I am pleased to share a  tiny preview of my book. Twice weekly I will add another small segment or share some new approach to writing, I have discovered.

I suggest you bookmark my blog so you can easily check back as the story develops. Comments are welcome.

Gloria

Chapter 1                   Andrew Crofton
November 1815

"The temerity of that weasel-faced miscreant! How dare he malign such a loving, faithful woman as Aunt Katherine…" Andrew exploded with wrath, "and to intentionally purport that I would murder my Uncle!"

Andrew leaned forward, head in his hands. "This early discharge feels like a deliverance sent from heaven. The aftermath of the war on France is wretched. I have seen enough blood letting to last a lifetime, Goulburn. Yet here I am, forced to throw down the gauntlet for this scoundrel.

"He deserves to suffer, as he has made others do his entire life. Even when he was a child, he was trouble. When he was ten, his entire family visited for a week. He broke a large vase and blamed the parlor maid. He took a watch from my father’s room and blamed the valet. He held down a local boy in the pond, would have drown the boy, save the older brother stopping him.  When I found him whipping a horse tied in its stall, I’d had enough. I grabbed the whip and showed him how it felt. A hard lesson had to be taught then and I conclude it is past-time for another."

copyright©2016 by Gloria J. Goldsmith

Background

The Regency Period

As many of you know, the Regency is part the period when King George III was on the English throne (1760 - 1820). Known in history books as "Mad King George", it is well reported that George III had some form of mental illness later in life; speculation suggests it may have been porphyria. In any case, his mental illness had come and gone over the years, but in 1810, he suffered a relapse from which he never recovered. Parliament declared George IV to rule as  Prince Regent.

The reign of George III was a time of great upheaval in Europe. Britain won the Seven Year's War in 1763 with France over their ownership of North America.

In 1776, Great Britain went to War with the colonies. The United States of America fought for independence for seven long years and in 1783, Britain was defeated. Just ten year later, in 1793, Napoleon began fighting to create an Empire over all of Europe, Russia, and eventually, the mighty Great Britain. Their nation threatened, Britain erected trade embargos with any ship approaching all European ports but England's, to stop France from receiving monies via exports or purchase imports of food for their army.

While Great Britain was deeply rooted in the Napoleonic war, America chaffed over Britain's restrictions of trade, military impressments and America's expansion of territory. Congress voted to declare war on Great Britain in 1812. Fighting two wars on two continents drained not only Great Britain's treasury, but also their manpower.

America and Great Britain settled their differences after two years of war, and several British military defeats. It took four months of talks - until the day before Christmas, 1814, before they came together to sign the Treaty of Ghent. Because information and news moved slowly, the Battle of New Orleans took place in January 8, 1815. General Andrew Jackson with the help of the pirate and privateer, Jean Lafitte destroyed the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Navy Fleet from seizing New Orleans. This was the last engagement of hostilities between US and Great Britain.

Just six months later, Napoleon, defeated for the last time at Waterloo in June of 1815 was escorted to St Helena, an island off the coast of Angola.

Over the next eighteen months over 300,000 men released from service, many injured or maimed, without pension, or even acknowledgement made their return to England to find the country in a shambles. Factories, that had produced for the war machine were idle, crops for the last two years had been good in Europe but poor in Britain. The price of bread rose to four shillings. The rich searched for where to invest their money, while the poor scrabbled for scraps to feed their children.

 My story begins in November, 1815.