The Country House Courtship
Page 35
8. If you had been in Beatrice’s shoes, would you have held out for a man like Barton (wealthy and urbane) only with a more honourable character? Or allowed the earnest and kind Mr. O’Brien to “turn your head” as she did?
9. In your opinion, do people today still have to choose between false promises of wealth vs. what matters most? (ie. love and family)
10. How have you avoided the pitfalls of the world’s temptations in your own life at times? Have you ever successfully chosen what is best over what appears “good”? Share with others how this happened.
About the Author
Linore Rose Burkard lives with her husband and five children in a town full of antique stores and gift shops in southwestern Ohio. She homeschooled her children for ten years. Raised in New York, she graduated magna cum laude from the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.
Ms. Burkard began writing her books about Ariana Forsythe because she could not find an Inspirational Regency Romance on the bookshelves of any store. “There were Christian books that approached the genre,” she says, “but they fell short of being a genuine Regency. I finally gave up looking and wrote what I was looking for myself.” She also enjoys writing articles, reading, parenting, family movie nights, swimming, and gardening.
Linore enjoys hearing from her readers. She can be reached at admin@LinoreRoseBurkard.com. Be sure to visit her on the web at http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com. Sign up for her free mailing list and receive her monthly illustrated newsletter, as well as news and announcements about her latest writing projects or books. If you aren’t online but would like to contact Linore, please write to her at
Linore Rose Burkard
c/o Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North
Eugene, OR 97402
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Linore’s two previous novels about the Forsythes are…
In her debut novel Linore Rose Burkard tells the intriguing story of Miss Ariana Forsythe, a young woman caught between her love for a man who doesn’t share her faith and her resolution to marry only a fellow believer in Christ.
Trouble at home sends the young woman to her aunt’s townhome in the fashionable Mayfair district of London. There she finds worse troubles than those that prompted her flight from home! Ariana is soon neck-deep in high society and at odds with Mr. Phillip Mornay, London’s current darling rogue. Then a scandal changes Ariana forever. Her heart, her faith, and her future are all at stake in an unexpected adventure that gains even the Prince Regent’s attention.
Will Ariana’s faith survive this test? And what about her heart? For it’s Ariana’s heart that most threatens to betray the truths she has always believed in. When she finds herself backed against a wall, betrothed to the wrong young man, how can it ever turn out right?
Jane Austen readers and fans of Regency romances everywhere will love Before the Season Ends.
Readers who loved the author’s first book, Before the Season Ends, will delight in this charming sequel set in Regency London.
As Ariana Forsythe plans her wedding to Philip Mornay, she must adjust to the realization that she is soon to become the wife of an extremely wealthy man. She wonders if it’s wrong to rejoice that her future husband is rich. But she promises herself to use her new position to do what she can to aid the numerous street waifs she sees all too often in London.
During a tour of her future home—the house in Grosvenor Square—Ariana makes plans to redecorate according to her tastes. But when Philip arrives home later, he is informed that an expensive silver candlestick and a miniature portrait of George III have gone missing. Moreover, each time Ariana visits the house, accompanied by a friend or relation, another item disappears.
Shortly thereafter Ariana is abducted leaving Phillip to unravel the pieces of the mystery. Where has his future bride been taken, and by whom? For what reason? How does Ariana’s faith play a role?
Finally, after the safe return of his intended, how does Phillip—a man of intense discrimination in his tastes—find the many alterations in his house? And what on earth is behind the sudden influx of bills from every charity in London, all thanking him profusely for his uncommon generosity? Will he have second thoughts about his future bride?
Other fine fiction from Harvest House Publishers…
Lori Wick’s English Garden Series
England, 1810…
BOOK ONE
William, a confirmed bachelor, becomes guardian to three children. When the girl’s nanny proves abusive, William seeks counsel from his sister and her husband and meets Marianne—who changes his beliefs about women and God.
BOOK TWO
Anne’s father, the sword-flourishing, full regimental-wearing “Colonel,” is unwell. But the only real battle is Anne’s—living as a gentleman’s daughter on a pauper’s means.
When newcomer Robert Weston visits their cottage while inspecting his new estate, Anne accidentally topples into his arms from a ladder. The Colonel, mistaking the scene, demands honor for Anne and a hasty “marriage” takes place to calm him.
But the Colonel’s recounting of events does painful damage to Anne’s reputation. As Anne and Robert struggle with the situation, admiration grows. Could a real marriage cure the heartache caused by a false one?
BOOK THREE
When Londoner Alexander Tate is thrown from his horse, he loses his vision. After placing patches over his eyes in hopes that rest will restore his sight, the doctor recommends that Tate leave the city to convalesce in the fresh air of the country.
Tate’s aunt Harriet offers to go with him to Collingbourne, where she meets the Steele family. Warm and caring, the Steele siblings are surprisingly generous to the newcomers. Tate doesn’t need his vision to know that when this family reaches out, the unexpected is bound to happen. And happen it does when Tate finds himself falling in love. Just one question remains. Will one of the beautiful Steele sisters love him in return?
BOOK FOUR
Edward Steele is at last on his way home and determined to be in Collingbourne before Christmas—but that was before he met Denley and Osborne.
Sailing from Africa to England, Edward meets these two very different men aboard ship. Osborne chooses to ignore everyone while Denley and Edward find themselves much together. But as their journey continues, Denley begins to feel unwell. By the time the ship stops in Lisbon, Portugal, he is very sick indeed.
Not able to ignore his traveling companion’s plight, Edward abandons his goal of going home and disembarks with Denley and Osborne. He never dreams that his association with them will lead to the mysterious Nicola Bettencourt, a woman who captivates and confounds him in equal measures.
“The strength of the series lies in the manner in which Wick artfully presents the reality of needing a relationship with Christ. This uncompromising view has characters grappling with their own feelings, in light of the gospel.”
—CHRISTIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL
A Short Glossary for
The Country House Courtship
Advowson—In English law, holding an advowson is having the right to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice (a church office, such as a curacy, or vicarage, or rectorship) in a parish.
Mr. Mornay holds the advowson to Glendover, and is given “honorary” (ie., fictional) rights to the nearby parish of Warwickdon for the sake of
Mr. O’Brien by a big-hearted author.
Benefice—The term benefice, or “living,” is used in the Church of England to describe a parish and, literally, its benefits (namely, the church and the parsonage house, a glebe or land, if it is attached, and so on).
The benefice at Warwickdon is replete with a furnished parsonage, a sizeable glebe, and even a carriage for the clergyman’s use, as said author could not see leaving Mr. O’Brien high and dry in the country without an equipage. He will, however, encounter the necessity of purchasing carriage horses, himself, which he must do on his own, out of the resources allotted him.
Curate—full title is “Perpetual Curate.” An ordained minister, a curate is a person who is invested with the care, or cure, of souls of a parish. In the Church of England, a curate was generally hired by a vicar or rector and lived upon a set wage, with no benefit of tithes. He performed all the duties of a parson, and was hierarchically beneath the vicar, who in turn was beneath a rector.
When the book opens, Mr. O’Brien is a poor curate, and poor curates were not uncommon in Regency England (or Georgian or Victorian England, for that matter). By the time of our happy ending, our poor curate is on his way to being a vicar (at Glendover), with an excellent benefice, and also holds a curacy in the nearby parish of Warwickdon. This means he will preside at services for both parishes, unless he chooses to hire his own curate for the second one.
Glebe—The land belonging to a benefice in addition to the parsonage and grounds; a glebe was intentionally assigned to help with the support of the priest or parson, either by his own use in farming, or he could let it (lease it out), and the income from the lease would add to his stipend. At times a glebe could be attached to the grounds of the parsonage, but was not always (in other words, the land might be a short distance from the house).
Magistrate—A magistrate during the regency was commonly a lay justice of the peace who sat voluntarily as a service to the community. In small villages and towns the magistrate was most often the wealthiest landowner or noble of highest rank.
Mr. Mornay is the magistrate at Glendover as he is the owner of the “big house,” and the man with the most holdings.
Mama—At this time, the word was always pronounced in upper class society with the accent upon the last syllable (ma-MA). Same for pa-PA.
A regency reader must never refer to a MOMMA! It is always ma-MA!
Nursemaid—A servant who helped in the nursery or schoolroom for the children in upper class households.
Nursery—The room or suite of rooms in upper-class houses used for the youngest members of a household. They spent most of their time here, including sleeping and often eating, as well. Once the children were old enough for tutelage, they either moved to a schoolroom, or the nursery was converted to one.
The Mornay’s nursery is actually a suite of rooms including sleeping quarters for both the children and their nurse and nursemaids, as well as toys and other juvenile paraphernalia and furniture.
Ordinary—The Ordinary in a church is generally a bishop of a parish or group of parishes; he must approve all newly nominated beneficiaries (clergymen nominated for a benefice).
Parish—The local church; an administrative (and often geographical) unit within the larger church body.
Fortunately for Mr. O’Brien, the parishes of Glendover and Warwickdon are not more than a few miles apart, meaning that he may preside at services for both if he wishes, without having to travel extensively, and without the expense of having to hire his own curate.
Rector—A rector can be an academic or ecclesiastical title; this book is concerned only with the ecclesiastical (church). A rector would directly receive both the greater and lesser tithes of his parish, unless he had a vicar who would get the lesser tithes. He also had all the rights to the glebe, parsonage, etc.
Special License—Though there were many legalities concerning marriage by the time of the Regency, the ancient right of the Archbishop of Canterbury to grant “special licenses” for marriage was retained. Thus, for around £5 or so, a special license could be obtained allowing a couple (of proper age) to marry at any time and place, within three months, at which point the license expired. The marriage had to be performed by an Anglican minister unless one was Jewish or a Quaker.
Tithes; lesser tithes, greater tithes—Tithes are the monies paid into a parish church by its constituents, historically 10 percent, which during the Regency was based upon taxing agricultural output. The “greater tithes” were those levied upon wheat, hay, and wood; the “lesser tithes” were levied upon all other farm yields.
Vicar—from the latin word Vicarius meaning, “in place of.” The vicar presides in the place of the actual rector of a parish, who for any number of reasons has opted to live elsewhere. The rector retained the rights to the greater tithes of a parish, while the vicar was entitled to the lesser tithes.
Warden—The warden was most often in charge of seeing to the upkeep of the church (except for the chancel, which fell to the rector to maintain) and the parsonage. In small parishes, there might be one warden for three or more churches, who was called a “circulating” warden, such as the one whose cottage is found by Beatrice and Mr. O’Brien on the Aspindon land.
Wet Nurse—Generally a lower-class woman who is paid to nurse a child or children of the upper class. In some cases, the birth mother chose not to nurse for aesthetic reasons, or for convenience; in other cases, the mother might have died in childbirth, or was simply unable to nurse successfully.
Ariana Mornay is unfashionably happy to nurse her own children until her illness requires the need for a wet nurse.
About the Publisher
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To learn more about books by Linore Rose Burkard or to read sample chapters, log on to our website: www.harvesthousepublishers.com
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
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