Under the Harvest Moon
Tea at a most unusual farriery
“Would your grace care for a cup of tea while you wait for your horses to be shod?” asked the farrier’s husband. Eleanor, Duchess of Winshire, smiled at the man. “Thank you. That would be very pleasant,” she said.
He ushered her and her companion around the corner of the farrier’s shed and to a spreading tree, whose shade would be much appreciated on this hot summer day. Apparently, he had anticipated her agreement, for a tea tray sat on a table flanked by several chairs.
“Scones, Mr Hughes?” she asked. “You spoil us.”
“And raspberry jam, your grace. I hope it is to your liking.” He bowed, and made to walk away.
Eleanor was burning with curiosity about the couple. “Mr Worth, can you spare me a moment?” Eleanor asked.
“Certainly, your grace. Or I could return in a moment, after I have fetched ale for your men, if it pleases you.”
He was a conundrum, was Mr Hughes. The carriage of a soldier, the manners and language of a gentleman. One arm lashed to his body as if it was useless. He treated her with courtesy and respect, but without losing any of his own dignity. She was eager to know more about him. “Of course, Mr Hughes. Please carry on.”
She poured the tea, thinking about what had brought them here. One of the horses had cast a shoe, some five miles from this little town. They had proceeded at a slow walk, and stopped at the first farriery they passed. When the driver realised that the farrier was a woman, and an obviously pregnant woman at that, he had wanted to move on. However, Eleanor had insisted of giving her their custom. It was, after all, a single shoe and a few nails.
Were female farriers common? Eleanor would not have thought so.
The scone was delicious. Eleanor was preparing a second and her companion was eyeing a third when the farrier’s husband returned. This time, he had another man with him, an elderly gentleman who was even taller than Mr Hughes, but bent with age.
“Your grace, Miss Grenford, may I present Mr Evan Hughes, my wife’s father. Evan, the fine lady is the Duchess of Winshire, and this is Miss Grenford, her companion.”
The older man nodded, his vague eyes shifting from one of them to the other. He apparently did not find them to be of interest, for he strode past them and sat down on the ground, where he proceeded to stroke a cat that appeared from under the bushes to present itself for his caresses.
Mystery upon mystery. Was the farrier’s husband a cousin, perhaps, to have the same name?
“Evan does not mean any disrespect, your grace,” Mr Hughes explained. “He is in his second childhood, but quite harmless.”
“You are related?” Eleanor asked?
“Only by marriage,” Mr Hughes said, cheerfully. “I took my wife’s name when we wed to keep the family name attached to the forge. With luck, one of our children will want to follow my wife into the business. By the way, my wife is checking all four horses, so that this doesn’t happen to you again. Your driver says you are bound for Liverpool.”
“Yes. My husband is expected to dock there within the next few days,” Eleanor explained. And she could not wait patiently at Windsgate, their country home, to see him again when a three or four days journey would reunite them so much more quickly.
“I am curious, Mr Hughes,” she admitted. “Please do not feel you have to indulge me, but I would love to know the story of how you came to settle in Cheshire, and how you met your wife.”
Mr Hughes’ smile was easy. “And I would love to tell you, your grace.”
To find out Mr Hughes’ story, read Love In Its Season, in Under the Harvest Moon, out on 10 October.
Only 99c until 18 October.
Grab Desperate Daughters and Under the Harvest Moon for only 99c
As part of our celebration of the new collection, the Bluestocking Belles are offering last year’s collection for only 99c for a short time only. Buy links here: https://books2read.com/u/bMwL17
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Spotlight on Under the Harvest Moon
We’re celebrating the first reviews as they begin to arrive. I think we have another winner, here, people. If you haven’t preordered, go for it now. The preorder price won’t last long after publication.
For preorder links, see Books2Read. https://books2read.com/UnderHarvestMoon
Tea with Lady Faith
Lady Faith Afton surveyed the large pile of open bags and boxes. Containers of all sorts with their contents strewn about the comfortable sitting room of the suite she’d occupied at Haverford House for the past two weeks.
“I don’t know how I will get all of this back to Reabridge.”
“I’m certain we have a spare carriage or two you may borrow,” the duchess said.
“I also don’t know how I can ever thank you for inviting me to stay while I shopped for my trousseau. Your advice on styles and colors has been invaluable.”
“ Nonsense Faith, my dear. We’ve been friends since we were in the schoolroom. I would have been greatly offended had you come to London on this blessed errand and not sought me out. Besides, we always had great fun shopping together when you lived in London.”
Faith smiled. “Those are very precious memories. It is good to see you Eleanor. You’ve always had such a steadying influence on me.”
“You’ve a steady enough hand yourself with that young niece of yours, if I understand correctly what you have told me of her.”
Faith sipped the last of her tea and set the cup aside.
“Oh, Charité is the best of nieces and quite practical. She would have come with me, but she and her husband Thom, my Isaac’s son, are working tirelessly to set up the day school they are founding for the local children.”
“They won’t be taking in boarders?” Eleanor asked.
“Not for the first year or two. Thom wants to establish a local reputation before branching out to teach other students.”
“Very wise. How are they financing the school?”
“Thom, who reached the rank of Captain under Wellington is very organized and thorough. Before making any definite plans or commitments, he spoke with the leading families in Reabridge and gained their support. The Duke of San Sebastian purchased and donated the land and buildings where the school will be located. Other prominent men of the area are contributing time, labour and funds. All was so well in order that we expect the school to open within a year.”
Eleanor nodded, thoughtfully. “That is a massive undertaking.”
“You would know, Eleanor,” Faith said, “You’ve sponsored educational projects throughout the country.”
“Especially for young women.”
“My niece will be working with Thom at the school so there will be education and training for all. Not just the boys.”
“Quite foresighted of the Captain,” Eleanor said, approvingly.
Faith’s eyes gleamed. “I doubt very much Charité would allow him to have it any other way. She is a force of nature, my niece.”
“Excellent.” The Duchess of Haverford put down her tea. “May I refill your cup, Faith?”
“No, I might burst if I try to consume more.” She bowed her head and looked at her hands, twisting the ring her fiancé had given her as a symbol of their love and pending marriage.
“Very well.” Eleanor sat back and waited. Something had been troubling Faith from the moment she arrived. However, she’d taken none of the many opportunities to unburden herself that Eleanor had created. Sometimes one simply had to wait.
“I have a confession to make, my friend.”
Eleanor sat forward, placing a hand on Faith’s arm. “Tell me.”
“It’s silly, really.”
Eleanor smiled and shook her head. “I doubt that.”
“At my age, I should not be nervous about my wedding night,” Faith insisted.
“Some nerves before marriage are normal, Faith.”
“But I am far from a blushing innocent. Heavens, I’ve been married before. Although, Afton, God rest him, was not the most tender of lovers. He did his duty. I regret to this day I was unable to conceive.” Faith sighed.
“You must not blame yourself.”
“I don’t.” She shook her head. “Not really. I know that both man and woman are needed to produce a babe, and the fault could lie with either or neither. I accept that God did not mean for me to be a mother. Yet, I can still regret that I was not.”
“Very well,” Eleanor agreed, “but surely this is not why you are suffering nerves about your coming nuptials.”
“No. Neither Isaac nor I expect or wish for the blessings received by Abraham in his old age.”
“Then why the nerves.”
“It’s just that…well…I’m old. I’m not the lovely young thing I was when Afton courted and married me.”
Eleanor restrained a laugh. “Do you imagine that Dr. Owen wishes you were other than you are. That you were young and sylph-like.”
“No, no. Isaac is the kindest and most loving of men.”
“Is he not older than you?”
“By a year or two.”
“And is he an Adonis?” Eleanor persisted.
“Nooo. I wouldn’t say that,” Faith acknowledged. “Although he is a very distinguished figure of a man.”
“Do you like his kisses.”
Faith blushed. “I’d not wed him if I didn’t.”
“Worry not, my friend. Your nerves will cease the morning after your wedding night.”
Lady Afton covered her face with her hands. When she dropped them, she was smiling. You are right. I’m dithering over nothing.”
There was a twinkle in Eleanor’s eyes “Most likely. But it is an exciting time, nonetheless. I suggest you enjoy it.”
“I promise to do so.”
“Now let us ring for the maids and begin packing. You have much to do before departing tomorrow morning.”
This conversation between the Duchess of Haverford and Lady Faith Afton, mentions Captain Thom Owen and Mrs.Charité Owen nee du Pessac. Thom and charite are hero and heroine of my novella, A Harvest Blessing one of the stories in the Bluestocking Belles with Friends collection Under the Harvest Moon.
About A Harvest Blessing:ter Waterloo, Captain Thom Owen is uncertain what to do with himself. Then fate casts Charité du Pessac and her aunt in his path. No gentleman would abandon a damsel as brave and kind as Miss du Pessac, but how can he help her? With no clear solution in mind, Thom escorts the ladies home to his father.
Charité ‘s aunt believes her niece and the captain are engaged, and Charité fears the captain’s father will not welcome them. She is French after all, and while the captain might not object to her nationality, others—like his father—might disapprove of a marriage between former enemies.
About Under the Harvest Moon
A Bluestocking Belles with Friends Collection
By Caroline Warfield, Jude Knight, Sherry Ewing, Cerise DeLand, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Collette Cameron, Mary Lancaster, Alina K. Field, and Rue Allyn
As the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war.
But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge.
With two prominent families feuding for generations and the central event of the Harvest Moon festival looming, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface.
Nine award winning and bestselling authors have combined their talents to create this engaging and enchanting collection of interrelated tales. Under the Harvest Moon promises an unforgettable read for fans of Regency romance.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/UnderHarvestMoon
About Rue Allyn:
Author of historical and contemporary romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. (She claims she was a precocious little brat who read at the age of two but she could hear much earlier than that.) She studied literature for far too many years before discovering that writing stories was much more fun than writing about them. One of her greatest pleasures as an author is being able to share her stories with so many other readers. Rue is happily married to her sweetheart of many, many years.
Insatiably curious, and avid reader and traveler, she loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real-life adventures. Crazy Cat stories are especially welcome. You may contact her at Rue@RueAllyn.com. She can’t wait to hear from you.
Research takes us down byways and along highways
How inspiration works is a true mystery. Nonetheless I am grateful that it does work. When I began to draft my novella A Harvest Blessing, I knew that my hero, a vicar’s son returning home after Waterloo, would be walking up the path to knock on the front door of the vicarage, his childhood home.
But I’d never been to a vicarage, nor met a vicar for that matter. Thus, my first research efforts for this story were not about Waterloo, or British soldiers, or even French emigres. My heroine is one of those. No, my first research was about this building, the pathway leading to it, and the front door. I could see the entire event in my mind’s eye, but I could not have described the materials from which the house was constructed. For that I needed a picture or two and perhaps a description of a vicarage as it might have looked in 1815. I must have spent an hour searching for period accurate images of vicar’s homes. I found several, but the one that struck me as most like the home of Thom Owen and his father is pictured on the right.
I was doubly blessed when I found this image because it came with a description. The description references a ‘refacing’ circa 1872 but also refers to a number of the building’s features that existed prior to that time.
“House, early C18, altered early C19 and extended at front and largely refaced, probably by John Douglas 1872. Stone-dressed brick; tiled roofs. 2 storeys plus attic. Jacobean. Cross-gable right; octagonal entrance turret with spire (coved plaster eaves); recessed, lower,service wing left with cross-gable at end. Mullioned windows of stone and brick; leaded glazing; oak door in stone surround, mid C20 to wall behind turret; panelled brickwork; plastered gables with brick diapering. A well-composed vernacular revival reworking of an older house; the expression and materials strongly suggest John Douglas as architect.
Interior. Amongst many later C19 features of good quality, with some C20 modifications which fully maintain the character, an early C18 oak-panelled room and the open-well oak stair with 3 turned balusters per step and oak dado panelling are major items.” [Same Source as Photo]
Below is the text of the scene in which Captain Owen finally comes home.
EXCERPT from A Harvest Blessing
Captain Thomas Paul Owen recommended the ladies remain in the carriage and approached the vicarage door. Memories threatened to swamp him.
His mother holding his hand as they followed Papa to church. Then, a year later, following his father alone.
The years of silent meals and disciplined study. Thank heaven he loved to read. His mother may have died, but his father did his duty by his son. Successful study was praised. Failure received frowns and a warning to try harder.
As he’d grown older, he’d tried to discuss topics his father categorically said were wrong. Those attempts had met with many a supperless night. Until the final disagreement that had sent him from home.
Thom raised his hand to the knocker. His heart raced, and his empty stomach knotted. He clutched the iron ring in the lion’s mouth, waiting for the familiar and fearsome dizziness to pass.
His father’s last words to him rang in his ears. “Don’t do this, son. God forbids killing for good reason. War and taking others’ lives can break a man’s soul.”
He’d turned his back on his father and had gone off to fight Boney along with his childhood friends. Too many of them had died. Those few who survived returned home broken in body or spirit or both.
Thom was one of those. War had broken him—part of him, but he could never confess such to his father. The right reverend, Doctor Joshua Issac Owen, Vicar of Reabridge saw everything through the lens of unshakeable faith. It would give him no pleasure to say ‘I told you so.’ Nonetheless he would say it, and Thom had no wish to hear it. His soul might be held together by a thread, but he had some pride.
Finally steady, he rapped the iron ring on the wood three times. More than once in the journey from England’s southeast coast, he’d told himself this was a bad idea. But he had exhausted all options. Others depended on him now. He must swallow his fears and his remaining shreds of pride to seek help for them.
About A Harvest Blessing: After Waterloo, Captain Thom Owen is uncertain what to do with himself. Then fate casts Charité du Pessac and her aunt in his path. No gentleman would abandon a damsel as brave and kind as Miss du Pessac, but how can he help her? With no clear solution in mind, Thom escorts the ladies home to his father.
Charité ‘s aunt believes her niece and the captain are engaged, and Charité fears the captain’s father will not welcome them. She is French after all, and while the captain might not object to her nationality, others—like his father—might disapprove of a marriage between former enemies.
About Under the Harvest Moon, A Bluestocking Belles with Friends Collection
By Caroline Warfield, Jude Knight, Sherry Ewing, Cerise DeLand, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Collette Cameron, Mary Lancaster, Alina K. Field, and Rue Allyn
As the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war.
But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge.
With two prominent families feuding for generations and the central event of the Harvest Moon festival looming, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface.
Nine award winning and bestselling authors have combined their talents to create this engaging and enchanting collection of interrelated tales. Under the Harvest Moon promises an unforgettable read for fans of Regency romance.
***
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/UnderHarvestMoon
About Rue Allyn
Author of historical and contemporary romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. (She claims she was a precocious little brat who read at the age of two but could hear much earlier than that.) She studied literature for far too many years before discovering that writing stories was much more fun than writing about them. One of her greatest pleasures as an author is being able to read the story before anyone else. Rue is happily married to her sweetheart of many, many years. Insatiably curious, an avid reader and traveler, she loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real-life adventures. Crazy Cat stories are especially welcome. You can contact her at Rue@RueAllyn.com. She can’t wait to hear from you.
Corn Dollies: a guest post from Alina K. Field
In researching British harvest festivals for Under the Harvest Moon, we came across the tradition of weaving corn dollies.
Corn, for American readers, refers to cereal grains such as wheat or barley, and though spirits are involved, the dolly is not a human-shaped creation like a voodoo doll!
When the harvest was almost finished, the last of the sheaves were taken and made into a corn dolly. Corn dollies are created by weaving stalks of grain, often into hollow spirals, a place where the Corn Spirit, perhaps the goddess Ceres, could stay during the winter months.
When ploughing started, a farmer would place the dolly hosting the Corn Spirit into the first furrow to be ploughed back into the earth to ensure a good growing season.
In the fictional Cheshire town of Reabridge, the harvest festival includes a corn doll contest. I can only imagine the beautiful woven designs that adorned the town’s homes and hearths!
Link to a video about making traditional corn dolls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYpcfzd4ov0
Also, Wikipedia has a good article on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_dolly
Under the Harvest Moon, A Bluestocking Belles with Friends Collection
By Caroline Warfield, Jude Knight, Sherry Ewing, Cerise DeLand, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Collette Cameron, Mary Lancaster, Alina K. Field, and Rue Allyn
As the village of Reabridge in Cheshire prepares for the first Harvest Festival following Waterloo, families are overjoyed to welcome back their loved ones from the war.
But excitement quickly turns to mystery when mere weeks before the festival, an orphaned child turns up in the town—a toddler born near Toulouse to an English mother who left clues that tie her to Reabridge.
With two prominent families feuding for generations and the central event of the Harvest Moon festival looming, tensions rise, and secrets begin to surface.
Nine award winning and bestselling authors have combined their talents to create this engaging and enchanting collection of interrelated tales. Under the Harvest Moon promises an unforgettable read for fans of Regency romance.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/UnderHarvestMoon
Under the Champagne Moon by Alina K Field
Orphaned by the French Revolution and rescued by a British family, Fleur Hardouin was a solemn and often sullen child. She didn’t—or wouldn’t—speak, until the jolly young Gareth Ardleigh crossed her path one summer and saved her from bullies.
Fifteen years later, Fleur’s life takes another twist when she and the beloved lady she serves lose their home and return to the town of Reabridge. Determined to rescue them both through an advantageous marriage, Fleur tries to brush off the attention she receives from Captain Gareth Ardleigh, who’s home from the wars and as handsome as ever. Her heart longs for him, but her head knows he can’t provide the security she needs.
Gareth’s excuse for visiting Reabridge is to deliver the personal effects of his best friend who perished at Quatre Bras. But his real purpose is finding the little French girl he met years ago, for marriage—not to him, but to the Frenchman who helped save his life. Little does Fleur know that she’s heir to a wealthy French vintner who’s demanded Gareth’s help finding Fleur as repayment of his rescue from Napoleon’s army.
Astonished to find that Fleur has grown into a beautiful—and still intriguing—young woman, it soon becomes clear he must choose between honoring a promise or trying to win the hand of the woman he loves.
Author Biography:
USA Today bestselling author Alina K. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and German literature but prefers the happier world of romance fiction. Her roots are in the Midwestern U.S., but after six very, very, very cold years in Chicago, she moved to Southern California where she shares a midcentury home with a golden-eyed terrier and a feisty chihuahua and only occasionally misses snow.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://alinakfield.com/
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alina-K.-Field/e/B00DZHWOKY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alinakfield
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlinaKField
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alina-k-field
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173518.Alina_K_Field
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alinakf/
Newsletter signup: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z6q6e3
Share Under the Harvest Moon to win: Week 3
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Spotlight on “Moonlight Wishes and Midnight Kisses” in Under the Harvest Moon
by Collette Cameron
Chronicles of the Westbrook Brides
Time can heal most wounds. Only love can heal what remains…
A wounded veteran with no future…
There was a time when Cortland Marlow-Westbrook wanted little more than to marry the Scottish lass who stole his heart and build a life with her. But that was before the war left its mark on his body and soul. Now, scarred and disabled, all he wants is to be left alone. Unfortunately, fate—and the only woman he ever loved—have another plan in mind…
An heiress who mourns the past…
Avery Levingtone was heartbroken when Cortland went off to war and never responded to a single letter she sent. But now he’s back, and she refuses to waste the second chance they’ve been given. She’ll do whatever it takes to win back her wounded warrior’s heart and prove they were meant to be together—or she’ll remain a spinster forever. On this there can be no compromise…
Can Cortland overcome the pain of his past and embrace a loving future with Avery? Or will he deny his happily ever after…and hers?
***
Share Under the Harvest Moon to win!
Want to help the Belles spread the word about our wonderful new book? And to have a chance at these great prizes? Enter our rafflecopter!
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b4ecd9341/?
All you have to do is tweet about us, and share some of the memes you’ll find here: https://bluestockingbelles.net/weeklygiveaway/ on any social media. In Rafflecopter, paste in your tweet and mark the share as done.
This week’s meme highlight’s Caroline Warfield’s story, and there’s 24 hours left to share as hard as you can.
