Interview with a Lady of the Road

by Ann Lethbridge

Madly getting ready for our trip to England, which means getting the next book in by Friday. So I apologise for my lack of chatter. I will try to put one up later in the week. Of course there will be lots of pictures when I get back, to make up for this hiatus. I will be gone for three weeks, but hope to visit here with some impressions as I travel around England.

Naturally, all of this depends on being able to fly on Saturday. That is in the lap of the gods and a volcano whose name will not pass my lips. Because I can't say it. lol.

Here is an Interview on another sitewhich you might not have already seen.


Ann Lethbridge is interviewing Lady Eleanor Hadley, who has taken up a rather unusual occupation for a noblewoman in 1811.

AL: Ann looks around: this is a rather lonely stretch of road in the English countryside. Fortunately there is a moon. Ah there is our interviewee, standing in the shadows of a large oak tree beside the lane. Ann strides closer. Lady Hadley is that you?

EH: Hush, you fool, do you want everyone to hear you?

AL: Lowers voice. Sorry. Lady Hadley, welcome to the RomCon blog. It is kind of you to take time from your busy schedule to join us.

EH: Thank you for inviting me. It is wonderful to have an opportunity to set some of the record straight.

AL: Tell our readers why you decided to become a Lady Highwayman?

EH: Big sigh . During my military brother’s absence, an investment I made on his behalf failed. wince ~ I forged his name on a document because it seemed like such a good opportunity. I still hold out hope the ship will make it to port even if it is months late. Unfortunately the bailiff has taken over our house because of the Marquess of Beauworth’s unreasonable demands we pay off the mortgage. I believe he is behind the investments failure and I need money to support me and my sister while I tried to find out what is
going on.

AL: While it isn’t unheard of for a woman to take to the High Toby as we Regency buffs call the activities of highwaymen, you are trying a somewhat different approach to the trade. Can you tell us about it?

EH: I suppose it is a little different. Country people can be superstitious as you know. There is an old legend in Sussex, about Lady Moonlight, a women who took to the road during the English Civil War to feed her family. I play the part of her ghost. People tend to be afraid of ghosts. It makes them more cooperative. Less likely to fight back, especially when they see Martin, my accomplice, with his pistols.


AL: You held up the Marquess of Beauworth very soon after you started.

EH: It was only our second hold up. We had agreed to only stop carriages of the very rich, and his was an obvious target with its flashy horses and fancy equipage. But things might have turned out better if I had know exactly who was in the carriage.

AL: Can you tell us what happened?

EH: Well... I really don’t want to spoil the story. Looks a bit red-faced. Let us say things became unexpectedly heated. Well, I had never seen such a handsome man. And he wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of my pistols. Reckless, in fact. You would think he didn’t care about life and limb.

AL: He surprised you, didn’t he?

EH: She nods. He dredged up some old legend of his own. He said Lady Moonlight always kisses her male victims, if they are young and handsome.

AL: Oh my word. And did you?

EH: She ties on her mask and pops on her tricorn hat with an enigmatic smile. The most handsome man in the world with the most charming French accent was at my mercy at pistol point offering a kiss....... What would you do?

AL: Don’t keep us in suspense.

EH: I suppose you will have to read my story to find out.

AL: I thought you were a respectable noblewoman, not a tease. EH: I used to be respectable. Not any more. Not after meeting Garrick. But if you don’t mind, I really have to get back to my night job. There is a small matter of needing to put food on the table. She whirls around in a flutter of long black cloak and disappears into the night.

AL: There you have it folks. More questions than answers.




Wicked Rake, Defiant Mistress
by Ann Lethbridge, a Harlequin Historical is in stores May 1 2010.


And you can find her newest Undone short story e-book, The Laird and the Wanton Widow on line at e-harlequin Check out Harlequin eBooks! Save 10% off ePrices!
.



Her next book, Captured for the Captain’s Pleasure is due out in June in the UK and in the Fall in North America.

Special Offer from Harlequin

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Launching

by Ann Lethbridge


The excitement of a book coming out, never dwindles.

I am also really lucky, I get to celebrate new releases twice.

Once when they come out in the UK, and again when they come out in North America.

Wicked Rake, Defiant Mistress, is now out in the UK, probably on shelves around February 4, so if you live in the Britain, this is lots of notice that you can find my book there later this week. and to make sure you can recognize it, here is the cover (again).

Bear with me, I am excited.

For those of you in North America, you have to wait until May for this book. But I have posted the cover below just as a teaser, to whet your appetites.



Such a different take on the cover, but I find I like them both very much.

Oh, and by the way a little bird told me that Captured for the Captain's Pleasure will be out in North America in June!

Oh be still my fast beating heart!


and then it will be almost time for Michele's next book!



Watch out for my next newsletter, coming soon. As usual there will be a prize!


Regency Fashion for February, coming up next time here on Regency Rambles

Until then, Happy Rambles.

The Georgian Theatre Royal ~ Richmond, Yorkshire



by Michele Ann Young

I stumbled across a pdf today on the renovation of the Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, Yorkshire. I was looking for something completely different. Trying to find out if a retracting roof might be a possibility. As it happens, I did find one in Venice for our period. Decided against it in the end.

Anyway I don't have permission to post the pdf here, but this theatre is so typically and beautifully Georgian and was open during the Regency, all I can do is suggest you visit the link and enjoy. If you click the picture it will take you to the theatre's official website.

My other bit of excitement was the unexpected arrival of copies the next Ann Lethbridge book,
Wicked Rake, Defiant Mistress. These are hardback copies primarily for the UK library market, but since it was the first time I got a peek at the cover, it was a thrill. I did manage to scan it in for you to see, but I now see it is up on Amazon too.

TaaDaa


I like it. Actually, crazy fool that I am, I got goose bumps. It clearly doesn't take a great deal to make me happy.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.