by Jenny Barden
Scut – A term of contempt for a person, probably deriving from its other meaning as the short erect tail of an animal in flight
Shallop – A light sailing boat used mainly for coastal fishing
Sheet (nautical) – A rope attached to the lower corner of a sail for securing or extending the sail or changing direction
Slops – Thick loose breeches, reaching to the knee or below, often worn by sailors
Sluice – A trough with grooves through which a current of water is directed in order to separate gold from the ore containing it
Spar – A thick, strong pole used for supporting the sails of a ship
Stanchion – An upright support
Sterncastle – A large raised structure at the stern of a ship
Stomacher – A V-shaped piece of decorative cloth, worn over the chest and stomach
Stooks – Sheaves of grain stood on end in a field
Tallow – A hard, fatty substance made from rendered animal fat used for making soap and candles
Tapir – A nocturnal, hoofed mammal native to the forests of tropical America, resembling a very large pig, and having a flexible snout
Tender (boat) – A boat used to ferry people and supplies to and from a ship
Tholes – The pins set upright on the gunwales of a rowing boat to serve as a fulcrum in rowing and against which the oars press
Trencher – A flat piece of wood or other material on which food was served and cut
Trunnions – The supporting stubs on which a cannon barrel pivots up or down
Tussie-mussie – A small bunch of flowers or aromatic herbs
Waxbill – A finch-like songbird having a bright red bill resembling sealing wax in appearance
Wheellock – A firing device that was a development on the matchlock using a rotating steel wheel rubbing against a piece of pyrite to provide the spark for ignition of the charge. The word can also refer to a handgun with this kind of mechanism.
Yard – A cylindrical spar slung across a ship’s mast from which a sail could hang
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank all those who have helped in any way with this book: my wonderful agent, Jonathan Pegg, for his mentoring and unfailing encouragement; my terrific editor, Gillian Green, for giving me the chance that all new writers dream of; Caroline Newbury and Ellie Rankine for their help with publicity; Emily Yau and the rest of the team at Ebury Press; Donna Condon for her expert work in copy-editing the text; Emma Djonokusumo for her careful proofreading; my mother and first literary guide, Maureen Hall; my sister, reader and ace-typist, Caroline Duffield; my daughter, Emma, for her excellent observations; my family for standing by me and not complaining (much!). Thanks also to Verulam Writers’ Circle for listening to me read over many evenings at the Goat and White Hart and giving helpful feedback with generosity and good humour; particular thanks to VWC Chair, Ian Cundell, reader-buddies, Tim Blinko and Cheryl Alleyne, and everyone at Get Writing. Thanks to the Historical Novel Society and especially its founder, Richard Lee, for his really useful comments and morale-boosting endorsement when I was close to rock-bottom; thanks to friends at HNS Conferences in the UK and US, the London Chapter of the HNS and the support of all HF devotees at the Zetland Arms, and thanks to Michael Turner, founder of the Drake Exploration Society.
Thanks to the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the many friends from the Cambridge and London Chapters, Summer Conferences and meetings who have kept my spirits strong and hopes high; warm thanks to the only other members of the St Albans mini-Chapter: Barbara Alderton and Gail Mallin. Thanks to Melanie Hilton for all that she does for the New Writers’ Scheme, and thanks to my readers under that scheme for twice giving invaluable critique on this book. Huge thanks to Elizabeth Hawksley and Jenny Haddon. Thanks to all at the Festival of Romance, particularly the members of the Reader Panel.
Thanks to everyone who has ever shown an interest in my writing. If you want to know how the book’s going – here it is, thanks to you.
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Published in 2012 by Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
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Copyright © 2012 by Jenny Barden
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