More Tidbits on Cornwall by A.M.Westerling

A fugitive young mother, a desperate Viscount and a rough and tumble gold rush town. What could possibly go wrong? Find Barkerville Beginnings at your favourite online store HERE.

As a writer of historical romance, it’s my job to provide enough details of the setting to make my readers feel as if they are living in that particular time period. The romance is the main plot but events of the era I’m writing in give me secondary story lines. For example, I discovered smuggling was rampant in Cornwall during the 18^th and 19^th centuries so that became the background of the soon to be released Sophie's Choice, the story of Lady Sophie Harrington and Lord Bryce Langdon, set in Cornwall in 1805.

Research plays a part in anything I write which I absolutely love because I always discover interesting facts. Here are a few things I didn’t incorporate into the book:

- Not only tin and copper were mined. In the mid 1700s, China clay was discovered and the scars of long ago mines can be seen from space. The clay is used in the manufacture of paper and porcelain and unlike copper and tin, this industry is still a going concern today.

- I only mentioned fishing in passing but fishing was also a mainstay of the Cornish economy particularly pilchards which are a variety of small oily fish related to herrings. ‘Huers’ standing on cliff tops would direct fishing boats to giant shoals of pilchards. Many boats would hold onto a large net, creating a circle which closed to capture the fish. They were sold abroad to countries such as Italy and Spain and these exports were such an important part of the local economy, a ditty was sung about them: “Here’s to the health of the Pope and may he repent and lengthen six months the term of his Lent. It’s always declared betwixt the two poles, there’s nothing like pilchards for saving of souls.”

- The Cornish climate is warmer than much of the rest of the British Isles so agriculture also played an important part with crops such as corn, wheat, barley and oats. Also the raising of livestock such as cattle, milk cows, pigs, chickens and geese.

So concludes my study of Cornwall. For now. 😊

Stay tuned for Leah’s Surrender, the story of the middle Harrington daughter.

For more information on Cornwall's history, check out: www.cornwalls.co.uk/history/industrial

  

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And here you have it, the final excerpt before my April release date. A gentle reminder, I’ve been posted excerpts of Sophie’s Choice here on the 25^th of every month. Happy reading!

Sunbeams streamed into the morning room when Sophie entered. The pleasant, cheery space always brought a smile to her face, what with the starched white eyelet curtains, yellow and white checked table-cloth and painted blue ladderback chairs.

She helped herself to scrambled eggs, bread and ham before sitting down. Mama poured her tea and Sophie added cream and sugar, stirring until the liquid frothed.

Leah was already seated and flashed a sour look at Sophie. She returned the look with an innocent look of her own. Had Leah noticed Bryce’s glances towards Sophie last night while dining? Was that the reason for her sister’s foul mood?

Sophie raised her brows. “I swear you got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” she whispered.

Leah scowled but remained silent. She stabbed a piece of ham with her fork with such force her curls jostled.

“Leah,” warned Mama. “After our conversation this morning, I expect better conduct from you.”

“Yes Mama.”

Pointedly Leah ignored her sister which brought a small grin to Sophie’s lips. Leah needed a comeuppance every now and again and it appeared as if Mama had delivered. Her sister’s expression was, if not exactly chastened, peeved. It had nothing to do with Bryce’s glances at supper last evening. No one had noticed and Sophie hugged that thought to herself. That and the remembrance of dark eyes warm and admiring on her. Now she and Lord Langdon had two secrets to share – their stolen glances last night and their accidental meeting earlier in the day. Her hands trembled as she lifted the cup to her lips. When could she see him again?

Lady Harrington spoke then. “I am visiting Lord Langdon this afternoon. I had thought to bring Sophie.”

“Me?” Sophie swung about to look at her mother. She couldn’t believe her ears. No sooner had she wished for another encounter with Langdon and the fates delivered. She kept her expression neutral. No point in raising suspicion in her mother who already had her hands full with one daughter being altogether too familiar with the man. Her mother would surely swoon if she learned of the meeting at the beach yesterday.

“Yes, Sophie, you. The head mistress was most complimentary about your assistance in the school’s library so I suspect you have a very good idea of what needs to be done to organize Lord Langdon’s library.”

“Mama, please may I come? I’ve naught to do today,” said Leah.

Sophie raised her brows again and looked at her sister with a grudging admiration. She had to admit Leah had impudence. Or no sense whatsoever, to tread in forbidden territory so soon after her mother’s admonition. But then again, Leah desperately wanted to find a husband and apparently Lord Bryce Langdon was her target.

Evelyn’s lips tightened. “No, you may not. I’ll have no repeat of your embarrassing actions of last night. Your task for the day is to oversee the maids in the bedrooms. The mattresses are to be turned and the carpets taken outside to be pounded.”

“Yes, Mama,” Leah said, her voice small. Her shoulders slumped and she looked, for the moment anyway, defeated.

The act didn’t fool Sophie one bit. Leah, desperate for a suitor, would not give up that easily. Eligible bachelors did not come along all that often here in Cornwall, far from the London scene. Which suited Sophie eminently and brought her back to her mother’s conversation yesterday about the upcoming London season. Bryce’s words last evening of him being a prize had put her to thinking. Had he mentioned that as an indication of his interest in her? The thought brought a lightness to her chest, that a man and a handsome one at that, found her attractive. Perhaps she should set her sights on him thereby solving two problems with one solution – pleasing her mother by marrying without the drudgery of London’s social scene. Surely a barrister would be a suitable match and would satisfy her parents.

But would it put her at direct odds with her sister? Despite the odd argument and despite Leah’s unfortunate behaviour last night, the sisters got along well and Sophie was loathe to disturb that harmony. No, she decided. Leah was only eighteen and Papa had made it clear none of the girls were to marry young. So yes, perchance it was not totally outlandish for Sophie to consider Lord Bryce Langdon as a potential husband.

A shiver whisked down her spine at the thought of seeing him this afternoon. Would he be pleased to see her again?

The Vikings in Cornwall by A.M.Westerling

 Find A Heart Enslaved at your favourite online store HERE.

I thought if I wanted to highlight my Viking romance while promoting Sophie’s Choice, Book One of my Regency series, The Ladies of Harrington House set in Cornwall, England, I had better find a link between the two. And sure enough I found it.

Although we tend to think of Cornwall as being in the far west, 1000 years ago Vikings traveling down the Irish Sea considered Cornwall a central gathering point. From here ships sailed to the south of England or across the English Channel to Frankia. They raided often for example attacking the monastery at Padstow in 980 and in 997 sailing up the Tamar river to attack the abbey at Tavistock. 

Photo of the Tamar River By Tony Atkin, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12499850

However, they also traded as actively in the area as they did in the Loire and the Seine valleys. The Orkney sagas indicate that the Vikings used the Isles of Scilly just off the Cornish coast as a base. Lundy, the island in the Bristol Channel, is an Old Norse word for Puffin Island which also proves the Viking route.

There’s not a lot of archaeological evidence of the Vikings in Cornwall – a few sculptures with Scandinavian art motifs such as the cross at Cardinham in East Cornwall on the edge of Bodmin Moor which is similar to works from the Viking age in northern England. Common in Cornwall are “hogback” stone sculptures thought to be grave markers. They’re not found in Scandinavia and are believed to have been invented by Viking settlers in England. They have a pronounced ridge and look like a small stone long house like Lanivet near Bodmin. They may have been the work of itinerant sculptors and it’s a strong possibility the patrons may have been Scandinavian settlers. (Below is a cast of a 10th C hogback stone from Govan Old Parish Church in the Kelvin Grove Art Gallery and Museum in Glascow.)

However, people searching in the West Country over the past few years are discovering increasing numbers of metal objects from the period such as Viking dress-fittings, lead weights, coins and silver ingots. Also all manner of gear for horses which strikes me as odd because I mostly associate Vikings with long ships!

Later during Viking times Cornwall was allowed to continue as an independent nation as long as they paid danegeld to the Kings of Denmark. If you're interested in learning more about the Vikings in Cornwall, you might like to check out the following websites:uth-wst were not immune from the atD,

https://www.cornwalllife.co.uk/out-about/places/the-return-of-the-vikings-1-1631755

www.theconversation.com/viking-invaders-struck-deep-into-the-west-of-england-and-may-have-stuck-around-57598

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/01/25/hogbacks-stone-carved-viking-monuments-generally-accepted-as-grave-markers/

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If you've been following my blog posts on the 25th of every month, you know I've been including excerpts from Sophie's Choice, coming in April. Here's the next one!

 “Oh, I assure you, Lady Sophie, I find none of your skills lacking. You ride admirably well, your voice is lovely and it’s obvious you’re not one to kowtow to society’s rules.” The scamp. Again he referred to their unexpected meeting earlier today.

“By your comments, you demonstrate you are not one to follow proper etiquette,” she sniffed.

He chuckled and poured himself another glass of wine. “What is proper etiquette far from the madding crowd? We comport ourselves as we see fit for the occasion, do we not?”

“Far from the madding crowd? Do you favour the works of Thomas Gray?” She cocked her head and dared look at him full on. So much for being the coquette. Why should that comment surprise her? As a barrister, he would be a man of letters.

He blinked, whether from surprise at her question or her bold stare she didn’t know. “You’re familiar with his poem, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard?””

“Why does that astonish you?” She finally let go of the table and reached for the wine.

“May I?” He leaned past her and snagged a glass for her. He pointed towards the red wine and at her nod, poured.

She caught the fruity aroma as he handed her the wine and her head spun. Since when did the fragrance wine affect her? When Lord Bryce Langdon handed it to her, that’s when.

“You haven’t answered me,” he said. “About the poem.”

“I do enjoy reading a well written poem,” she began. “Because I enjoy time well spent in my father’s library with a good book of poetry. Shakespeare for one, although that may not be considered pure poetry. Lord Byron. Percy Shelley.”

“Since when do you enjoy poetry?” Leah interrupted. She’d made her way over to stand on the other side of Bryce at the table. “You never comment favorably on what I write.” Her sister flicked open her fan and gazed at him above the lacy edge.

Sophie ground her teeth at the blatant adoration in her sister’s eyes. “I dare say there’s a fair discrepancy between what Gray and Byron write and what you consider poetry.”

“We shall let Lord Langdon be the judge, then, shall we not? It’s almost time for me to read aloud my work and we shall ask.” She fluttered her eye lashes at Bryce, who appeared not to notice.

If Leah batted her eye lashes one more time, Sophie thought, she would bat her sister right out of the room. She’d not stoop to arguing with her in front of Bryce Langdon, though. Instead, she fixed her gaze on her sister and glared. Her sister had the grace to blush; she looked away. Good. Maybe the minx finally realized her behaviour was totally beyond the pale.

“Which I most assuredly look forward to,” said Langdon. A smile hovered over his lips and he clamped his mouth as if to ward it off. “If you ladies shall excuse me, I’ll return to my seat.” He bowed and walked away.

“Really, Leah, must you be so forward? Mama will be having fits over your actions tonight.” Sophie shook her head.

“You’re jealous because he favours me. Did you see the look on his face when I mentioned I wrote poetry? Nothing but admiration.” Leah flounced off.

Lady Harrington stood and raised a hand. “Attention all, shall we continue with our program?” At the murmurs of assent, she waved Leah over to the music stand by the pianoforte, who flipped through the sheaf of papers on the stand.

“My poem is not here,” she said. “I left it here earlier.” She glowered at Sophie. “What have you done with it?”

“Oh my, you must search again. It was there when I finished my piece,” Sophie insisted.

“Lord Langdon, perhaps you could help me search?” Leah cast a beseeching look towards him.

Bryce frowned and he rubbed his hand along his jaw, uncomfortable with the request.

“Come Leah, there’s no need to bother our guest,” said Lady Harrington. “Sophie, perhaps you misplaced it.”

I did not. Leah is playing another one of her tricks. “Let me look.” Someone snickered. Bryce, perhaps? Sophie hoped not. She could smack Leah for her antics this evening, how childish he must find the two of them. At least Catherine had retired to a chair by the window and kept out of it. She watched the proceedings with an innocent look on her face, no doubt enjoying the spectacle being put on by Leah.

Sophie made her way to the stand. “It’s here, you ninnywit,” she whispered to Leah, pulling the sheets of poetry from beneath the music. Sophie raised her voice. “No harm, it’s here. Leah must have missed it in her fluster to read for our company.”

She turned to find a seat; Bryce gestured to the chair beside him, the one on which Leah had sat. Turnabout is fair play, she thought. She glanced at Leah. Her sister’s eyes popped from her head and she looked about to have a fit. Watch me, thought Sophie, watch how a lady comports herself for a gentleman. Although earlier today, he’d implied otherwise and perhaps he had a point seeing as how he had found her bare foot and bare headed. Nonetheless, this evening she would conduct herself beyond reproach and worthy of mention in the pages of WHAT. Bryce rose and offered his hand. She lowered her gaze, placed one hand in his, collected her skirts with the other and sat down.

“Have I mentioned how delightful you look this evening?” When she shot him a glance, he quirked a dark eyebrow.

“I thought you preferred my attire of this afternoon.”

He chuckled at her sharp rejoinder. “Ah, but there’s nothing more lovely than a lady in her evening dress. But yes, you looked delightful earlier. I daresay there’s not a moment you don’t look utterly delightful.”

She flushed at the compliment and looked away. “You are too kind.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hands on his thighs. Firm hands, manicured, a bit tanned. He didn’t spend all his time inside ensconced with his books then. She flapped open her fan and peeked at him from behind the safety of the printed silk. She sat up straight, folded her fan, and put her hands in her lap. This is how a proper lady sat.

She hoped he noticed.

So conscious of his presence was she, she heard none of Leah’s poetry. Not that it mattered, she’d heard those three particular poems many times before. Leah tried but her poetry tended to be quite insipid.

Instead, she could only hear the man beside her – the sough of his breath, slow and steady. The occasional creak of his chair as he shifted position. The tap of his boot on the parquet floor. He leaned down to brush something off his pantaloon and she lifted her nose to catch his scent, a whiff of leather and citrus. So crisp, so masculine, so – enticing.

Leah finished her recitation and Lady Harrington stood, waiting for the applause to die down before saying anything. “Thank you, Leah, that was utterly charming. Now, if all of you could follow me, supper is served. Leah, you and Catherine shall pair.”

“Oh,” Leah pouted. “I had thought to ask Lord Langdon his opinion on my poetry.” She threw a pleading look towards Bryce that made Sophie want to vomit.

“That is quite enough, Leah,” said Lady Harrington. She looked at Bryce. “I must apologize for my daughter’s outspoken ways.”

“If I may, I found the reading most agreeable,” said their guest, oozing politeness. “Lady Leah is indeed a young lady of talent.” Leah preened herself at Bryce’s words and darted a victorious glance in Sophie’s direction. She made a move towards Langdon but one glance from her mother convinced her otherwise and with a shake of the head, she linked her arm with Catherine’s.

Despite Leah’s best attempts and to Sophie’s delight, she found herself paired with Bryce.

“Do you enjoy yourself?” Sophie managed to whisper as they made their way to the dining room. “You must find us bumpkins.”

“Not at all,” he murmured. “I am flattered to find myself considered a prize worth pursuing.” This time a smile spread fully across his lips, brightening his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

So, he had noticed Leah’s behaviour because Leah evidently considered him worth pursuing. However, had he noticed Sophie sitting beside him? Had he been as aware of her as she had been of him?

“I would think many have thought of you as a prize?” A prying question, to be sure and she astonished herself with her boldness. “I must ask, what game do you think we play, sir, that you are the end reward?”

“A game of your choosing.” He inclined his head. “As far as the spoils going to the victor, I suppose some may think me a good catch but it seems to me the attraction must go both ways for any union to be successful. Do you agree?”

Oh my, now who asked the bold question? She looked up at him and his eyes were on her, intent on her answer.

“Why yes. One need only look to my parents to see the proof of that.”

He handed her off and maneuvered past the chairs to his place at the far end of the table. Just as well they didn’t sit together, she was sure she couldn’t eat a bite if he were beside or directly across from her.

But almost every time she looked up, his eyes were on her. And if they weren’t, within a second or two they were, as if he could feel her gaze.

Her stomach fluttered with nerves and excitement at his perusal. It didn’t help her appetite but it helped with her self confidence. He gazed at her.

Not Leah.

Her.