A convenient marriage
An inconvenient passion…
His parents’ loveless relationship has left silk merchant Jonathan Harcourt suspicious of marriage. But in order to expand his mill and have an heir, he must marry his neighbour Aurelia Upford. Even more surprising than finding himself with a clever, beautiful society wife is the unexpected passion that flares between them, and the unsettling emotions it leads to. Sharing a bed was part of their arrangement, but can Jonathan risk sharing his heart, too?
Read a sample here: The Silk Merchant’s Convenient Wife
The idea for this story grew out of a workshop run by Mills & Boon at the 2019 Romantic Novelist Association conference. Thank you to my two fellow attendees who let me take the piece of paper away (I’m sorry I can’t remember your names).
Changing time period by such a large number of centuries was a daunting but exciting prospect. Two books which helped me get into the period in particular were How to be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman and Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners by Therese Oneill.
I enjoyed bringing Jonathan to my adoptive town and I am fortunate to have a wealth of resources on hand about the silk industry and mills in Cheshire and in Macclesfield itself. I urge readers to pay a visit to Quarry Bank Mill near Wilmslow and the Macclesfield Museums, if they ever get the chance. Thanks go to my children for visiting with me and not being too embarrassed when their left-handed mum got picked on for that crime in the apprentice house tour. Thanks also to my husband for walking round Lyon in the rain looking for murals about their silk industry.
Elisabeth Hobbes Writes History 