by Karen Brooks
Brewers are such generous people. I’d only ever met one, my friend Nick Cleave (and thank you, Nick, for your help as well), until I embarked on this novel and, since then, I am fortunate to call more of them mates. Those brewers and distillers I contacted were unstinting with their time, knowledge, and, frankly, their support of my idea—this woman they didn’t know then and may yet regret they ever met. Over a dram or a drink or two, they would discuss, demonstrate, and answer my endless questions about brewing, opening their minds and hearts. My gratitude to Bill and Lyn Lark from Lark in Hobart, the place where the idea for The Lady Brewer of London was born, cannot be expressed enough. They have since become dear friends and thanking them here is only a small part of what I owe for the love and care they’ve extended to Stephen and me since we moved to Hobart, let alone their interest in this novel. I also want to thank their fantastic staff, from the erudite and kind Mark Nicholson to head distiller Chris Thomson, and Becs the barmaid, who, unbeknownst to her, with her husky voice and tales of whisky, sent me on this journey in the first place.
I also want to thank Ash Huntingdon of Two Metres Tall, and Owen Johnson—then of Moo Brew—who was fantastic. Likewise, Scot Wilson-Browne of Red Duck Brewery, Alfredton, Victoria—thank you. The passionate and intelligent work of some fabulous beer historians, beer aficionados, journalists, and medieval historians whose work on brewing, craft brews, the Middle Ages, England, London, Southwark, women, and the history of beer and other alcohol has been utterly invaluable throughout the writing process.
I also want to thank my publisher, Harlequin. From the moment Sue Brockhoff read my manuscript, her boundless enthusiasm for Anneke’s story has been infectious and quite incredible to experience. Likewise, my brilliant editors, Linda Funnell and Stephanie Smith. Linda and Stephanie, you are both a writer’s gift and I am eternally grateful that you were given to me.
I want to thank the magnificent management, sales, and marketing team at Harlequin, especially Michelle Laforest, Cristina Lee, Adam Van Rooijen, Adrian Kaleel, Camille Poshoglian, Lauren Roberts, Annabel Blay, Calla MacGregor, Emma Noble, and all the fabulous others who helped bring my novel to life.
This book would never have seen the light of publishing day had it not been for the commitment and belief of my extraordinary agent, Selwa Anthony. When I first explained my idea, she offered nothing but encouragement, even cracking her velvet whip when I started to take a bit too long to complete it. I feel so blessed to be part of her writing family and don’t tell her enough how much it means to me—hence The Lady Brewer of London is dedicated to her, again as a part thanks for believing in what I love doing and being there for me.
The support and love of my children keeps me going and while I know they’re proud of me, it’s only a fraction of the pride I feel in them—thank you Adam and Caragh.
I want to thank my readers—without you, this book would not live beyond these pages or my imagination. This is for you as well.
I wish to acknowledge my beloved friend Sara Douglass (Warneke), who, though she is no longer here for me to laugh, chat, and sláinte with, still sustains me when I recall her marvelous wit, wisdom, and generosity. I miss her every day.
Always last and never least, I want to thank my beloved Stephen. Inspired by my research and my growing devotion to, if not the drink, beer, then certainly the process and the magic brewers achieve, he has started his own craft brewery, Captain Bligh’s Ale and Cider, in an old brewery in the heart of Hobart. Encouraging my writing, listening to me opine about medieval techniques (even as he was trying to master his own contemporary ones), Stephen as always has been unflinching in his support, energy, and commitment to what I do. Certainly, he loved being my research assistant, and we had so many fun times arguing about and tasting different brews as well as making many of our own. We’re a good recipe, my love. This, like all my books, is for you.
Glossary
My intention was to make most of the unfamiliar medieval terms clear by creating context throughout the novel, but sometimes this hasn’t been possible, especially regarding the use of festivals and religious feasts to mark the passage of time as well as some of the dates used.
Below is a small glossary I have compiled.
Holidays and Festivals
Michaelmas: September 30. This was the day upon which the last of the harvest was gathered. It was when rents were due and a time of feasting as folk prepared for winter.
St. Martin’s Day or Martinmas: November 11, and traditionally the day for slaughtering livestock.
St. Catherine’s Day: November 25. St. Catherine was the patron saint of lawyers, wheelwrights, rope makers, carpenters, lace makers, and spinners. She was also the guardian of single women who, on this day, would often pray for a husband. Catherine wheels were lit, special cakes (cattern cakes) made, and feasts held. This day was more popular on the continent and slowly fell out of favor in England.
Feast of St. Nicholas: December 6.
Conception of the Blessed Virgin: December 8.
Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle: December 21.
Adam and Eve’s Day: December 24—Christmas Eve.
St. Stephen’s Day: December 26.
Twelfth Night or Epiphany: January 6. Marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas celebrations and is said to be the day God revealed Jesus Christ was his son.
Feast of the Epiphany: The last of the Christmas feasts.
Hocktide: The second Monday or Tuesday after Easter. Rents were due on this day.
St. John at Port Latin Day: May 6.
Dates
I use the terms “kalends,” “nones,” and “ides” to mark days of the month as was done in the medieval period.
Kalends: Fell on the first day of the month.
Nones: Fell on the seventh of months with thirty-one days—namely January, March, May, July, August, October, and December—and on the fifth of other months.
Ides: Fell on the fifteenth day of months with thirty-one days—namely January, March, May, July, August, October, and December—and the thirteenth of other months.
Time
The passage of time followed in the novel is that used by the church and translates loosely as follows:
Lauds was at dawn or even earlier.
Prime was around six o’clock in the morning.
Tierce was approximately nine o’clock in the morning.
Sext represented midday.
None was around three o’clock in the afternoon.
Vespers was at six o’clock in the evening or dinnertime.
Compline was approximately nine o’clock at night or bedtime.
General terms
Escheator: Someone who dealt with “escheats,” property, that’s not entailed by a will and is ceded to the Crown. The role of the medieval escheator was varied, but he most often was someone who dealt with lands and acquisitions involving a royal license (or those who attempted to evade one) and/or authority or with someone who committed a felony. In the case of felony or fraud, the property could be seized. The escheator was often assisted by a bailiff and clerks.
Cucked/cucking: A popular punishment meted out to those who broke the law. It involved being dunked in or doused with water or, as in the novel, ale.
About the Author
KAREN BROOKS is the author of twelve books. She is an associate professor and honorary senior research consultant at the University of Queensland, and an honorary senior fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast. A newspaper columnist with Brisbane’s Courier Mail, she’s also a social commentator who has appeared regularly on national TV and radio (including a four-year stint on The Einstein Factor as part of the Brains Trust). Karen has a PhD in English/cultural studies and has published internationally on all things popular culture, education, and social psychology. An award-winning lecturer, she’s taught throughout Australia and in the Netherlands, and keynoted at many education conferences around the country. Before turning to academia and writing, she was an
army officer for five years, and prior to that dabbled in acting. For some reason, all her career choices start with A: acting, army, academic, and author! Nowadays she has slowed down somewhat and finds her greatest contentment in studying history and writing—both historical fiction and serious social commentary.
When not writing, she loves being with her family (husband Stephen and two adult children, Adam and Caragh) and her “fur kids”—the dogs, Tallow and Dante, and four crazy cats: Claude, (Thomas) Cromwell, Jack Cade, and Baroque—and spending time with friends, cooking, traveling, reading, and dreaming.
Karen currently lives in Hobart, Tasmania, in a beautiful Georgian house built in 1868, which has its own wonderful stories to tell.
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Also by Karen Brooks
Fiction
The Chocolate Maker’s Wife
The Locksmith’s Daughter
The Curse of the Bond Riders Trilogy
Tallow
Votive
Illumination
Young Adult Fantasy
It’s Time, Cassandra Klein
The Gaze of the Gorgon
The Book of Night
The Kurs of Atlantis
Rifts Through Quentaris
Nonfiction
Consuming Innocence
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
the lady brewer of london. Copyright © 2014 by Karen Brooks. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Originally published as The Brewer’s Tale in Australia in 2014 by Harlequin MIRA.
first u.s. edition
Title page illustration © Istry Istry / Shutterstock, Inc.
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs © Rekha Garton/Arcangel (woman); © Arcangel Vintage Collection/Arcangel (street); © pavel_klimenko/Getty Images (barrels); © faestock/Shutterstock (hair); © arogant/Shutterstock (bucket); © onkachura/Shutterstock (wheat); © Tennessee Witney/Shutterstock (sign); © Ratana21/Shutterstock (texture); © Abstractor/Shutterstock (texture); © Petrov Stanislav/Shutterstock (texture)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Digital Edition NOVEMBER 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-300825-0
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-300824-3
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