The primary aim of every young lady embarking on the Spring frenzy that is the Season must be to make a good match. Or must it? And what is a good match? For cousins Cynthia, Chloe and Ann, well aware that the society preux chevalier may prove to be a domestic tyrant, these are vital questions. How can they discover their suitors’ true character when all their encounters must be confined to the highly ritualised round of balls, parties and drives in the park?
As they define and refine their Husband Criteria, Cynthia finds herself unwillingly attracted to aloof Rafe Marfield, heir to an earldom, while Chloe is pleased to find that Thomas Musgrave, the vicar’s son from home, is also in London. And Ann must decide what is more important to her, music or marriage.
And what of the gentlemen who consider the marriage mart to be their hunting grounds? How will they react if they realise how rigorously they are being assessed?
A light-hearted, entertaining look behind the scenes of a Season that takes a different course with unexpected consequences for all concerned.
Welcome, Catherine!
Please make yourself at home. Would you prefer tea or coffee, or perhaps something more…fortifying?
Coffee would be splendid, please.
To start with, please introduce yourself and your writing.
I was born and educated in Dublin. Following a three-year courtship conducted mostly by letter, I moved to Germany where I lived for twenty-five years before returning to Ireland. I have worked in the Irish and New Zealand public services and in the private sector. I am a widow and have three adult sons and two grandchildren.
I love writing and am particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on for the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them. My books are set against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars and consider in particular the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society.
I also blog about historical facts and trivia related to this era. You can find out more about my books and read the blog (My Scrap Album) at my website You can contact me via my Facebook page or on Twitter
I have always been interested in the extended Regency period, from, say, 1795—the year of the later Prince Regent’s marriage—to 1830, the year of his death as George IV, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. The events of this period include the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland of 1800, the Anglo-American war of 1812 and the twelve years of war that ended in the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, all of which continue to shape our world today.
Could you tell us a little about your series, and what inspired you to set your story during this period?
The Lorings started as a stand-alone book, The Suggestion of Scandal. When Sir Julian Loring returns home for his father’s sixtieth birthday, to his surprise he finds himself attracted to Rosa Fancourt, his half-sister Chloe’s governess. Rosa is no longer the gawky girl fresh from a Bath Academy whom he first met ten years ago. Just as they begin to draw closer, she disappears—in very dubious circumstances. Julian cannot bring himself to believe the worst of Rosa but if she is blameless, the real truth could be even more shocking, with far-reaching repercussions for his own family, especially for Chloe. Despite this, he sets out to find her.
So many readers requested a sequel that I felt obliged to write one. Lady Loring’s Dilemma deals with the repercussions for the Loring family, and leads to The Husband Criteria, where Chloe and her cousins consider the qualities they would look for in a husband as they embark on the London Season.
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When researching this era, did you come upon any unexpected surprises?
The most surprising thing was the wealth of informal coloured illustrations from the period—caricatures, fashion prints, prominent buildings and important sights, furniture and fittings, illustrations of humorous and satirical books—all of Regency life may still be purchased very reasonably at antique fairs, flea markets, second-hand book-shops.
Why do you think Regency romance still fascinates readers so much?
The Regency is sufficiently like our own to time to resonate with us and sufficiently unlike it to intrigue us. The ruling aristocracies were being challenged by those who saw the need for social and political reform, while the industrial revolution which led to the transfer of wealth to the manufacturing and merchant classes was underway. Powerful voices demanded the abolition of the slave trade. Women, who had few or no rights in a patriarchal society, had begun to raise their voices, demanding equality and emancipation. Still very much the age of sail, and of the horse, it was also the dawn of the age of steam. Within twenty years, railways would have begun to transform both the landscape and society.
The music, literature, art and architecture of that time is still popular while the fashion—between hoops and crinolines—is very wearable today, and indeed the Empire line is revived regularly.
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of writing Historical Romance set in this era?
The same as applies for any historical fiction; transporting the reader to an authentic historical setting where the characters’ actions are determined by the laws, morals and customs of their time, not ours. Historical fiction should both inform and entertain and the unspoken contract between author and reader requires authenticity both of the historical framework and how the characters behave.
What is your next writing project?
I have two WIPs at present; a sequel to The Husband Criteria and an unrelated Regency novel with older protagonists. I am preoccupied by both stories at present, so shall write in tandem for the time-being.
Thank you for joining us at The Coffee Pot Book Club Café!
Thank you for your kind invitation.
© Catherine Kullmann
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Catherine Kullmann
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