by Regan Walker
In examining the causes for the uprising in the Midlands, one cannot discount that the people had been through much hardship and by 1817 were hungry and tired of laws and taxes imposed by a nobility that had little understanding of their needs. We who enjoy democracy might say their desire to rise against such hardship was not unreasonable. The motive of the government, of course, was to crush the yearnings for democracy and the vote so strong at that point among the common people, and to prevent a revolution like that which had occurred in France. The rebellion and other successive events were used to justify the Six Acts, adopted in 1819, summarized by the Whig leader in the House of Commons as taking away the right of meeting, and invading the broad liberty of the press.
As with all my stories, some characters are real—those involved in the Rebellion, and Lords Sidmouth, Castlereagh, and Eldon, and the 6th Duke of Devonshire—while many are fictional, including Martin, Kit, John, Rutledge, Miss Abby, the de Courtenay family and those characters from my first book, RACING WITH THE WIND. I have made some changes in the real characters as my story dictated and other minor changes in the locations of events. For example, the real George Weightman was a sawyer and married, but for my story it was best for the angel-faced man of 26 to be single and smitten with Kit. That first meeting of the rebels in Derbyshire that Kit witnessed actually took place at the Three Salmon Inn not the Dog Inn. William Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, known to his friends as “Hart,” did not shoot the fictional Earl of Rutledge, of course, but he was an acclaimed horticulturist and loved marble and books, and these are reflected in his changes to Chatsworth House, pictured on the cover of this novel. Although the duke was on the Continent when these events took place in 1817, he did take action by depriving the rebels involved of their tenancies and establishing a school for village children.
The inns mentioned were all in existence at the time. The Guardsman public house in the mews where Wellington’s barracks once were located didn’t open until 1818, however. After the rebellion, the White Horse Inn was torn down and Nanny Weightman, for her part in the rebellion, lost her license and thus her livelihood.
I hope you enjoyed this foray into a little-known and sad chapter in England’s history, and I trust you enjoyed the romance between Martin and Kit that began so strangely. The third in the trilogy, WIND RAVEN, the story of Martin’s sea captain brother Jean Nicholas Powell, whom you met in AGAINST THE WIND, will take you onboard a schooner and into the Caribbean where pirates lurked even in 1817. And you’ll get to see Martin and Kit again!
Oh, and if you want the recipe for Nanny Weightman’s famous porridge Kit ate at the White Horse Inn, you can find it on my website here: http://www.reganwalkerauthor.com/nanny-weightmans-famous-porridge.html.
Enjoy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a child Regan Walker loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving girls, but by the time she got to college more serious pursuits took priority. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law, and Regan realized it would be better to be a hammer than a nail. Years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. Hence her romance novels often involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool.
Regan lives in San Diego with her golden retriever, Link, whom she says inspires her every day to relax and smell the roses.
AGAINST THE WIND
A night in London’s most exclusive bordello. Agent of the Crown Sir Martin Powell would not normally indulge, but the end of his time spying against Napoleon deserves a victory celebration. Yet, such pleasure will not come cheap. The auburn-haired courtesan he calls “Kitten” is in truth Katherine, Lady Egerton, a dowager baroness and the daughter of an earl as elusive as she is alluring. She flees a fate worse than death. But Martin has known darkness, too, and he alone can touch her heart—as she has touched his. To the English Midlands they will steal, into the rising winds of revolution.
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