A Winter’s Romance: A Regency Anthology on preorder now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Winters-Romance-Regency-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DG3R12L1
I’m Penny Hampson and I write Regency romance/mystery. I only started writing seriously a few years ago when I had to give up full-time employment to care for a chronically ill family member. Writing gave me the opportunity to indulge my passion for history and use my imagination. I’ve been a fan of Georgette Heyer’s Regency stories since my teenage years and she, together with Jane Austen, were my inspiration. My first novel was A Gentleman’s Promise, swiftly followed by An Officer’s Vow, and A Bachelor’s Pledge (have you spotted the theme here?). The latest in my Gentlemen Series, An Adventurer’s Contract will be published soon.
A lot of research goes into my stories; even though I am a historian, you’d be surprised how much extra work is required to ensure that all the little details are correct for the period. When I started my writing journey I never expected to need to know how long it would take for a gentleman on a horse to ride from Oxford to London or the roads he would take! Not to mention, the clothes people of the time wore and the food they ate. But researching all these elements is what makes writing Regency novels so interesting to me and hopefully, readers too.
The setting of my short story, A Christmas Wish, is Bath; it’s a city I know well and visit as often as I can. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Bath is famous for its beautiful Regency architecture. When I was invited to write a story for A Winter’s Romance, Bath seemed like the ideal location for two lonely souls to meet and fall in love.
My hero, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Anstruther, is returning home to England having been wounded in battle; he is no longer fit for army life. He has also unexpectedly been appointed guardian to the daughter of a deceased fellow officer, something he is not looking forward to. As a single man, a child is the last thing he needs.
Jane Mortimer is an impoverished young teacher at an Academy for young ladies in Bath, an establishment run by a termagant of a headmistress, Miss Pugh. Jane secretly continues to teach those pupils who Miss Pugh keeps on suffrance. Meg Wilson, the newly discovered ward of Lieutenant Colonel Anstruther, is one of those pupils. The scene is set….
Excerpt
‘Miss Mortimer, I want a word with you in my office.’
A shiver of apprehension slithered down Jane’s spine. What had she done wrong now? Her stomach lurched. Had it been discovered that she was still teaching little Harriet, Meg, and Lucy?
No matter how hard she tried, she always seemed to upset Miss Pugh. It had been like that ever since she’d started working as a teacher at the Academy two years previously. Miss Fenwick, the deputy headmistress, had appointed her in Miss Pugh’s absence and, as far as Jane could tell, Miss Pugh had barely forgiven her deputy. Luckily for Jane, parents who wished for their daughters to be taught Latin and French were sufficient in number for her to keep her position … at least for now.
Jane’s skill in these languages was one of the few benefits of being a scholar’s daughter; if only her father had spent as much time on his accounts and remaining solvent.
‘Yes, Miss Pugh?’ Jane stood in front of Miss Pugh’s desk, feeling very much like a pupil herself.
‘Take a seat.’ Miss Pugh gestured to a chair without looking up.
Jane sat down.
Surely if this was her dismissal, she wouldn’t have been told to sit.
After a few minutes, Miss Pugh set her pen down, removed her glasses, and looked over the desk at Jane. Her lips parted, revealing prominent teeth. Jane was reminded of a malevolent rabbit. Shockingly, Miss Pugh was smiling.
‘You have no doubt heard that the child, Meg Wilson has been notified by her late father’s solicitor that her guardian has been found?’
Jane nodded. Where was this leading?
‘I’m very keen to keep the child here,’ said Miss Pugh.
Jane forced a smile and nodded again. So that was what the wily termagant was worried about.
‘I thought perhaps that, as you seem to be close to the child, you would be able to explain to her guardian how well she is doing, and how she would benefit by remaining here.’
‘Surely, that would be better coming from you, Miss Pugh. After all, you are the headmistress.’
Jane held her breath. It wasn’t often that she stood up to Miss Pugh.
A sound came out of Miss Pugh’s mouth. A strangled form of laughter.
‘But you know her rather better. Yes, I think when the gentleman arrives I will greet him, of course, but I will leave it to you to show him the school and let him know the comfort as well as the learning that his ward enjoys here.’
Jane frowned. Show him the attic dormitory where Meg was housed? That would impress no-one.
Before she could reply, Miss Pugh spoke again.
‘Of course, I’ve arranged for little Meg to be moved to one of the bedchambers on the first floor. The one with the fireplace and the rather pleasant view.’ Her steely eyes narrowed. ‘I’m determined to recoup, at the very least, all the charges she has incurred in the interim since her father’s death. And I needn’t point out that if Meg is removed from our care, I will hold you personally responsible.’ She paused. ‘Do we understand each other, Miss Mortimer?’
Jane swallowed. ‘Yes.’
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt and that it has whetted your appetite to read more. All of my books can be found on Amazon here: viewauthor.at/Pennysbooks
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