Midsummer Eve at Rookery End, a collection of Regency short stories, published by E-scape Press.
‘The stories are, to put it simply, magical.’
Three enchanting Regency tales of love and passion
on Midsummer Eve!
According to folklore, Midsummer Eve is the traditional time for love divination, when gentlemen and ladies can hope to meet their true love. Lord and Lady Allingham hold a lavish ball for the ton every year at their country estate, Rookery End, to celebrate this ancient custom.
The opulent splendour and sweet-scented gardens of Rookery End provide the perfect setting for romance and, as the long summer day merges into a balmy Midsummer Eve, six people are about to fall in love…
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The Midsummer Eve Short Story Anthology
Inspiration for these short stories came after reading a book given to me by a friend (thanks, Gilly!) on old English customs and festivals. Midsummer in England was the highlight of the festival year in medieval times and continued to be celebrated in various ways, including bonfires, processions and parades. Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day were also cited as times when particular divinations could be successfully carried out.
Love divinations were the most popular. Many love divination procedures were chronicled in old texts. These included girls throwing hemp seed over their shoulder and the baking and eating of a ‘dumb cake’ on Midsummer Eve, both performed in the hope of seeing the form of their future husband appear. The most widespread love divination was referred to as ‘Midsummer Men’, where orpines (a native wild flower of the British Isles, Sedum Roseum Crassulaceae, commonly referred to as ‘Midsummer Men’) were placed in pairs, one representing a man, the other his sweetheart. If the orpine reclined from the other, it indicated that there would be aversion; if the plants inclined towards each other, it indicated love.
Given this history, the idea of a midsummer Regency ball to celebrate these ancient customs, and romance in general, seemed a very appropriate one to me. Lord and Lady Allingham’s country mansion - Rookery End - is an imaginative fusion of my favourite English country houses and gardens. These great estates with their elegant architecture and beautiful gardens provide the perfect stage for three tales of love and passion which take place one Midsummer Eve…
Siren’s Daughter concerns a lost love re-gained, one of the most appealing romance themes. There is something particularly poignant about love being given a second chance.
Blue Figured Silk features the redeeming properties of love and proves that even a rake is not immune from its influence! The story, which was partly inspired by the wonderful Savage Garden song ‘I Knew I Loved You’, also concerns that most potent force, love at first sight.
In the final story, A Scandal at Midnight, misunderstandings and misconceptions abound, but love is still able to conquer all obstacles…
These three Regency love stories feature delectable heroes meeting their match in resourceful, sparkling heroines against a romantic midsummer setting. I hope you will enjoy reading about these characters as much as I enjoyed creating them!
Click here to read the synopsis and an excerpt.
