This week on my writing blog, with my recent story, Lucky of Love in mind, I’m looking at another aspect of London, the River Thames.
Given the state of the roads in 17th century England, mired by lack of upkeep and the dangers of highwaymen, the river along which the city was built was an all-important transport route.
In Lucky in Love, my MC Owen has to take a short trip upriver to Hammersmith to deliver an important message. This sub-plot made me dive deep into researching tides, times and methods of transport.
Water taxis and informal ferries, known as “wherries” in this period, were nothing new. With only London Bridge spanning the river, they were the quickest way of getting from the north to the south bank. Incidentally, a quick check led me to this fascinating blog on London’s bridges. Well worth a look!
As I mentioned in last week’s blog, the Palace of Whitehall had several exits leading directly to the river. These weren’t just functional. There were also musical interludes, firework displays and water pageants that took place on the river for special occasions. When using the Thames as transport, the king and his retinue would have travelled in considerable luxury in the royal barge to the palaces at Greenwich and Hampton Court.
Owen doesn’t have such extravagant options and has to haggle with a waterman to negotiate a price for his trip. In Restoration London, Liza Picard describes the kind of small boat that Owen hires with “one or two men rowing and one or two passengers sitting at the other end.” She comments that the river would have been crammed with such sturdy craft, “in the 20 miles between Gravesend and London Bridge there were more than 1,400 ships.”
In working out the logistics of Owen’s journey upriver, I found the modern Thames River Boats site invaluable. It was not only helpful in calculating the approximate timings but also had some very useful information on tides as well as some lovely pictures of destinations!
Although Owen’s expedition is only a small part of Lucky in Love, I relished this research rabbit hole. I learned enough to be inspired to write about the River Thames again in a future story. Even looking through the books and websites I referenced has enthused me!
This weekend for Rainbow Snippets, I’m snipping again from Lucky in Love, my new release set in the 17th century at the start of the Restoration era, featuring Owen and John, my established couple from last year’s novella, Lucky John.
Authors who take part in Rainbow Snippets each weekend are encouraged to post a few lines from one of their stories on their blog and then link back to the group post on Facebook. I always enjoy joining in with Rainbow Snippets, especially to read and comment on everyone else’s choice of snippet.
In Lucky in Love, Owen and John are summoned by Owen’s courtier brother Lewis from the peace of the countryside to the hurly-burly of the royal court. In this snippet, they have just arrived at Lewis’ quarters and meet Cuthbert, a palace page as worldly as John is innocent. This snippet is a bit longer than usual, but I couldn’t resist including all the fun!
~~~
“My name is Cuthbert, and I am acting as a page to Sir Lewis. Can I be of assistance, sir?” he asked from under his long dark eyelashes, leaving Owen with no doubt as to what service he offered. Thankfully, John was occupied in unpacking Owen’s shirts and didn’t hear the obvious note of seduction in the page’s voice.
“I can fend for myself and I have my own man to see to my needs,” Owen said decisively. He had no intention of removing his clothes in front of the page if his hands were as eager as the hungry promise in his eyes. Owen fished some coins out of his pocket for the expected tip.
The page inclined his head. “If it so pleases you. Sir Lewis told me to fetch the barber and then to choose a suit of clothing for you to wear. He said he trusted my taste implicitly.” He eyed Owen in a disturbingly speculative way. Owen was caught between annoyance and arousal. I am only human, he thought, and the invitation was blatant.
By this stage, John had caught the drift of the servant’s importuning.
“Then we won’t keep you from your pressing tasks,” he said firmly, “since I alone will serve my master.”
The page took the obvious claim of ownership with good grace.
“Very well,” he said with a sly smile. “I will go about my duty.”
“And please knock when you return,” John said sweetly as the door closed.
This week on my writing blog, I’m remaining in the 17th century to chat about a line of research for my new release, Lucky in Love, which is 50% off today only at JMS Books, together with all my stories.
In Lucky in Love, country gentleman Owen and his servant and lover John are summoned to the royal court in London and all the decadence therein. Continuing on from last week, I’m sticking around the Palace of Whitehall to focus on a particular building, The Banqueting House.
As I mentioned previously, this spacious royal dining hall, built by James I and improved upon by his son Charles I from designs by Inigo Jones, was one of the few Stuart embellishments on the Tudor palace. Given that most of the Palace of Whitehall was destroyed by fire towards the end of the 17th century, the Banqueting House, although modified over the centuries, is of especial interest as it is one of the few original remaining buildings from the complex..
When Charles II returned to England in 1660, the restoration and modernization of the Palace of Whitehall was a priority. The richly decorated Banqueting House had been stripped of its paintings as Antonia Fraser notes in her biography of King Charles II. “His father’s great art collection had been tragically sold after his death, and it was with a view to replacing it to some small degree that Charles had acquired some paintings of his own in the Netherlands.”
Rather than a private dining room, the Banqueting House was (and still remains) an official and impressive function room, designed to “impress fellow monarchs and ambassadors” as Lisa Picard explains in Restoration London.
However, the general public was allowed surprisingly frequent access due to the custom of public dining practised by the monarchs of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Liza Picard describes, “Anyone who looked respectable and could talk his way in could watch Charles dining, three times a week.”
This intriguing revelation was a gift to my imagination and I had to include one such public dinner in Lucky in Love. My main characters behave in their typical fashion. Owen is slightly bored by the entire procedure while John is agog as the spectacle and amazed that the king requires food like any other man!
Authors who take part in Rainbow Snippets each weekend are encouraged to post a few lines from one of their stories on their blog and then link back to the group post on Facebook. I always enjoy joining in with Rainbow Snippets, especially to read and comment on everyone else’s choice of snippet.
I don’t think anyone who read last week’s snippet from Lucky in Love will be surprised to learn who won the argument as to whether John would accompany Owen to the royal court in London!
This snippet is taken from their arrival at the Palace of Whitehall, accompanied by Owen’s horse Bess.
~~~
Owen urged Bess towards the east of the site and the stable yard, then brought her to a halt and dismounted. John slithered to the ground and asked, “Where do we go now?”
He looked bewildered and very out of place in the centre of the kingdom, albeit at the working end.
Owen suppressed a grin. “You mean, what are my orders, sir, so I can obey them to the letter? You can make your bow now.”
That brought a smile from John, seeming slightly less intimidated by his surroundings.
Even after a lifetime’s training, John would never make an ideal servant to a gentleman. And thank the Good Lord for that, Owen considered as he regarded his constant companion.
It’s release day for my new story, Lucky in Love! This over-17k-word novella is the follow-up story to last year’s Lucky John.
Lucky in Love continues the adventures of Owen and John, now an established couple, summoned to the luxury and decadence of the Restoration court of King Charles II in London. It was such fun to revisit these two and their developing relationship.
After years of exile during Commonwealth rule following the English Civil Wars, Owen Montgomery is home to stay in his Monmouthshire with John, the rescued kitchen lad who has become the light of Owen’s life.
Owen has enjoyed eighteen months of peace since his tenure as an official envoy on behalf of King Charles II. In the autumn of 1661, Owen is torn from his comfortable life by a summons from his brother, Lewis, a courtier close to the king. Owen is reluctant to take John to London, concerned about the impact of corruption and temptations of court life on such a well-meaning innocent. But how can he refuse John anything?
Owen reluctantly fulfils his duty to his brother while John gets to grips with the palace and its hazards. Can Owen continue to protect John from harm? Or might his constant vigilance stifle the man he loves?
Excerpt:
“When do we leave?”
John’s question cut across Owen’s preoccupation, causing his response to be sharper than intended.
“I’ll make plans to depart as soon as I can. I said nothing about you coming with me. There is no we.”
The hurt and dismay that crossed John’s face would have affected a more unfeeling man than Owen. He took a conciliatory step forward, but John had quickly recovered and stood his ground, his chin lifting in recognisable defiance.
“Then I’d better start your packing,” he said. His dignified exit was slightly marred by closing the door with more than necessary force.
Owen let out a huff of breath. This will not do, he thought. He shouldn’t have taken out his annoyance at his brother on John. It’s not his fault. Also, Owen didn’t need domestic strife on top of Lewis’ infuriating demands.
He folded the abandoned letter and tucked it into his clothing to scrutinise later. Then he proceeded about the more immediate business of placating John.
When he reached his bed chamber, John was kneeling on the floor beside the open clothes chest. A couple of Owen’s spare shirts were laid on the bed, next to Owen’s old army snapsack.
John’s apparent compliance was contradicted by the oilcloth bag strategically placed alongside.
Owen had bought this item to replace the inadequate cloth bundle which held John’s possessions after he rescued John from the miserable existence of a put-upon kitchen boy at a country inn. John had been thrilled by its similarity to Owen’s leather satchel that had carried important documents of office.
Owen had smiled at how John had puffed out his thin chest with pride the first time he had slung it over his shoulder in imitation of Owen. But now the bag, or rather the intent behind it, invoked a frown.
“I misspoke downstairs and meant no harm.”
John ignored this opening salvo and continued his task with unnerving concentration.
“It’s not that I don’t want you with me.”
“Then why are you leaving me behind? It’s not like we haven’t been to London before.”
Owen had taken up with John towards the end of his tenure as a messenger, so the lad had accompanied him on his few final assignments reporting to the capital. It was natural for John to assume that where Owen went, he would follow. But this is different, Owen thought.
He would be within his rights to admonish a household servant for questioning his judgment. John was far more than that and had always been so, at least in private. He might pull out the servant’s truckle bed at night from custom, but it was seldom occupied. Since their arrival the April before last, John had spent every night in Owen’s arms as though it was his rightful place. Owen wouldn’t have it any other way.
Unshed tears sparkled in John’s eyes. At any sign of distress from John, Owen felt like the worst kind of brute although he had never beaten him or even threatened to. God would strike off my hand if that ever crossed my mind.
He sat on the end of the bed. “If we were going anywhere but the royal court in London, then I would take you without hesitation.”
“Aren’t I good enough to come with you?”
“It’s the other way around,” Owen replied without hesitation. “It’s not a decent place. Palace life doesn’t suit us ordinary folk.” Owen recalled the heedless customs of the court in exile abroad. He reckoned such indulgent behaviour would have increased a hundred-fold since the king’s return to England.
John was unconvinced.
“You think I’d get into trouble.”
“I’m worried that you’ll be harmed.” John’s attention was caught by Owen’s emphatic statement. Before he could be interrupted, Owen expanded on his theme and concerns. “Some wine-sodden whoreson might lay his hands on you, heedless of your protests. Or you could fetch a thrashing for speaking out of turn.”
John regarded him frankly.
“Leaving me at home might ease your mind, but it won’t stop me worrying about you. Especially if the royal court is as perilous as you say.”
“I can take care of myself.”
John came to sit beside Owen, tracing his fingers over the scar on his back that lay beneath his shirt, evidence of Owen’s experience in battle.
After years of exile during Commonwealth rule following the English Civil Wars, Owen Montgomery is home to stay in his Monmouthshire with John, the rescued kitchen lad who has become the light of Owen’s life.
Owen has enjoyed eighteen months of peace since his tenure as an official envoy on behalf of King Charles II. In the autumn of 1661, Owen is torn from his comfortable life by a summons from his brother, Lewis, a courtier close to the king. Owen is reluctant to take John to London, concerned about the impact of corruption and temptations of court life on such a well-meaning innocent. But how can he refuse John anything?
Owen reluctantly fulfils his duty to his brother while John gets to grips with the palace and its hazards. Can Owen continue to protect John from harm? Or might his constant vigilance stifle the man he loves?
Excerpt:
“When do we leave?”
John’s question cut across Owen’s preoccupation, causing his response to be sharper than intended.
“I’ll make plans to depart as soon as I can. I said nothing about you coming with me. There is no we.”
The hurt and dismay that crossed John’s face would have affected a more unfeeling man than Owen. He took a conciliatory step forward, but John had quickly recovered and stood his ground, his chin lifting in recognisable defiance.
“Then I’d better start your packing,” he said. His dignified exit was slightly marred by closing the door with more than necessary force.
Owen let out a huff of breath. This will not do, he thought. He shouldn’t have taken out his annoyance at his brother on John. It’s not his fault. Also, Owen didn’t need domestic strife on top of Lewis’ infuriating demands.
He folded the abandoned letter and tucked it into his clothing to scrutinise later. Then he proceeded about the more immediate business of placating John.
When he reached his bed chamber, John was kneeling on the floor beside the open clothes chest. A couple of Owen’s spare shirts were laid on the bed, next to Owen’s old army snapsack.
John’s apparent compliance was contradicted by the oilcloth bag strategically placed alongside.
Owen had bought this item to replace the inadequate cloth bundle which held John’s possessions after he rescued John from the miserable existence of a put-upon kitchen boy at a country inn. John had been thrilled by its similarity to Owen’s leather satchel that had carried important documents of office.
Owen had smiled at how John had puffed out his thin chest with pride the first time he had slung it over his shoulder in imitation of Owen. But now the bag, or rather the intent behind it, invoked a frown.
“I misspoke downstairs and meant no harm.”
John ignored this opening salvo and continued his task with unnerving concentration.
“It’s not that I don’t want you with me.”
“Then why are you leaving me behind? It’s not like we haven’t been to London before.”
Owen had taken up with John towards the end of his tenure as a messenger, so the lad had accompanied him on his few final assignments reporting to the capital. It was natural for John to assume that where Owen went, he would follow. But this is different, Owen thought.
He would be within his rights to admonish a household servant for questioning his judgment. John was far more than that and had always been so, at least in private. He might pull out the servant’s truckle bed at night from custom, but it was seldom occupied. Since their arrival the April before last, John had spent every night in Owen’s arms as though it was his rightful place. Owen wouldn’t have it any other way.
Unshed tears sparkled in John’s eyes. At any sign of distress from John, Owen felt like the worst kind of brute although he had never beaten him or even threatened to. God would strike off my hand if that ever crossed my mind.
He sat on the end of the bed. “If we were going anywhere but the royal court in London, then I would take you without hesitation.”
“Aren’t I good enough to come with you?”
“It’s the other way around,” Owen replied without hesitation. “It’s not a decent place. Palace life doesn’t suit us ordinary folk.” Owen recalled the heedless customs of the court in exile abroad. He reckoned such indulgent behaviour would have increased a hundred-fold since the king’s return to England.
John was unconvinced.
“You think I’d get into trouble.”
“I’m worried that you’ll be harmed.” John’s attention was caught by Owen’s emphatic statement. Before he could be interrupted, Owen expanded on his theme and concerns. “Some wine-sodden whoreson might lay his hands on you, heedless of your protests. Or you could fetch a thrashing for speaking out of turn.”
John regarded him frankly.
“Leaving me at home might ease your mind, but it won’t stop me worrying about you. Especially if the royal court is as perilous as you say.”
“I can take care of myself.”
John came to sit beside Owen, tracing his fingers over the scar on his back that lay beneath his shirt, evidence of Owen’s experience in battle.
This week on my writing blog, we’re heading to 17th-century London and the Palace of Whitehall. This building features heavily in my upcoming story, Lucky in Love, the sequel to last year’s Lucky John set on the cusp of the Restoration period.
Lucky in Love takes place in 1661, when Charles II was re-establishing himself on the throne, having returned from exile the year before. My MCs Owen and John, now an established couple, are happily settled at Owen’s family home in Monmouthshire. So I thought it would be fun to bring them to the extravagances and temptations of the royal court.
As this fascinating article explains, the Palace of Whitehall was mainly destroyed by fire at the end of the 17th century. So I was thrilled to find this fantastic plan of how the palace would have looked in 1680 when Charles had had the time and opportunity to do some refurbishing.
However, the Royal Palaces blog relates that the Palace of Whitehall was far from new and was inherited wholesale from the previous century and the Tudor dynasty. So it was easy for me to imagine the palace without the few modern refinements like the sundial in the Privy Garden that Charles commissioned.
With the plan, I could visualise Owen and John proceeding through the gate at Scotland Yard to the stables and then Owen reaching his brother Lewis’ rooms in one of the outer courtyards. I have to say, I spent far too long looking at the key below the plan that lists the inhabitants of the palace in 1680 and wondering who they were and their specific roles.
As you’ll notice on the plan, the functional structures are on the right-hand side of the palace, and the more ceremonial areas like the Privy Garden, the chapel and the Great Hall are arranged near the royal apartments. One of the most important buildings, The Banqueting Hall, deserves a blog of its own, so I’ll be chatting about that next week.
The plan of Whitehall Palace was invaluable when writing Lucky in Love. I could imagine Owen’s unexpected meeting with the king near the Privy Garden and John’s encounter with Sir Charles Sedley (a real-life courtier) near the Great Hall. I could even arrange Owen’s trip upriver to Hammersmith from the Whitehall Palace steps leading down to the River Thames. I spent many happy hours perusing the Whitehall Palace plan as a fascinating research rabbit hole and an intriguing glimpse into the past.
This weekend for Rainbow Snippets, I’m snipping from my upcoming story Lucky in Love. This is the sequel to Lucky John, where we first met MCs Owen and John on the cusp of the Restoration of Charles II.
Authors who take part in Rainbow Snippets each weekend are encouraged to post a few lines from one of their stories on their blog and then link back to the group post on Facebook. I always enjoy joining in with Rainbow Snippets, especially to read and comment on everyone else’s choice of snippet.
At the start of Lucky in Love, after spending many perilous years as a Royalist messenger, Owen has settled down on the family farm with his servant and lover, John. Owen’s not best pleased to be summoned to the palace of Whitehall in London by his older brother and is even more unhappy at the prospect of John joining him on his expedition.
~~~
He sat on the end of the bed. “If we were going anywhere but the royal court in London, then I would take you without hesitation.”
“Aren’t I good enough to come with you?”
“It’s the other way around,” Owen replied without hesitation. “It’s not a decent place. Palace life doesn’t suit us ordinary folk.” Owen recalled the heedless customs of the court in exile abroad. He reckoned such indulgent behaviour would have increased a hundred-fold since the king’s return to England.
John was unconvinced. “You think I’d get into trouble.”
From our schooldays, we’re used to categorizing history by centuries, neatly packaged to define a certain age into sound bites and facts. Although this is a useful learning tool, it would be quite wrong to think that dramatic changes occur simply because of a new century or arbitrary measurement of time.
From our own family histories, we know that real life is not that streamlined. I’m sure we all have relatives whose lives spanned a change of centuries and momentous events regardless of how history is packaged.
Similarly, I was born in the twentieth century and my life has straddled the 21st. I don’t feel much different frankly. Definitely older, possibly wiser and increasingly baffled by technology!
In terms of writing, I’m shifting from The Way Home and all things Regency which I’ve been chatting about for the past few weeks back to the Restoration period for my upcoming release Lucky in Love.
It would be tempting to fall back on school book history and assume these are completely separate periods. However, as anyone who follows the wonderful lexicographer Susie Dent would know, language provides an important and ever-changing link through time.
Today, I’m chatting about two books, published within 20 years of each other that provide an extraordinary overview of language and social history.
Blackguardiana by James Caulfield, first published in 1795, is a book I dip into whenever I have a spare moment as it’s a fascinating read. It’s an informal encyclopaedia of the criminal underworld. Partly a dictionary of cant terms, Blackguardiana is threaded through with colourful anecdotes and potted biographies of notorious rogues. Its references stretch from Tudor, through Stuart times and into the late eighteenth century. Whenever I dip into this book, I feel like I’m drawn back into the distant past in an immediate and vivid way.
At first glance, Francis Grose’s 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue seems far more modern than Blackguardiana in its layout. The title describes its function as a dictionary explaining cant terms that were becoming fashionable slang at this period. This enjoyable BBC article provides great insight into the dictionary! However, Grose’s book owes a debt to Blackguardiana. Many of the words and definitions are identical in both volumes and Grose often slips into enjoyable narratives to illustrate a word with a real-life example.
Blackguardiana looks to the past for inspiration while the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue popularises gaol slang for a generation of young bucks. But these two volumes have much in common. The use of language and the salutary examples provide a bridge between the seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries which proves invaluable for writing historical fiction.
I’ve just received the cover from my lovely publisher for my upcoming release, Lucky in Love, out on April 9th and currently in the 20% pre-release sale at JMS Books and I’m sure it will be included in the JMS Books Easter sale next week, if you want to hang on for a better bargain!
Lucky in Love is the follow-up story to Lucky John, released last July which introduced Owen and John and the start of their romance in 17th century England. In Lucky in Love, these two are now an established couple, but the path to true love doesn’t necessarily run smoothly…
Blurb:
After years of exile during Commonwealth rule following the English Civil Wars, Owen Montgomery is home to stay in his Monmouthshire with John, the rescued kitchen lad who has become the light of Owen’s life.
Owen has enjoyed eighteen months of peace since his tenure as an official envoy on behalf of King Charles II. In the autumn of 1661, Owen is torn from his comfortable life by a summons from his brother, Lewis, a courtier close to the king. Owen is reluctant to take John to London, concerned about the impact of corruption and temptations of court life on such a well-meaning innocent. But how can he refuse John anything?
Owen reluctantly fulfils his duty to his brother while John gets to grips with the palace and its hazards. Can Owen continue to protect John from harm? Or might his constant vigilance stifle the man he loves?
Ellie Thomas Romance 
