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    The Regency Storybook
    The Regency Storybook
    The Regency Storybook
    Ebook121 pages1 hour

    The Regency Storybook

    By Lesley-Anne McLeod

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    England in the early 19th century: a place of extraordinary happenings. War on the continent and political upheavals at home buffeted the lives of ordinary people, while arts and literature flourished under the Prince Regent and a glittering group of aristocrats led high society. It was a period of tumultuous change.

    The twelve short stories in this book follow fictional Regency characters facing the challenges of everyday life while brushing up against momentous historical events. Young Miss Phoebe Churcham is unwittingly caught up in the assassination of the prime minister. The publication of a literary classic causes problems for Sir Aubrey Granthorpe. Imogen Rush, Dowager Marchioness of Lavington, visits with an old friend--the Regent's mistress. The tragic death of a princess touches the Newick family as it does the entire nation. And one day, foppish Postumus Enderby is inspired to take radical steps after reading the morning news. These stories and others will draw you into the private lives and wider world of Regency England.

    Charming costume illustrations by Shakoriel bring colour to these heroes and heroines, embellishing all twelve of Lesley-Anne McLeod's stories. The Regency Storybook is a collection of lives, loves, and histories--of a time two hundred years ago, but as vivid as yesterday.

    This title is published by Uncial Press and is distributed worldwide by Untreed Reads.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUntreed Reads
    Release dateSep 13, 2013
    ISBN9781601741677
    The Regency Storybook

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      Book preview

      The Regency Storybook - Lesley-Anne McLeod

      Twelve people.

      Twelve historical events.

      Twelve stories...

      By

      Lesley-Anne McLeod

      With Illustrations By

      By

      Shakoriel

      Uncial Press       Aloha, Oregon

      2012

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events described herein are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

      ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-167-7

      The Regency Storybook

      Stories copyright © 2012, 2013 by Lesley-Anne McLeod

      lesleyannemcleod.com

      Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Shakoriel

      shakoriel.com

      All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

      Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five (5) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

      Published by Uncial Press,

      an imprint of GCT, Inc.

      Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com

      England in the early nineteenth century was a place of extraordinary happenings. Great Britain was at war in Europe and in North America, and feared invasion by the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. Social unrest threatened the ancient order of society: Enclosure Acts, Catholic Emancipation, the Corn Laws, and industrialization all created discussion, dissension, and change.

      The monarchy of Great Britain avoided the violent revolution that was overtaking so many European kingdoms, but the royal Hanoverian dynasty was undergoing its own crisis. King George III was unwell and his illness interfered with his ability to rule. Eventually, in 1811, his son, George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, was made Prince Regent for his ailing father.

      This Act of Regency gave its name to the era. The actual Regency of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV) took place from 1811 to 1820. But for the purposes of fiction, design and style, literature and art, the Regency is considered, by many, to extend from about 1800 to 1830.

      Famous names resound from the Regency era: Wellington, Byron, Wordsworth, Brummell, Constable, Turner, Lamb, Beethoven, Austen. Bracketed by the bawdy eighteenth century and the restrictions of the Victorian age, the Regency era was dominated by a glittering group of aristocrats--the 'Beau Monde'--who ruled society. Nevertheless, the middle class grew, and the poor still struggled to survive. These were the last years of an agricultural society, before mechanization, steam transportation, and photography transformed the world.

      The Regency was an island in time, a romantic era, celebrated in this collection: The Regency Storybook. These are fictional tales of lives, loves, and historical events long past, but as vivid as yesterday.

      --Lesley-Anne McLeod

      Fashionable costumes of the Regency period began at a point of simplicity. The classical draperies of the early years of the century had been brought into fashion by the spirit of revolution in Europe, and a return to the perceived egalitarianism of the classical world.

      Early in the period, gentlemen moved away from the coloured coats and knee breeches favoured in the eighteenth century, and ladies' draperies progressed to high waistlines and straight, simple skirts. By the middle of the period, dark coats and light-coloured pantaloons were the norm for gentlemen, and ladies were adding more decoration to their gowns. As the Regency ended and George IV was crowned, the waistlines of ladies' dresses drifted lower as embellishment increased, and gentlemen adopted trousers and frock coats.

      The twelve fashion illustrations herein, inspired by nineteenth-century sources, depict six ladies and six gentlemen at different points throughout the Regency era.

      --Shakoriel

      Imogen Rush, Dowager Marchioness of Lavington, accepting the support of her groom from her carriage, stood on the pavement before the façade of the newly completed Steine House and heartily approved of it. Maria Fitzherbert had done well for herself. Imogen could not admire the Egyptian-style colonnade which fronted it, but the house was a substantial, attractive building. The colonnade made it look disturbingly like some eastern fantasy of Thomas Hope, but she had heard that Maria had had William Porden, Prinny's favourite architect, design it. It was only to be expected that she would choose George's crony.

      One had only to turn one's head slightly to see the Marine Pavilion nearby in its gardens, gleaming in the declining sun. The proximity was appropriate, even if the Prince of Wales had made a botch of both of his weddings and most of his relationships.

      The Marchioness trod up the shallow steps, having dismissed the carriage and her maid and told them to return in two hours. The broad panelled door was opened for her and Maria's butler and no less than two footmen bowed her into the entry. She gazed around her: black and white marble, some attractive consoles, a tall pier glass, and flowers everywhere. Certainly it was Maria Fitzherbert's home; her impeccable taste was immediately evident.

      The train of Imogen's Prussian blue evening gown--she was rather fond of trains; noted for them, in fact--whispered over the thick carpet as she was ushered up a handsome staircase to a substantial drawing room. The butler left her, promising the immediate attendance of his mistress.

      Imogen surveyed the spacious room with interest. It was hung with silk that would echo the blue of Maria's eyes; she had ever been a clever creature, to be sure. Except in her relationship with the Prince. The house was no more than she deserved, with what she had to endure.

      Examining the pictures--two by those new fellows, Turner and Constable--and the porcelain and books which accented the chamber kept her occupied until her hostess joined her in a flurry of apologies and lavishly laced pink muslin. Imogen surveyed her friend discreetly, noting the addition of a pound or two of weight, and a slight greying of the blonde hair under its lace cap.

      My dearest Imogen, I am so sorry to keep you waiting. And it has been so long since we have visited! You deserve better, my dear friend, but a domestic crisis required my attention.

      I thought Briarley looked a little more bracket-faced even than usual. Imogen referred to the butler with a quizzical look.

      He does not like the new house. Despite it is more convenient, easier of care, and with better quarters for the servants, he would have continued in the old house forever.

      Servants have no vision. Imogen dismissed thought of the butler with a wave of her hand.

      Maria gestured to a chair, and Imogen accepted a seat on the striped silk. Mrs. Fitzherbert sat in a chair with its back to the broad windows. Imogen knew exactly why. She herself tried always to choose a seat that protected her from the wrinkle-revealing natural light, no matter the time of day.

      You are dressed already for the evening? her hostess asked. She was taking in Imogen's turban and feathers. When did you arrive in Brighton?

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