, and I enjoy a good hunt."

  "Pity the poor hedgehog, then, who won't."

  After a moment, he said, "I am pondering the image of a hedgehog hunt...."

  And she couldn't help but laugh with him at the absurdity.

  * * *

  Forbidden Magic is available in print and as an e-book.

  * * *

  To see all my work in e-books, go to this page.

  www.jobev.com/ebookmenu.html

  THOSE PESKY ENGLISH TITLES

  - a guide for readers

  * * *

  Many readers are confused by titles, so here is a basic guide to help make sense of them. Though they can seem bizarre, there is an underlying logic to most of the rules and traditions. For one thing, they seek to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

  * * *

  In one of my novels, Forbidden, inaccurate title usage confused my heroine, Lady Middlethorpe with her mother-in-law the Dowager Lady Middlethorpe with almost disastrous results. In a novel I read years ago a confusion between Lord John Brown and Lord Brown (those names made up) meant that the heroine enjoyed a hot, steamy night with the hero’s decrepit and unpleasant grandfather. Took a while to get that image out of my mind.

  * * *

  The English peerage runs according to male primogeniture, ie the eldest son gets nearly everything. If a peer has no eldest son, the title and any possessions that are attached to it go to the next male descendant from the original title holder, probably a brother or nephew.

  * * *

  This may seem unfair, but it has served to keep estates intact. In societies where the land is equally divided between the heirs the families soon end up all living on a scrap of land that can't support them. Younger sons would generally get something to start them out in life, as well as education and connection, but they then had to make their way. Tradition in England sent them into the army, the navy, or the church, but many were more enterprising, going far afield and expanding the British Empire.

  * * *

  There are a very few titles that can pass to a female if there is no male heir, but they will revert to the male line when the lady bears a son. (Such as the monarchy under the old system.) Some titles can automatically pass through a female heir when there is no male heir, and most can be revived by subsequent generations by petitioning to the Crown. But that's getting into more complicated areas.

  * * *

  Important. An heir must be legitimate at birth to inherit a title. That could mean a marriage ceremony performed while the mother is in labor, but if they’re too late and the child is born before the ceremony the child cannot be made legitimate later. A peer may raise bastards with devotion and even marry the mother later, but a bastard child can never be his legal heir. This mess really happened a time or two.

  * * *

  THE RANKS OF THE PEERAGE

  DUKE. (Pronounced juke.)

  MARQUIS or MARQUESS (both pronounced markwess.)

  EARL

  VISCOUNT (pronounced vycount)

  BARON (generally simply referred to as lord.)

  * * *

  A) DUKE His wife is the DUCHESS. They will be duke and duchess of something, eg. Duke and Duchess of St. Raven. Address is "Your
Grace", though familiars may address them as Duke and Duchess eg "Fancy a day’s shooting, Duke?" or may address the duke by title. "Care for more port, St. Raven?" A duke is never referred to as “lord.” So St. Raven is never Lord St. Raven and his wife is never Lady St. Raven.

  Like all peers, a duke has robes and a coronet. No matter how informal a peer likes to be he is sometimes going to have to man up and wear his red velvet and fancy hat.

  * * *

  A duke will also have a family name, ie. surname (such as Cavendish) but will not use it in the normal course of events. The duchess does not use the surname at all. If Anne Pitt marries the Duke of Stone (whose family name is Cherry), she will be Duchess of Stone and will informally sign herself Anne Stone, not Anne Cherry.

  * * *

  The duke's eldest legitimate son is his heir and will have his father's second-best title as his courtesy title, often the next lowest ranking peer, marquess. The title could, however, be an earldom, viscountcy or barony. This “courtesy title” does not give the holder a seat in the House of Lords or other privileges of the peerage.

  * * *

  If the heir has a son before the he becomes duke, that son will take the next lowest title as a courtesy title. If the heir dies before his father, his eldest son becomes the heir apparent and takes his father's title.

  * * *

  Apart from the heir, a duke's sons are given the courtesy title Lord with their Christian name, eg. Lord Richard Somerset. Lord Peter Wimsey. They are never Lord Somerset or Lord Wimsey.

  * * *

  All duke's daughters are given the courtesy title Lady, first name, surname eg. Lady Mary Clarendon. (Never Lady Clarendon.)

  * * *

  B) MARQUESS His wife is the MARCHIONESS,

  He will be Marquess of something, eg Marquess of Rothgar. He can be referred to as Lord Rothgar, or simply Rothgar to his familiars. The Marchioness of Rothgar or Lady Rothgar, will sign herself "firstname" "title" eg. Diana Rothgar.

  * * *

  His eldest son takes his next highest title as a courtesy title. All other sons have the title Lord "firstname" "surname". In the case of Rothgar's brothers, Lord Cynric Malloren et al. All daughters of an earl are given the courtesy title Lady "firstname" "surname" in the same way as the daughters of dukes -- Lady Elfled Malloren.

  * * *

  C) EARL. His wife is a countess.

  * * *

  You might wonder why he's not a count or she's not an earless. I don't have an exact answer, but "earl" comes from the Anglo-Saxon social structure before the Norman conquest in 1066 and was the lord of a county. Count comes from the French word for county. Probably William the Conqueror wanted to blend the two cultures for his senior officers.

  * * *

  An earl will nearly always be earl of something. He is referred to as the Earl of Wyvern or Lord Wyvern, or Wyvern to his familiars. Some earls do not use "of" as with Earl Spencer, and in that case the family surname will be the same as the title -- in this case, Spencer -- but this is quite unusual.

  * * *

  The Countess of Wyvern, or Lady Wyvern, will sign herself Lucinda Wyvern.

  * * *

  As with a duke, the earl's oldest son will take the next lowest title as a courtesy title, and his son, the next again.

  * * *

  All daughters of an earl are given the courtesy title Lady "firstname" "surname" in the same way as duke's daughters. Younger sons of an earl, however, are merely "the honorable" which is not used in casual speech.

  * * *

  D) VISCOUNT His wife is a VISCOUNTESS. He is not "of". He will be, for example, Viscount Middlethorpe, usually known as Lord Middlethorpe, or just Middlethorpe. His wife will be known as Lady Middlethorpe and will sign herself Serena Middlethorpe.

  * * *

  His heir has no special title. All children are known as the honorable.

  * * *

  E) BARON. His wife is a BARONESS, but the terms baron and baroness are only used in Britain in formal documents, or when the distinction has to be made elsewhere. General usage is simply to call them Lord and Lady. She will sign herself "firstname" "title". Their children are addressed in the same way as for a viscount.

  * * *

  All peers and peeresses have ceremonial robes and a coronet, with distinct designs for each rank. No matter how casual a lord or lady might like to be, they will have to wear them at times. For a coronation they wear crimson silk velvet, trimmed with white ermine and rows of black sealskin spots. These are rarely worn and are handed down through the generations. When the monarch is crowned, they put on their coronets. For the state opening of Parliament the Members of the House of Lords (all men until recently) wear scarlet wool trimmed with ermine bars, and gold oak leaf lace.

  * * *

  The following are not members of the peerage and do not have seats in the House of Lords or other privileges of peers.

  * * *

  F) BARONET. A baronetcy is an inheritable knighthood, and the title is “sir” as in Sir Stephen Ball. His wife is called Lady "surname"; eg. Lady Ball. She is not, not ever, Lady Laura Ball unless she is “Lady Laura” because she is the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl. His children have no special distinction.

  * * *

  G) KNIGHT. A knighthood is the same as a baronet in usage, but it is a title for life only. His wife will be Lady "surname" as with a baronetcy.

  * * *

  Also see

  http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/titles

  http://www.edeandravenscroft.com/ceremonial-dress/peers-robes/

  * * *

  OTHER MATTERS

  * * *

  DOWAGERS

  When a titled lady is widowed she becomes a dowager, but the practice is not to use that title until the heir takes a wife. Then it’s necessary to avoid confusion.

  * * *

  COMMON PROBLEMS SEEN IN NOVELS

  Interchanging courtesy titles like Lady Mary Smith and Lady Smith.

  Interchanging peerage titles, as when Michael Downs, Earl of Rosebury is variously known as Lord Rosebury, Lord Downs, and Lord Michael Downs.

  Applying titles that don't belong, as when Jane Potts marries Viscount Twistleton and erroneously becomes Lady Jane, a title form that can only come by birth.

  Having an adopted son inherit a title. Legal adoption was not possible in England until the twentieth century, and even now an adopted son cannot inherit a title. Even if the son is clearly the father's offspring, if he wasn't born after a legal marriage, he cannot inherit the father's title. However, since they didn't have DNA testing until recenty, a child was assumed to be legitimate unless the father denied it from the first. Even if the son turns out to look suspiciously like the vicar, the father cannot deny him later. This, I assume was to avoid the chaos of peers coming up with all sorts of excuses to switch heirs on a whim.

  Having a title left in a will, which follows from the above. A title cannot be willed to whomever the peer in question chooses. It goes according to the original letters patent, which almost always say that it will go to the oldest legitimate male in direct descent. The property can be left elsewhere, unless it is entailed, but the title goes by legitimate blood and usually most of the land and wealth will be attached to it.

  Having an heiress (ie a daughter without brothers) inherit a title and convey it to her husband. It could be done -- anything could -- by special decree of the Crown, but it was not at all normal.

  * * *

  Should authors use real titles in fiction?

  * * *

  Unless the author is referring to a real person of the time (such as the Duke of Wellington or Lord Liverpool) there's no reason to and it can cause confusion. Also, it’s inappropriate to take over a real person’s identity. These days it’s easy to check any title to see if it's been used, and particularly if it's in use now. The web site thepeerage.com is useful, as is an internet search. It will also show if a title has already been used in fiction.


  * * *

  What makes an invented title sound right?

  * * *

  Most titles in the past came from estates, so ones that sound like a place name are more believable than ones from jobs. Lord Hedger or Lord Carpenter are not impossible, but less likely than Lord Somerfield or Lord Allerholme.

  * * *

  If you fancy making up titles yourself, check out large scale maps that show the names of villages, including internet maps such as googlemaps. If you know where you'd like your noble family to come from look in that part of the country, as localities in England often have distinctive prefixes and suffixes. Cornish names often start with Tre-. A place name ending with -thwait is most common in the north. (It means meadow or clearing.)

  * * *

  You can also look up genealogical records, including censuses, for common local names. That's how I came up with a Devon smuggler called Melchisadeck Clyst for The Dragon's Bride! There are web sites listing common names in different counties.