Interested in knowing how many children the Essex sisters had? Eloisa has this beautiful Essex Family Tree for you to see.
Click to see a bigger version that can be printed if you’d like.
Archives
What’s Your Pleasure?
For the release of Pleasure for Pleasure, Eloisa ran a “What’s Your Pleasure?” contest inviting readers to submit their own pleasures. Here are the winning entries:
The Nicest Pleasure…
…goes to Bairbre. Her Pleasure is:
I work for an upscale retailer, and I get a huge kick out of helping little old ladies who think they’re ugly realize that they’re NOT ugly. No woman should despair of her looks.
The Most Off the Wall…
…goes to Kat. Her Pleasure is:
I’d like to take A Room with a View trip. I’d like to follow in Lucy Honeychurch’s footsteps on a tour of Florence and see how far I’d get using my 1910 edition of Baedeker’s guide for Italy (yep, I actually found one similar to the one Lucy used).
The Sweetest…
…goes to laura53. Her Pleasure is:
It may seem silly but my most desired pleasure would be an apple tree. When we lost so much to Hurricane Katrina, the one thing I feel the greatest loss over is my apple tree. It was planted by my dad the year he went to Vietnam and never came back.
The Most Indulgent…
…goes to Tiffina. Her Pleasure is:
Corsets. The lacing, the cinching, the wearing, the glorious sexy feeling they ‘wrap’ around you. Definitely corsets.
Mea Culpa, Pleasure for Pleasure
- Gladys wrote with the dismal truth: Josie is another of my time-travelling characters. The truth is that she ought to be 17 in Pleasure for Pleasure, based on being 15 in Much Ado About You. 17! I couldn’t countenance it when I came to write her story, though it certainly would have been historically appropriate for a 17-year-old to debut. She’s 18, going on 30 (i.e., too wise for her age).
- On page 87, Darlington tells Griselda: “One never knows, of course, when the earth’s magnetic poles will change their position and turn this country into a sandy wasteland…I learned very little in school, but I do remember that.” Well, Elizabeth wrote to tell me that possibility of Geomagnetism polarity reversals was discovered well after 1818. What is puzzling me is how I ever came up with it. I don’t remember writing the sentence, and I definitely don’t remember learning it in school!
- A real Sylvie wrote all the way from France to note that the first word my Sylvie says in French should have been “Regardez” and not “Guardez.” My apologies to all French speakers!
- Cherienoel pointed out that on page 23, Felton’s name morphs from Lucien to Lucius. His real name is Lucius; Lucien is far too satanic sounding for Felton.
- And Cherienoel’s sharp eye didn’t stop there! She also noticed that on page 252, Annabel names women who have not been moved by the Earl of Mayne’s kisses… ” Lady Godwin, Tess, Annabel and Sylvie.” Eek! Annabel is about the only one who never kissed Mayne (besides that, she’s speaking): it should be Imogen, his first fiancée.
- LadyB also found a name typo: the modiste, Madame Roque changes to Madame Roquet over a few pages. Curses! I kept changing her name and I was sure I’d caught all the changes…
- Lots of people pointed out one thing that I hate to even admit… Mayne is a time-traveller. It’s true. He gets a little younger from Much Ado to Pleasure for Pleasure. Just think of him as really lucky, OK?
- Iorek noticed that on page 210, Mayne points out Lord Tallboys to Sylvie and says: “Rafe introduced him to Josie at the Mucklowe Ball.” But Rafe was still on his honeymoon with Imogen! Could he be a time-traveller too?
- Sarah discovered that on page 207, Mayne realizes that he “ought to be the happiest man on earth. Gigue had won her heart.” Gigue – his mare – had won her heat, not her heart!
- On page 281, Darlington asks Griselda if she’s read Canto IV of Canto Harold. It should be Canto IV of Childe Harold! (And in case you’re wondering, Griselda thinks that Byron’s poetry is tedious and way too self-indulgent.)
