Harlequin Historical Holiday Giveaway

It is that time of year again when the Harlequin Historical authors get together to have a fun month of prizes every day and one grand prize at the end. 

Look for this calendar on the participating authors websites and blogs.  You will find links by date to each author's page where they tell you how to win and what prizes they are offering.  The more times you enter the more chance you have of winning in the grand prize drawer at the end.   Find the interactive Calendar on my page, here. 

You must enter each author's contest on their day of the month. My day is December 3.


Good luck, enjoy the fun and have a wonderful holiday season.

Regency Houses ~ Saltram

Since no one guessed about the hole in the windowsill a couple of posts ago, I can tell you that it was a place to tip out the water used for bathing.

There was also a servants area upstairs, a room they used while working in the bedrooms to store linens and undertake other tasks out of sight. Known as the Service Room, some remedial cleaning would have also taken place here, shoes and boots. Perhaps the odd bit of mending.

Here are two storage areas, one inside the small room and one just outside on the landing.  These would have been full of linens, sheets, pillowslips etc. all waiting for someone to freshen up beds

 Some more tools of the trade of the upstairs maid. A bowl and a water can.  A drying rack or clothes horse. this one holds a carpet and since there was also a carpet beater hanging on the wall, see below, perhaps rugs were beaten in here also? maybe when it was raining.

And of course the delightful tin bath ready to be carried into to the bedroom of a guest or the master or mistress at a moments notice.

The table would have come in handy for the odd bit of polishing of a candlestick, and perhaps the housekeeper might have sat here while she inventoried her linens and noted what had to be repaired.
 
As promised here is our trusty carpet beater made out of cane.

Finally the view down into the courtyard. I suspect the master and mistress wouldn't want their servants day dreaming about the splendid vistas to be seen from other rooms in the house.\

Until next time happy rambles.

Falling For the Highland Rogue ~ Regency Romance

Falling for the Highland Rogue in stores today!

Disgraced lady Charity West lives in the dark world of the city's seedy underbelly. She's used and abused, yearning for freedom, and her distrust of men runs deep…until she meets Highland rogue Logan Gilvry.

Whisky runner Logan lives outside the law and is used to looking danger in the eye. Charity may just prove to be his most dangerous challenge yet. Her beauty is unrivaled, but it's her fire that lures Logan. He'll do anything to save Charity—even face her inevitable betrayal…. The Gilvrys of Dunross




Find it at:
Barnes and Noble
Chapters
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Amazon.co.uk

If you prefer an e-bok, it will be out  on December 1



 Prefer an e-book - it will be there on December 1

Night Out With Authors

On Monday I will be reading at the second Night Out With Authors from my latest novel, Falling For the Highland Rogue.

I am very honoured to be reading on the same night as Kelley Armstrong a New York Times best selling author located in the Toronto area. Click on the link if you want to know more about Night Out With Authors.

This is a new venture for me and three other authors, Margaret Moore, Mary Sullivan and Kate Bridges as we bring local authors and readers together from a variety of different genres for a night to talk about books and read from our works in a casual atmosphere.

Regency Fashion ~ November 1813

Two gowns are pictured together for this month.

The Morning Dress is described as follows:

 round dress, of jacconet muslin made up to the throat and buttoned down the back, which is still broader than they were worn last month; the waist is also a little, but it is a very little shorter than they were then. Long sleeve, which falls much off the shoulder; it is very large and loose and fastens tightly at the wrists by a letting in of lace; the sleeve descends almost to the fingers and is edged with lace The trimming of this dress is extremely elegant a very broad flounce of the same materials as the dress, is surmounted by a richly embroidery in coloured silks, and a sligh border, the pattern a wave, goes round it at bottom.  Treble ruff of pointed lace.  Hair cropped behind, and dressed in loose full curls in front.  Ear-rings of dead gold in shape of a heart; they are very small.  Slippers of slate-coloured kid made much higher round the instep than they have been worn for some time, and trimmed with a ribband to correspond.

The Dinner Dress is a frock of Devonshire brown crape, made to display the back, bosom, and shoulders as much as possible.  This exquisitely simple and becoming dress leaves us little to describe: in the form of the frock there is nothing new, but the trimming, which is of white satin is very novel and tasteful.  It is laid on in folds, which are separated into small compartments by strings of real pearls. The sleeve, which is of white satin corresponds with the flounce.  Hair partly twisted up behind, partly descending in loose ringlets on the back of the neck; the forehead shaded by a few loose and beautiful ringlets; a wreath of half-blown roses is put on rather to one side, and the whole air of the head is as youthful as possible. Pearl necklace, earrings and bracelets. White kid slippers with silver rosettes. A rich scarf of lemon colour shot with lilac is occasionally thrown over the shoulders; and a ridicule with silver clasps and tassels, finishes the dress.

We often have questions about the fastenings of gowns. Laces or buttons. The morning gown is buttoned down the back, so there we have it at least for this particular year.   I can't say I'm a fan of brown for a dinner dress, or of the novel trimming, but I was interested to see that it is shown as above the ankle.

Until next time

Regency Houses - Saltram Continued

Here is another look at the inner workings of the English Country House. This time it is upstairs, but not the upstairs of the family or guests.

Hmm. I wonder what this is, says husband.

Don't touch it, say I nervously.

Does he listen?

Of course not.



And this is what we found inside.

Now this little trapdoor is in the windowsill at the top of the servants stairs leading up to the first floor (or the 2nd Floor as we say in North America.

Any guesses?

Or are you one of those clever people who already know what this is.

Clue.  It is something to make the servants' lives easier, so we have to like it. The answers and more next time.

I know I'm a tease. So I will offer a prize this time. A draw from all those who comment for a book of your choice from the Gilvry Series-  books 1 or 2.

Until next time Happy Rambles.

Falling For the Highland Rogue Goodreads Giveaway

It's always fun to have a book coming out, it means I can do a Goodreads Giveaway. You have to enter if you want to win, so click on the link. And good luck.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Falling For The Highland Rogue

by Ann Lethbridge

Giveaway ends November 18, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Until next time, Happy Rambles