Rebecca and dyeing!

 

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.

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 19^th 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!

Update - LNN - first draft completed!

The seemingly dour (but is he?) Nathaniel Brockworth

Well, Yes, it's taken forever, but the first draft of 'Lord Nathaniel's Nemesis' is complete, and I'm happy with it. Getting to know the two lead characters has taken a while, because, it turns out, that they are a lot more complex people than those in the first two books: 'Lady Isabel's Inheritance' and 'Lady Serena's Secret'. I think that it was always inevitable that characters who do not conform to the standard male and female tropes of romantic fiction, were going to be harder to write. The usual simple formula of historical romances (strong overbearing, gorgeous male; beautiful, but tricky, aristocratic female - and Rebecca isn't even aristocratic!) would not be enough to explain why these two very different people would meet and fall in love.

Rebecca Northley - beautiful, rich heiress, but an outsider as far as High Society is concerned.
She is a commoner associated with business and trade, and is therefore only valued by many for her fortune.

I probably should have realised that long ago when I was finding it hard to find an interesting story line which would fit the characters I wanted to portray. So I found myself going down pathways that had definitely not even occurred to me when I started writing this novel. But slowly and surely Rebecca and Nathaniel's story unfolded - with forays into places I knew from my University days, and very unladylike occupations for Rebecca. But at least the story held together as a plot!

Yes! A roman mosaic and vineyard producing English sparkling wine - how on earth do those fit into the plot? They do, I assure you!

 You know the old saying 'still waters run deep' - that is certainly true for Nathaniel, who superficially comes across as a bit bland. Not so, under his dour frowning façade, lies a passionate man, who is not quite so comfortable expressing himself on a personal level as the rest of the Brockworths, and therefore takes a little more time to get to know. However, fate intervenes and faced with the possibility of losing the love of his life, Rebecca, Nathaniel finds himself playing the unexpected role of knight in shining armour. Despite these heroics, all still does not go well in his pursuit of his soul-mate, and drastic methods have to be contemplated by a man happier standing in the shadows, than taking overtly bold steps to avert disaster.

The magnificent frontage of Harewood House

Without giving too much away, the plot shifts around quite a lot in this novel, including London, Oxfordshire and finally to Seth Northley's (Rebecca's father) imposing mansion in Hampshire. I have unashamedly based this over-the-top Palladian pile on the wonderful Harewood House, near Harrogate Yorkshire, which we visited in September. I just loved this house - so beautifully kept and built by the nouveaux very riche of the mid-eighteenth century Lascelles family (though the Lascelles family, had been in fact, respectable gentry in the area since early medieval times. My story story does not relate to them other than referencing the gorgeous house).

The fabulous Gallery which appears as Chicheley Place's ballroom in 'Lord Nathaniel's Nemesis'

So now I have to sit down and start the second draft, and fill out the story to make it a riveting read. I just hope hope that is a smoother process than developing the first draft!

I'm hoping to finish the second draft by the New Year, but a publication date in 2026 is probably a realistic prediction, and I'm not even going to speculate on which month!

In the meantime, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!