18th Century Late. Inkstand, Sheffield, England. Square, resting on four ball feet, the top pierced with four circular holes into which fit two inkwells, a pounce box and a box for wafers. Silver inkstands appeared in Britain in 17th century and included pot, or well, for ink, plus another pot with pierced cover held ‘pounce’ or sand, which writers scattered over paper to fix ink. Wafers to seal finished letter and tray to hold pens or quills. collections.vam.ac.uk
Leaning in, Lord Mallory whispered in Lady Lillian’s ear. “Well, well. I certainly didn’t expect to find you in attendance at a scandalous ball.”
1820 Blackstone House, Twenty miles south of London. Brenton, Earl Mallory, secreted himself behind a life-sized statue of a naked man. Hiding from the two hundred guests spilling through the rooms Lord Browning had opened for the Pleasure House Ball. Clearly he’d suffered a moment of insanity when he’d yielded to his friend’s pleas to accompany him to this ball. ‘For God’s sake, Michael, why are we wasting our time here? I’ve no intention of engaging a mistress and….’
Brent shook his head. ‘Must be imagining things. I know only one person who wears that perfume and she mixes it herself. That woman is a lady and a duke’s daughter and certainly wouldn’t be attending a courtesan’s ball.’
‘Good God! You don’t mean−’
Pleasure House ball Book 3 Irresistible Aristocrats books2read.com/suzilovePHB. Lord Mallory, attends his first courtesan’s ball in ten years to appease his concerned friends, though he’d rather stay home and read to his motherless daughters.
1860 New Hebrides, Pacific Ocean.
Listening to McLeish extol his own greatness nearly had Lord Alexander St. John at screaming point, but he fixed an interested look on his face while he let his mind wander to Lady Katharine, his thoughts touching over her like a caress. He wanted to kiss her, to taste her sweetness, to allow his tongue to sweep the inside of her soft mouth while his hands explored her body. Oh, God. He had to pull his thoughts back from the direction they were heading before McLeish noticed that his groin was suddenly hard and hot from just thinking of Katie.
Feigning a large yawn, he apologized to McLeish as he excused himself. ‘I thank you for a delightful evening, Robert, but I find I am extraordinarily tired and if I am to discuss business with you tomorrow in any sort of reasonable fashion, I will retire now to my bed.’
‘Yes, yes, Alexander. I understand perfectly. I will meet you at nine at the warehouse.’
‘Ah, Robert. A little later would be better. I will need to arrange things on board my ship first.’
‘Of course, of course. Whatever suits. Until tomorrow.’ He turned to scream for the Chinese houseman, who Alex could see was already waiting in the shadows. ‘Tong! Show Earl St. John out and bring me another whiskey. Quickly!’
Alex started to correct McLeish about promoting him to Earl while his father still lived, but even another minute spent in the company of this appalling man would be too much.
Box Set combining Corset books 14-21 to give a complete picture of the progression of corset styles from 1700 through to the 1900s, including Jane Austen’s lifetime. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveCorsetBook22
This Box Set combines corset books 14-21 to give a complete picture of the progression of corset styles from 1700 through to the 1900s, including Jane Austen’s lifetime and the Bridgerton years. These books show how body wraps, stays, and corsets were worn through the centuries to create a variety of fashionable silhouettes through various historical eras. Corsets flattened breasts and accentuated rounded hips or pushed up breasts and showed off the bust line depending on the fashions of the time and the desired silhouette.
1816 August Back view of a lady in Evening Dress, English. White, high-waisted, dress with short bodice, long sleeves, frilled hem plus decoration above the frill, high plumed headdress, and reading music sheets. “A gown of white soft satin, cut low all round the back and bosom.The skirt gored, and a good deal of fullness thrown behind. The body, which is disposed in small plaits, displays the shape, as our readers perceive by print, to very great advantage; it is trimmed round bosom with a wreath of small white net roses, with a little tuft of pearl in the heart of each. Long loose sleeve, composed of white lace, and finished a la Parisienne with a rich double frill at the wrists.
The skirt is ornamented, in an exquisitely tasteful style, with a broad flounce of rich blond, surmounted by a wreath of roses and deep scallops of white net, the points of which are finished by bows of white satin ribbon. The effect of this trimming is uncommonly beautiful. Hair, cropped and curled full in the back of the neck, and dressed light, and much parted on the forehead: it is ornamented With a superb white ostrich-plume, at the base of which is an aigrette of diamonds. Neck-lace, ear. rings, and bracelets also of diamond. White satin slippers, and white kid gloves. We have to thank the condescension of a lady of much celebrity in the fashionable world, to whom we are indebted for a sight of the very elegant and tasteful dress from which our present print is designed.” Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
“Two nights ago,” Lady Rebecca Jamison said, “the woman we engaged at the Women’s Betterment Society to tally the Stock Exchange ledgers — our friend — was murdered. The killer was still inside Peggy’s house when I arrived. Her slayer stopped at the back door and stared directly at me, memorizing my features.”
Her pronouncement was flat-voiced, deadly calm.
“Thankfully, his immediate concern was escaping with our two accounting books. But when the cache identifies me as the woman who saw their lackey’s face, I am certain they will send him to dispose of me as well. They are peers, titled and wealthy, and cannot risk being exposed as members of an illegal group. If we cannot stop these men, brutes who employ cold-blooded assassins to do their dirty work, I will certainly be the next to die.”
The Duke of Sherwyn’s chilled blood turned to ice.
Embracing Scandal (Scandalous Siblings) by Suzi Love. Lady Rebecca Jamison saves her family from financial ruin by investing in railways, but when a greedy syndicate murders her friend, Becca is forced to beg assistance from Cayle St. Martin, the new Duke of Sherwyn. https://books2read.com/suziloveES
In Jane Austen’s times craftsmen created boxes and containers of precious metals, leather, silks, and decorated them with jewels. Boxes, Cases, Etui, Necessaire and everything else that was used to carry essential items for travel, sewing, medicine, writing, and toiletries. Containers were engraved to make exquisite and expensive items as well as practical carrying cases. books2read.com/suziloveBoxesCases
Keep Calm and Read my Scandalous Siblings Series Books 1-3. The scientifically gifted Jamison siblings beg assistance from the St. Martin clan to battle a greedy railway investment syndicate. https://books2read.com/suziloveES
Embracing Scandal By Suzi Love Book 1 Scandalous Siblings. Lady Rebecca Jamison saves her family from financial ruin by investing in railways, but when a greedy syndicate murders her friend, Becca is forced to beg assistance from Cayle St. Martin, the new Duke of Sherwyn. https://books2read.com/suziloveES
Scenting Scandal Book 2 Scandalous Siblings Series. Lady Laura Jamison uses her extraordinary olfactory senses to sniff out her perfect match, but after she evades an assassin’s bullets, twice, she is forced to accept the protection of their family friend, and her nemesis, Richard St. Martin, the Earl of Winchester. https://books2read.com/suziloveSS
The Jamisons join the St. Martins at the duke’s country estate but a December snowstorm doubles guest numbers. #Holidays #FamilySaga #HistoricalRomance https://books2read.com/suziloveDS
19th Century Snuff Boxes. Not only were boxes made to serve a purpose, but decorative boxes of all types were prized, especially in the 18th-19th Centuries when everything decorative and extravagant was in vogue and taking a pinch of snuff was fashionable. Snuff is made from ground or pulverized tobacco leaves and is sniffed from a pinch of snuff placed on the back of the hand.Flavorings were added to the tobacco to give a fast hit of nicotine and a lasting scent. Snuff began in the Americas and was used in Europe by the 17th Century.
Snuff became popular from the mid 1600s to the mid 1800s and was more popular than smoking. Inhaling snuff, or snuffing, was first seen by a European missionary in 1493 in Christopher Columbus’s new world within Haiti’s indigenous Taino. Until then, tobacco had been unknown to Europeans, but its use spread quickly throughout Europe during the 1500s. By the second half of the 17th century, ornate boxes started being produced to keep the precious powder dry and an entire industry making accessories blossomed around the fashion of taking snuff. Noblemen, and some women, carried extravagantly decorated snuff boxes with them at all times and would offer a pinch of their own particular blend to friends and family. Therefore, these boxes were always on display and so it became a competition to see who could have the most bejeweled or expensive box possible. By the mid 1800s, snuff taking was no longer popular so these exquisite and expensive snuff boxes became decorative, rather than functional.
Book Hooks: The Duke of Stirkton stared, open-mouthed, at the countess. “You’re a cool one.” #RegencyRomance #HistoricalMystery #ReadARegency #EroticHistoricalRomance https://books2read.com/suziloveFTAV
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