NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: This book is on Amazon. I will post the link on my profile page here on Wattpad.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The explanation below will accustom you with the time, place, and customs of the Regency Era of this book. Then I will explain other details used by the upper crust of Great Britain.
The Historical Regency Period
The Regency in Great Britain was a period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son ruled in his proxy as Prince Regent. On the death of George III in 1820, the Prince Regent became George the IV. The term Regency (or Regency era) can refer to various stretches of time; some are longer than the decade of the formal Regency which lasted from 1811–1820. The period from 1795 to 1837, which includes the latter part of the reign of George III and the reigns of his sons George IV and William IV, is often regarded as the Regency era, characterized by distinctive trends in British architecture, literature, fashions, politics, and culture. The Regency era ended in 1837 when Queen Victoria succeeded William IV.
The Regency is noted for its elegance and achievements in the fine arts and architecture. This era encompassed a time of great social, political, and economic change. War was waged with Napoleon and on other fronts, affecting commerce both at home and internationally as well as politics. Despite the bloodshed and warfare the Regency was also a period of great refinement and cultural achievement, shaping and altering the societal structure of Britain as a whole.
Society was also considerably stratified. In many ways there was a dark side to the beauty and fashion in England at this time. In the dingier, less affluent areas of London, thievery, womanizing, gambling, the existence of the slums, and constant drinking ran rampant.
The squalor that existed beneath the glamor and gloss of Regency society provided sharp contrast to the Prince Regent's social circle. Poverty was addressed only marginally. The formation of the Regency after the retirement of George III saw the end of a more pious and reserved society, and gave birth of a more frivolous, ostentatious one. This change was influenced by the Regent himself, who was kept entirely removed from the machinations of politics and military exploits. This did nothing to channel his energies in a more positive direction, thereby leaving him with the pursuit of pleasure as his only outlet, as well as his sole form of rebellion against what he saw as disapproval and censure in the form of his father.
"The ton" is a term commonly used to refer to Britain's high society during the late Regency period during the reign of George IV, and later. They were also known as the 'Haute Ton'. In French, the word means "manners" or "style" and is pronounced as in French, tone. The full phrase in French is le bon ton meaning "good manners" or "good form" – characteristics held as ideal by the British beau monde.
Customs and things of interest:
The custom of the times always honored a titled gentleman by using the title--not his given name unless he so requested it. In this book, Edward is known as the Marquees of Greystone. Greystone being the land and estate of which the King presented to his ancestor. The proper address for Edward, would be: Lord Grey (short of Greystone). As such, anyone addressing him, other than family, would call him this, or a close friend would call him Grey. I use both names throughout the book. Keep this in mind and you won't find yourself confused. It's like calling someone named James: Jim.
A team of horses can be called 'greys' or cattle.
Because I am an American, I have not used British spelling in the book except for Greystone and his title name of Grey. Nor have I used proper British terms throughout the book. Instead, I have chosen to use a tone and certain word choices to set the mood.
I want to thank you for choosing this book to read. I do hope you enjoy it.
Sue A. Hart, author
COPYRIGHT PAGE
En garde, Milady
Copyright ©2017 Sue A. Hart
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to: photocopying, scanning, recording or information storage and retrieval, without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.