Exploring a Piece of History by Jennifer Delamere

A youthful indiscretion has cost Lizzie Poole more than just her honor. After five years living in exile, she’s finally returning home, but she’s still living a secret life. Her best friend Ria’s dying wish was for Lizzie to assume her identity, return to London, and make amends that Ria herself would never live to make. Bearing a striking resemblance to her friend, and harboring more secrets than ever before, Lizzie embarks on a journey that tempts her reckless heart once again . . .

A committed clergyman, Geoffrey Somerville’s world is upended when he suddenly inherits the title of Lord Somerville. Now he’s invited to every ball and sought after by the matchmaking mothers of London society. Yet the only woman to capture his heart is the one he cannot have: his brother’s young widow, Ria. Duty demands he deny his feelings, but his heart longs for the mysterious beauty. With both their futures at stake, will Lizzie be able to keep up her façade? Or will she find the strength to share her secret and put her faith in true love?

 

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Have you ever read about a time in the past that sounded so fascinating that you wished you could have experienced it for yourself? I enjoy reading books about history, and so this happens to me a lot!

 

That’s why I love writing historical fiction—it’s a way for me to immerse myself in the details of a time and place and imagine myself there—to step into that world, so to speak.

 

I chose 1851 London for the setting of An Heiress at Heart because during that year an event took place that was one of the high points for England in the nineteenth century. That event was the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, now generally referred to as the Great Exhibition of 1851. Sometimes it is also described as the very first world’s fair.

 

Imagine taking a summertime stroll through Hyde Park, one of the largest parks in London. You are walking along a path by a long and narrow lake known as the Serpentine, enjoying the sight of ducks swimming at the water’s edge. You come around a bend in the path and see something truly startling in the distance: it is a giant building made of glass! It is the length of six football fields, and yet the park is so large that there are still open stretches of green all around it—plenty of room for the many people who are coming and going from the building. Its roof is three stories high and trimmed with colorful flags, and one section is arched to accommodate the 90-ft elm trees inside.

 

When you walk inside, sunlight pours through the glass onto plants, statuary, and bright banners. Birds twitter in the live trees. The building is filled with engineering marvels of all kinds, from steam engines and cotton spinning machines to the “latest” invention: photography! You can also find displays of fine art and gaze at the Hope Diamond. You can spend a whole day here and still not see all of the thousands of items brought in from around the world. It’s no wonder it captured the imagination of the people of the time. Charlotte Bronte visited the Exhibition and later wrote, “It seems as if only magic could have gathered this mass of wealth from all the ends of the earth.” It captured my imagination too, which is why several scenes in An Heiress at Heart are set at the Great Exhibition. I hope you will enjoy visiting 1851 London as much as I enjoyed writing about it.

 

How about you? Is there some time or place in history that you would love to see for yourself if you could? Would you want to stay there permanently, or simply visit?

 

Jennifer Delamere

http://www.jenniferdelmere.com

Twitter: @JenDelamere

http://www.facebook.com/Jennifer.Delamere

 

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