Nicola here, celebrating the release today of my new timeslip, The Secrets of the Rose. I’ve been a published author for twenty-seven years but it’s still a slightly surreal and very exciting moment when you see each new book in print for the first time.
So many things come together to inspire a book. In this case, the inspiration came from: holidays by the sea, enjoying playing on the beach with my dogs, castles, the wild history of Northumberland, the northern lights, a magical talisman, roses and, to my surprise, the Jacobites, those supporters of the Stuart monarchy who wanted to depose King George I and put James Stuart and later his son, Bonnie Prince Charlie, on the throne of England.
I’ve been a fan of seventeenth century history for years and have written a number of books set in that period. The eighteenth century had never really
appealed to me in the same way. We all have our favourites! But it’s the story and the characters that’s important and the story of Dorothy Forster, a Northumbrian Jacobite heroine, has always intrigued me and once I got started on that I was engrossed.
Dorothy was born in the 1680s into a family that had been prominent in the north of England (and elsewhere) for centuries. The Forsters weren’t aristocracy but well-to-do landowners. Sir Claudius Forster was granted ownership of Bamburgh Castle and estates in 1609 by King James I but this wasn’t as generous as it sounded; the castle was very dilapidated and a huge drain on the royal resources so this was a good way for the King to save money. Unfortunately, of course, it transferred the costs to the Forsters, who couldn’t really afford them.
Bad luck (or bad judgement) dogged the Forster family. In 1701, Ferdinando Forster was attending a dinner in Newcastle where he quarrelled with John Fenwick of Rock, from another influential local family. They were prevented from duelling that evening but the following day they met again and drew swords. Ferdinando slipped on the cobbled street, John ran him through with his sword, Ferdinando died and John was hanged for murder. A sorry end, leaving the Bamburgh estate deeply in debt. You can see Ferdinando’s armour hanging in the church in Bamburgh.
It was Ferdinando who was brother to Dorothy, Lady Crewe, who features in The Secrets of the Rose. She and her nephew Thomas jointly inherited the Bamburgh estate but it was bankrupt. Luckily, Dorothy senior’s husband was very wealthy, paid off the debts and improved Bamburgh Castle. But Thomas, the joint heir was left with very little, reduced to living in Bamburgh Manor (how dreadful!) with his sister (also Dorothy, named for her aunt.) It is this Dorothy who has always interested me. Her story is told in The Secrets of the Rose so I won’t include any spoilers here. Suffice it to say that whilst Thomas inherited the poor judgement and reckless behaviour Forster gene, Dorothy had a lot more courage and commonsense! Plus, she insisted on marrying the man she loved – and who loved her – even in the face of family disapproval. Go, Dorothy!
Another aspect of the Jacobite side of the story that I love is the secret symbols that they used to communicate with one another. As it was treason
to plot the removal of one king and his replacement with another, Jacobite supporters had to communicate secretly. The white rose was their symbol for James, the King in exile. If it was shown with a bud or two, that was for his sons Charles and Henry.
The oak leaf was another symbol of the Stuart dynasty, as it was an oak tree that Charles II had hidden in when escaping the Parliamentarians after the Battle of Worcester. These and other designs such as the sunflower, butterfly and thistle, were engraved on glasses or painted into portraits as a sign of loyalty to the cause.
In the modern day story, Hannah Armstrong returns to Bamburgh Hall, where she grew up, bringing with her, her adorable Golden Retriever Tarka (no prizes for guessing the inspiration for Tarka!) Hannah is intrigued by a portrait of Dorothy that her step-mother has on display and sets out to find out more about her, despite the fact that she’s supposed to be in Bamburgh researching quite a different heroine, the Victorian Grace Darling.
Dorothy, Grace and Hannah, three women from different periods of history, whose stories all converge in one place. The Secrets of the Rose is my love letter to Bamburgh and I hope you enjoy it too!
I’m offering a print copy of the Secrets of the Rose and a cute notebook to one commenter between now and midnight on Sunday!
This all sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to read this story! Happy publication day Nicola!
Thank you so much, Christina!
I love multiple timeline stories, especially when mysteries and secrets carry over the years! I can’t wait to read it!
There’s something intriguing about a multiple timeline story, isn’t there, Pat. I love reading as well as writing them. Probably more, actually, as I find writing them very tricky!
I just love your books Nicola & can’t wait to read this one. It dropped into my kindle app yesterday so I’m all set!
Oh, thank you, Jeanne! I really hope you enjoy it.
Nicola, that sounds fascinating! I cannot wait to read this new book.
Thanks so much, Jane!
This sounds very intriguing! Thank-you for sharing your love of 17th and 18th century knowledge through stories. It sparks my own interest, that while I read stories, I dive off onto fact finding tours to see who (or what) catches interest.
Congrats on publishing another story!
Thanks, Jenni! I love the way that reading a historical novel can spark an interest in something that sends us diving down a research rabbit hole!
The history in Secrets of the Rose is so captivating, Nicola.
I look forward to reading it.
Thank you so much, Patricia!
My copy arrived today. Looks like a great read 🙂
Many thanks, Janice, I hope you enjoy it!
Always love to hear or read tales of Bamburg Castle, especially after reading & watching Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series. Your book looks like a fun read further into the Castle & it’s surrounds!
It’s an amazing place, isn’t it, Cathie! I love the Last Kingdom series as well. So atmospheric!
I loved that one h actually learned a bit about the formation of England – well, based somewhat on historical fact. I do wish they’d do a series on his Archer’s Tale. Anyway, ever since The Last Kingdom series I see Bamburg Castle everywhere. Also, after reading your history note above I went down a few rabbit holes myself reading about the Dorothy’s h how the castle changed hands, etc. Y’all, (you Wenches) provoke so much rabbit hole diving, but l learn so much!
Ha! We are all proficient at diving down rabbit holes and sending other people off to do the same!
I can’t wait to read this! I’ve enjoyed all your other books and love dual timelines. Dorothy sounds like a fascinating character.
Best of luck with it!!
Thank you so much, Teresa! I love finding a fascinating woman from the footnotes of history and finding out more about her life. Hopefully it’s interesting to other people as well.
Ironically, it is a wonderful thing to learn about true history in novels, even if they are also peppered with fictitious characters and places, along with the historical ones. If such a novel is to be a good one, however, much research must go into the writing. It appears that “The Secret of Roses” is of that class, so I certainly look forward to reading it! Thank you, Nicola.
Thank you, Patricia. I completely agree – it’s so important to write within a historically accurate framework. That’s why I enjoy the Wench books so much – you get proper history along with a wonderful story!
I knew of the white rose symbol but none of the others. Interesting. Sounds like a good read.
It’s interesting that the white rose became a Jacobite symbol, isn’t it, having been used by various different groups through history. It is an iconic design. The other Jacobite symbols and their meanings are so interesting, I think. I loved finding out more about them.
Thank you very much to everyone who left a comment, and thank you for all the lovely encouragement for my new book! I’m happy to report that Cathie’s name has been picked out of the hat to win a copy of the book and a notebook to go with it. Congratulations, Cathie!
This sounds great, and it’s wonderful to get historical fiction that’s NOT in the Regency for a change.
Thanks, Karin! I love my Regency fix, but mixing it up with some other time periods can add interest, can’t it.