Story...Part 4

         As Wexley sauntered back to his rooms, he contemplated two things. One…an ostracized young woman had been murdered on his own land and two… there were too many damned people in his sanctuary!

Dear Lord, how had it come to this? He had simply come home to the country to enjoy a bit of fresh air and quiet. In lieu of a break from the fast pace of London, Thomas found that he had the worst nightmare of a house party on his hands of recent history. What had begun as a simple invite of a few intimate friends for a fortnight before the winter months quickly permeated all things lush and verdant, had quickly turned itself into a scandal of epic proportions.

Only two evenings gone he had been enjoying a rather agreeable game of billiards with his comrades with not a care before him other than the impending parliamentary obligations. Had it been only 48 hours? It was more a lifetime ago than such a short interval of time. Time was indeed relative. But even such a lovely evening had been a sort of veil that thinly covered a greater and troubling assemblage of people.

As he made his way to his apartments and called for his valet to help with his evening ablutions he again speculated how the simple invite of a country party amongst a few intimate friends had become fraught with bitter jealous mates and wives, and now what could only be deemed, well, murder?

He was a simple man with a quiet pride in his lands and parliamentary duties.  With a great sigh, he tugged at his cravat and promptly fell in his chair at his writing desk to pen an unwanted letter to his mother, the intimidating and frankly, frightening, Lady Wexley, Viscountess of Whitcombe.

…

As Anne crisply and efficiently made her way down the corridor to Miss Hernshaw’s quarters, she made a quick deposit of Hastings in his own small, but cozy accommodations not far from the servants’ quarters. As she attempted to smooth the tangled mess Hastings had caused of her pinafore with his rather inappropriate display of ill manners by presuming to row with the master’s companion.  She gingerly turned the knob and stepped into Miss Hernshaw’s room only to find her pacing the floors and anxiously biting at her nails in a most unladylike manner. Although Anne found this show of human emotions silently endearing, she softly cleared her throat, drawing Sophie’s eye to her disapproving eye.

“Yes, I know! I know! No need to berate me on the havoc I wreak on my poor nails, but honestly Anne. A coroner and a magistrate, all in the matter of a day…all while I am detained in these oppressively small chamber!” Sophie exclaimed with obvious ire.

“Small you call them! My but you are spoiled. When did you become so high in the instep I ask you?” Anne felt compelled to query as she fretted over such a telling statement. It seemed society was having its impact on her demeanor.  In an attempt to detract from her present concerns, Anne relayed that Hastings had a grand romp and was now happily ensconced in his own domain and shared her own version of the earlier events that had take place. As she knew they would, Hastings antics amused Sophie out of her stupor and soon the two women were enjoying themselves immensely. Anyone who was witness to this contented repast as they had supper brought to Miss Hernshaw’s rooms, would immediately discern how much the two young ladies cared for one another.

To be continued…

East India Company

After a two year hiatus, I've decided to pick up the Regency Blog again. I've missed this era so here's the latest...
One fascinating aspect of this time in British history is the East India Company. Rather than put my own understanding of this slice of British expansion and business venture I've found a brief explanation of this from the website, www.victorianweb.org...

One of the strangest parts of the history of the British Empire involves that commercial venture generally known as the East India Company, though its original name when founded by royal charter on the very last day of 1600 was the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies. As its name suggests, the company was the enterprise of London businessmen who banded together to make money importing spices from South Asia. For centuries the valuable spice trade with the East Indies (as they were long known) relied on land routes across Asia and the Middle East, but by the sixteenth century, the superior navigational technology and skills of the Portuguese for the first time permitted Europeans to cut out intermediaries and hence make themselves far greater profits. The Spanish and Portuguese had a monopoly of the East Indies spice trade until destruction of the Spanish Aramada in 1588, which permitted the British and Dutch to seek their share of this wealthy import business.

The company with the long name first entered the spice trade in the form of an old-fashioned or early capitalist venture, essentially conducting each voyage as a separate business venture with its own subsribers or stock-holders. This approach lasted for a dozen years, and then in 1612 the company switched to temporary joint stocks and finally to permanent joint stocks in 1657. Supposedly a monopoly, the company evenentually faced competition from another group of English investors and merchants, and the two merged in 1708 as the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies.

The company's encounters with foreign competitors eventually required it to assemble its own military and administrative departments, thereby becoming an imperial power in its own right, though the British government began to reign it in by the late eighteenth century. Before Parliament created a government-controlled policy-making body with the Regulating Act of 1773 and the India Act eleven years later, shareholders' meetings made decisions about Britain's de facto colonies in the East. The British government took away the Company's monopoly in 1813, and after 1834 it worked as the government's agency until the 1857 India Mutiny when the Colonial Office took full control. The East India Company went out of existence in 1873.

During its heyday, the East India Company not only established trade through Asia and the Middle East but also effectively became of the ruler of territories vastly larger than the United Kingdrom itself. In addition, it also created, rather than conquered, colonies. Singapore, for example, was an island with very few Malay inhabitants in 1819 when Sir Stamford Raffles purchased it for the Company from their ruler, the Sultan of Johor, and created what eventually became one of the world's greatest trans-shipment ports.

Dove Cottage

I had the privilege of visiting Dove Cottage in March of 2011, in the Lake District. And I have to point out that I was both impressed and humbled by the way Poet Laureate, William Wordsworth lived during his most prolific years. He and his sister, Dorothy, lived in this dark and tiny cottage between the years of 1799-1808. During his time spent at Dove Cottage, Wordsworth composed some of his most memorable writings, such as "Ode to Duty", "My Heart Leaps Up" and "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud". His great friend, Samuel Coleridge, also spent much of his time with Wordsworth and his sister in this very cottage. I was especially surprised how frugally this literary great lived. I have seen the homes of many timeless British authors, but Wordsworth's was the most modest by far.

Regency Vocabulary

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a discussion with a Regency lady or gentleman? So much of the English language of the Regency Era has been lost in translation and although Jane Austen is a reigning favorite of England and my bookshelf, much of the dialogue in her beloved novels fall on confused and ignorant ears. With a deeper understanding of the innuendo and subtlety that goes with any time in history, comes a deeper appreciation for, and enjoyment of any (already) timeless author. With no prior understanding of what a libertine is, it is difficult to discern what Colonel Brandon truly believes of the character of Mr. Willoughby. Sure, we get the gist that Willoughby is a nasty and egotistial young man, but what is that indefinable characteristic that wraps him up in a nutshell?

"I have described Mr. Willoughby as the worst of libertines." - Colonel Brandon

In order to better follow the in depth analysis of Jane Austen's characters, I am providing the following link for a Regency Lexicon...

http://www.thenonesuch.com/lexicon.html

Regency Architecture

So taking a break from the "interesting" Regency story I have been attempting at (writing is really hard!) I thought I would focus on the architecture that drove the era. Though it is not my typical style, I love it! I think I've decided it's because the style in classical and very clean. Just look at the lovely city of Bath. What an architectural cupcake. Of course because I am limited in my understanding in architecture in general and the specifics in regards to the Regency era, I will quote http://www.britainexpress.com:

...Regency architecture, was classical in nature. That is, it used the philosophy and traditional designs of Greek and Roman architecture. The typical Regency upper or middle-class house was built in brick and covered in stucco or painted plaster. Fluted Greek columns, painted and carefully moulded cornices and other decorative touches, were all reproduced in cheap stucco. The key words to describe the overall effect are "refined elegance".

Regency villa

The Regency period saw a great surge of interest in classical Greece, popularized by men like Lord Byron and his outspoken advocacy of greek nationalism. A whole generation of aristocratic amateur archaeologists from Britain scoured the Greek world - and occassionally absconded with classical Greek remains. The resulting popularity of Greek style reached beyond architecture to include painting, furniture, interior decoration, and even dress design.

Regency Terraces. First a mundane definition: a terrace is a fanciful term for row housing, that is, a string of houses, each sharing a wall with the house beside it. The most characteristic Regency designs survive today in terrace housing.

Many of the more upper class terraces, such as those designed by John Nash surrounding Regents Park in London, are entered through triumphal arches reminiscent of ancient Rome, These arches, generally in stucco, lead to grand rows of houses, with carefully balanced pediments fronted by massive pilaster columns. The best remaining terraces built in this grand style are in London, Cheltenham, and Brighton.

Regency terrace doors

Characteristics. Windows are tall and thin, with very small glazing bars separating the panes of glass. Balconies are of extremely fine ironwork, made of such delicate curves as to seem almost too frail to support the structure. Proportions are kept simple, relying on clean, classical lines for effect rather than decorative touches.

Windows and doors, particularly those on the ground floors, are often round-headed. Curved bow windows are popular, and detached villas often featured garden windows extending right down to the ground.

Story... Part 3

As Wexley and Mr. Mardling stood facing one another with the facts laid out, Miss Endicott swiftly rounded the corner with her unfortunate companion looking somewhat miffed. In a perplexed voice she wondered, "My Lord Wexley, who was that grinning buffoon I just had the misfortune of tripping over in the garden?"

Before Thomas or Mr. Mardling had the opportunity to inquire, the most ridiculous looking of men came gamboling down the corridor.

"My dear Mardling I have just been to the location where the body was found and simply could not bring myself to investigate the scene any further! The frog population of that pond is markedly high today, and amphibians en mass can inflict ghastly injuries indeed! Since I was a child I have known them to be particularly aggressive and hostile this time of year and I shall not be the target of their rampage today! There will not be two corpses in the water this morn! I say good day sir!" With that, the foppish man lollied back from whence he came, murmuring to himself, snippets of the need for him to thoroughly cleanse his hands and feet of pond scum coming back to their ears.

With a look of dismay Miss Endicott once again turned to the two and queried, "Seriously, who was that?!?"

Without looking from the notepad in his hand, Mardling replied, "Oh that was just Luis. Have no fear Miss, I will be replacing him henceforth."

To be continued...

A Regency Story... Part 2

As the fur flew and tall, gangly legs intermingled with short, stubby ones, Wexley attempted to differentiate his own dog from the distasteful canine. In a moment of sheer will and determination, Miss Endicott disentangled her companion from George in what can only be termed brute strength. With a look of admiration and awe, his glance slid from his wretched pointer to the other dog and then to the efficient companion, as she reprimanded him leaning down and looking sternly into his eyes and pronouncing, “No, No!” then pulling herself up and keeping eye contact with Hastings, she murmured something under her breath that was mostly indiscernible with the exception of one very decipherable word ~ superior.
“I did not catch that Miss Endicott. Were you just referring to that portly, unfortunate swine as superior?”
“Of course not My Lord, I would never insult the master of the house or his creature,” was her tart response. Wexley could not help but feel that he was being both grandly insulted and laughed at as she pulled on the lead with a snort of her own. Yes, she most certainly was laughing at him. He watched as companion and companion led one another back to the direction they had been heading before his interruption. Who was leading whom, he could not say.
Coughing to catch her attention, Thomas pointed out that if they wanted to get to the garden, she would have to head the other direction and pointed behind him in the opposite direction.
“How does one get to the outdoors Lord Wexley?” she asked with exasperation. “Your home is a veritable maze.”
He pointed out that there was another corridor she had passed a few paces back that she could take to doors leading to the hothouse, and then to the private garden from there.
“Thank you my Lord,” with a small nod, Miss Endicott once again led a somewhat reluctant Hastings away. He watched as the mongrel took several glances back toward George, tongue lolled to the side of its mouth, before turning the corner. Wexley looked down at his unfortunate dog, as he began to back into the cozy and safe confines of his office. Dear Lord, George was cowering, actually cowering. What in heaven had just happened that had his regal pointer retreating and had he thoroughly vexed?
As he was attempting to sort out the absurdity of such an impertinent duo, he heard the voices of the magistrate, just arrived from London and that of his butler, Brackett.
“…doing in the East Wing Brackett?” Wexley caught the last part of the query as the two moved toward him and Brackett made eye contact with him.
Without taking his eye from Wexley, Brackett answered with a very even, “as she always has Mr. Mardling, tending to the needs of Master George.”
As Mardling took note of Wexley for the first time with a nod, he continued to scratch in his notepad and inquired, “and Master George is somehow related to Lord Wexly?” this done while making eye contact with Wexley as they stopped before him.
Before Brackett could make a reply, Thomas jumped in and rejoined, “Yes Mr. Mardling, George is a very integral part of this family, but unfortunately we are not linked by blood. George is my dog.”
Surprise was quickly concealed with indifference as the magistrate further scratches to his pad. “So the evening before the slaying of Miss Davies, she was last seen tending to the needs of George the dog?” this last more of a statement than a question.
“Mr. Mardling, please understand that we are not assuming that Miss Davies was murdered with deviousness in mind, but made an unfortunate slip,” Wexley responded.
“My Lord, I have been in your home for less than a day and based on the evidence I collected thus far, there is doubt in my mind that your housemaid was indeed murdered,” Mr. Mardling flatly responded.
Somewhat miffed, Wexly demanded, “what evidence would that be sir?”
“point A, (holding up one finger) she was found in your pond, a place she avoided at all times due to irrational fear of water, point B (finger number 2) she was further found dressed in full livery, and point C (third finger raised) the report given by all witnesses thus far points to her untimely , and involuntary death.”
Wexly knew this to be the case but sighed inwardly as the facts were laid out before him in rational detail. Damn!
To be continued…