The Holly and the Thistle by Regan Walker

Author:Regan Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: romance, love, christmas, short story, london, regency, mistaken identity, holly, boroughs publishing group, lunchbox romance, thistle, berrys wine merchants, regan walker
Publisher: Boroughs PublishingGroup

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Today one can enter the past through the doors of Berry Bros. & Rudd wine merchants in London and, with little change, experience the same wonderful service my hero William Stephen did in 1818. It’s an institution with a wonderful history that dates back to the 17th century. In 1818, the Prince Regent did procure his wine from George Berry, then the owner, and the nobility and members of the ton did weigh themselves on the huge coffee scale that sat in the front room. In fact, even the Prince Regent weighed himself there, albeit anonymously. While St. James Street was more the purview of men than of women in those days, there is an old painting Mr. Berry showed me that dates to 1815 in which women are seen walking in front of the store, albeit with a male companion. That is why Emily was concerned she not be recognized on the street alone. If you are ever in London, be sure to stop by Berry Brothers and tell Mr. Simon Berry hello from me, one of his fans. And, should you be of a mind to do so, you can still purchase the Madeira wine sold under The Spy label.

Stephen & Sons shipbuilding company was founded by Alexander Stephen beginning on the Moray Firth in 1750. In 1793 William Stephen, a descendent of his, established a firm of shipbuilders in Aberdeen. In 1813 another member of the family, again named William (our hero, don’t you know!), began another shipbuilding enterprise in Arbroath. One of the Stephen & Sons ships was, indeed, a schooner named the Whirlwind, which I thought fit in rather nicely with my Wind series.

Some of you might wonder why my Scottish hero wasn’t looking for whisky on that rainy December day. Until the 1800s, there was very little Scotch whisky available for sale in cities such as Edinburgh or Glasgow, let alone in London. At the time, it was considered the equivalent of moonshine—a drink enjoyed by unrefined Highlanders, aged in sheep bladders and filtered through tartan. No one of William’s stature would have sought it out; instead such men enjoyed the finest European wines, along with sherry, port, and cognac. Of course, that all changed in the latter half of the 19th century.

In my story I tried to be true to the Christmas traditions of Regency England, to let you experience their Christmastide, the twelve days of Christmas beginning on Christmas Eve and extending to “Twelfth Night” or Epiphany. Their celebration of the season was more modest than the grand (and very commercial) celebration we have today, and perhaps more meaningful for it. It is also true that the festival of Christmas was banned in Scotland—until 1950! But Hogmanay (New Year’s) was and is celebrated well.

I wrote this story with the wonderful Choir of Clare College Cambridge singing English Christmas carols in the background. That and a cup of spicy tea quite put me in the mood for the season. I hope my

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