Whilst doing some re-writing on the second draft of Lord Nathaniel’s Nemesis, I got to thinking about Rebecca’s life quite a bit, and how much she would be involved in the family businesses. As there is only really her father and herself running the whole mega-empire of business and investment portfolios (when does she get time to write, I ask? – but then there was no TV or Internet in those days, and she is not involved with the Season – so it is likely that she will have time on her hands!), I suppose it is not unrealistic to assume that, as she is set to inherit the whole shebang, her father will have made it his business to ensure that she is fully prepared for the task.
So we know that
Rebecca has written on subjects as diverse as fabric dyeing and
brewing – both family businesses, one perhaps should assume. Certainly an
interest in fabric dyeing would not be considered unladylike..jpg)
A still from the BBC's 1995 Version of Pride and Prejudice. Miss Bingley (with the dark hair) might be wearing a version of Scheele or Arsenic green.
And then as I was scrolling down Facebook today (Boxing Day) – there was a mention of arsenic green and a connection with the BBC 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice, and my antennae popped up. Apparently arsenic green was all the rage from the beginning of the 19th Century, and despite the fact that there were serious risks attached to the use of the dye (it gave off poisonous arsine gas when damp), it was still used widely, including in clothes.
 |
| Women working in factories using arsenic green dyes would probably have developed sores on their hands and died young from the effects of arsine gas. |
Now Rebecca, being a redhead, wears quite a bit of green, and for a moment I was quite worried for her. Ridiculous I know, but one gets attached to one’s characters! But then I remembered that Rebecca is a very bright girl - she even attends lectures at the Royal Institution! She is the sort of lady who would make it her business to read scientific papers, and is bound to be completely familiar with the problem. She would, of course ensure that the fabrics used for all her clothes and in their household were manufactured with ‘safe’ materials (well, believed safe at the time). She could, after all, afford the best. In fact, she has probably written a very interesting and informative article for ‘La Dernier Cri’ on just that very subject.
Phew! The relief.
MY preferred image of Rebecca!
So the re-writing is
going well. There are a few areas that need filling out, and a few
refinements to be made, but on the whole I’m really happy with how
things are turning out. Things started to improve when I switched my
mental image on how Rebecca looks. Unwisely, I took notice of what my
husband John said when choosing which image to use for Rebecca.
Presumably there is something more appealing to the male in his
choice, than the one I favour. My choice for Rebecca is a more
classic beauty in my opinion, and I think Nathaniel is the type to go
for the classic type. He is, after all, conservative in his tastes,
and would probably be scared off by someone too obviously ‘sexy’.
John's preferred image
Anyway – they are
my characters, and I get to choose my mental image of them.
On a totally separate issue, I must apologise to anyone who has bought the first edition of ‘Lady Serena’s Secret’. Unfortunately, somehow or other the penultimate version got uploaded for publication – the one still full of typos and other errors. Fortunately, a lady from Italy pointed this out in her review, and so I went and had another look. Oh dear – it was a bit of a mess typographically (the plot is essentially the same) – so it has now been dealt with. So, the moral of the story is that an honest review is always welcome – even the negatives. Hopefully, the version now available is relatively error free. Please do email me, if you find any glaring errors.
In the meantime, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I send you all my good wishes for 2026.
Detta
For more information the arsenic green dye, you may find this article at ‘The American Duchess’ quite interesting – please click here. Their shoes are quite interesting too!
