by Regan Walker
Still joined, he kissed her damp forehead, brows and temples. “I love you,” he whispered.
Her sweet face was surrounded by tousled blonde hair lying in wild disarray on the pillow. Rose petals stuck to her skin in places, reminding him that she was his but also an Englishwoman, his Rose. They would have their difficulties, he knew, times when his heritage might plunge her into conflict with all she held dear, times when his family would be so at odds with the English she would feel their disdain. But together they would overcome. He knew that as surely as he knew Ireland would one day be free of British rule.
She opened her eyes at his words, and the green of a spring meadow looked back at him. A small smile crossed her face.
“Morgan,” she said softly. “Is it always like this? So…magical? Well, I mean, except for the pain.”
“No, not always,” he admitted. Then he gave her the smile that she had drawn from his soul and promised, “But with you, my fair Portia, I believe it always shall. There will always be this passion between us. And, like mercy, it ‘blesseth him that gives and him that takes.’ And as Portia’s lover says, ‘Madam, you have bereft me of all words. Only my blood speaks to you in my veins.’”
And so it did.
Author’s Note
The issue of emancipation for Catholics consumed England for many decades, beginning in the 18th century and continuing until the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. Prior to that, Catholics could not, among other things, attend Cambridge or Oxford, or hold public office or serve in Parliament. Ironically, the Prince Regent opposed Catholic Emancipation even though he married (illegally) Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Roman Catholic who was arguably the love of his life. He did not, however, veto the new law in 1829, pressed by the Whigs and opposed by the Tories.
Daniel O’Connell, who in the 1810s and 1820s was one of the leading barristers in Ireland, did indeed lead the campaign for emancipation and thus won the title “The Liberator.” He stood for election in 1828 in County Clare in Ireland, and though he was elected could not take a seat in the House of Commons until 1829. He was a moderate and a brilliant voice speaking for the Irish in a way that England could not ignore.
Though a Deist in his youth, after the infamous duel in 1815 where he killed John D’Esterre, a leading member of the Protestant Ascendancy who challenged him, O’Connell returned to his faith in 1816 and became a devout Catholic to the great joy of his wife. In 1817, he stated,
“My political creed is short and simple. It consists in believing that all men are entitled as of right and justice to religious and civil liberty…I have taken care to require it only on that principle which would emancipate the Catholics in Ireland, would protect the Protestants in France and Italy, and destroy the Inquisition, together with inquisitors, in Spain. Religion is debased and degraded by human interference; and surely the worship of the Deity cannot but be contaminated by the admixture of worldly ambition or human force.”
Daniel O’Connell was a tall, handsome man with a head of dark curls and shining blue eyes. I like to think my hero, the fictional Morgan O’Connell, had the same appearance. Daniel O’Connell did have a Protestant cousin and Protestant friends, so it’s possible, right? In his younger days before he married, when he was training in England, Daniel was quite the rake. Perhaps my fictional Morgan O’Connell was one as well until he met Rose Collingwood.
As for my heroine, while she is fictional, her family is not. Vice Admiral the Right Honourable Lord Collingwood (1st Baron Collingwood) was an admiral in the Royal Navy and a partner with Lord Nelson in several of England’s victories in the wars with Napoleon. The title lapsed when Lord Collingwood died without male heirs. He had two daughters, and but for a brief visit ten years after their birth never returned home. I like to think my fictional heroine was conceived when his ship was in Portsmouth for repairs where his wife joined him—theoretically, of course.
If you’ve read The Holly & The Thistle, which also takes place in 1818, but in December, you know about Lady Emily Picton, whose husband, Sir Thomas Picton, a real historic person, had a reputation as a cruel man. She is the heroine in that tale and did not escape the countess’s matchmaking efforts.
Lastly, in 1818 the Theatre-Royal at Haymarket did feature the play The Merchant of Venice, and Mr. Colman was the manager, though of course Rose Collingwood was not the actress who played Portia. Like the two failed suitors in that play, neither William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley (“Lord Alvanley”), nor Colonel Sir Alexander Abercromby (“Sir Alex”) ever married.
I hope you enjoyed my Valentine’s Day-St. Patrick’s Day treat and will also enjoy my novels. In my latest, the second in the Agents of the Crown trilogy, Against the Wind, to be released in March 2013, you will see the Dowager Countess of Claremont once again when she encounters Sir Martin Powell—the spy.
About the Author
As a child, Regan Walker loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving girls, but by the time she got to college, more serious pursuits took priority. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law, and Regan realized it would be better to be a hammer than a nail. Years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. Hence, her first romance novel—Racing With the Wind, whose hero Lord Ormond appears in this tale—involves a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool.
Regan lives in San Diego with her golden retriever, Link, whom she says inspires her every day to relax and smell the roses.
Did you enjoy this book? Drop us a line and say so! We love to hear from readers, and so do our authors. To connect, visit www.boroughspublishinggroup.com online, send comments directly to [email protected], or friend us on Facebook and Twitter. And be sure to check back regularly for contests and new releases in your favorite subgenres of romance!
Are you an aspiring writer? Check out www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/submit and see if we can help you make your dreams come true.