Lady Isabel's Inheritance

 Well, I've finally done it! I've completed and published my first Historical Romance on Amazon! It's been in preparation for over a year, and I've finally given up tweeking it, and backed myself (for once), and committed it to electronic print.

I have always been a fan of Georgette Heyer's novels, and I suppose this is my take on the genre. Think of the Sanditon or Bridgerton style of story and you get the idea. You can find it here. 

Here is the online intro:  

Lady Isabel, newly widowed, has beauty, status, property, money and most importantly, her independence. Why would she need a new husband, especially when her past experiences of men have been so dismal?
Theo Brockworth, 3rd Marquess of Norcombe, is similarly suspicious of all females of marriageable age, for different reasons. Having been relentlessly pursued by scheming debutantes and their Mamas for his title and fortune, he is understandably cautious when it comes to the female of the species. However, he is in a quandary. He needs to marry, but has never found a woman that he could envisage being shackled to for the rest of his life, nor whose motives are above suspicion.
And then they meet on a stormy winter's night, when Isabel's coachman has arrived at The Marquess's house by mistake. Sparks fly as attraction sizzles between them, but after Isabel states that she has categorically sworn off men, Theo tries to stifle his attraction to his gorgeous new neighbour. Circumstances draw them inexorably together, though Isabel still clings to the idea that no man is trustworthy, despite Theo's help and kindness in overcoming her problems in getting to grips with her new estate. Will Theo be able to avoid the local heiress who has fixed designs on him? Will dangers from Isabel's past wreck the budding love story? Enjoy the fast moving relationship between the lovely Theo and the feisty Lady Isabel, as their family, friends, neighbours and enemies watch on with sometimes more than benign interest.
Meet the Brockworth's and their friends and neighbours in the village of Norcombe Abbey, set in the lovely rolling countryside of the Cotswolds.

After a summer of visiting stately homes around the country, I am newly armed with fresh inspiration and have embarked on book two in the series: Lady Serena's Secret. Currently there are six books planned for the series, with a few novellas thrown in for good measure.

Talking of Inspiration, I fell in love with Sezincote, which is a rather unusual Georgian Mansion in the north east of the Cotswolds. It has inspired a very small portion of 'Lady Serena's Secret', and so will be the subject of my next post. That's enough of a spoiler for now, but I will give you a photo to whet your appetite.

Sezincote House from the Cedar Grove

If you have read Lady Isabel's Inheritance then you may wish to see from where one my inspirations for Norcombe Abbey Old Hall came. The exterior was inpired by Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire. For me, as I saw it for the first time, it epitomised the graciousness of that earlier period. I know nothing of the interior, as one was not permitted to view indoors. A pity - I would love to have had a nosey round.

Asthall Manor, from across the valley on a rather gloomy February morning.

Despite the fact that this post is called Detta's Diary, I find it hard work to post every day, or even every month! Self publishing is far more involved than I ever imagined - I'm having to learn to market myself - not a natural thing for someone who is fairly reclusive by nature! But needs must! So I'm going to try to post every Wednesday from now on. If you would like to subscribe, please just fill in the box.

Keep well and happy! Detta

 

Asthall Manor

Asthall Manor from across the fields

Many of you may not have heard of the The Mitfords, but they are a bit of an Enigma here in Britain. The Mitford Girls were most prominent in the 1930s, mainly because they had quite a talent for getting themselves into the newspapers. The most prominent of these were Nancy Mitford (author of Love in Cold Climate and the Pursuit of Love, amongst others), Diana Mitford (famed beauty and notorious wife of Sir Oswald Moseley, prominent leader of the British Union of Fascists; friend of Adolf Hitler and The Duke of Windsor), Unity Mitford (Friend of Adolf Hitler), Jessica Mitford (who eloped with Winston Churchill's nephew to the Spanish Civil War and became a Communist), and Deborah Mitford who became the Duchess of Devonshire. To say that they covered the vast extremes of thirties politics, is not to overstate the matter in the least.

There were two other siblings who managed to lead quieter lives - Tom (the only son, who died in the second world war), and Pamela who loved horses and was a friend of Sir John Betjeman (poet laureate)

As you can see, the Mitford girls weren't the sort of ladies (and they were aristocrats) who sat at home doing their embroidery. Love or hate them (and as always, none of them were altogether bad or good), they were certainly an interesting bunch, and have fascinated me for years. So, when I noticed that the garden would be open in February, and I was in the area at the time, I had to go and see where this singular bunch of females spent at least part of their formative years.

The Ballroom and the covered passageway joining it to the main house

The frontage of of the house from the drive

I was not disappointed. It was a fine cold day, and though the garden will, no doubt, be spectacular in summer, it exuded that timeless grace that is peculiar to ancient Manor Houses set in the rolling countryside of the Cotswolds. The gardens were of course, a bit thin on colour, but what can you expect in February? I was particularly taken with the manner in which they train their roses - something that won't be as apparent when they are in full leaf.

Roses trained over small domes to form a butterfly effect -  most interesting

I hope to go back in the summer if the garden is open then, In the meantime, here are a few photos to whet your appetite.