Lady Disdain, beware!
For beneath the surface of even the most polished Regency gentleman can lurk...Guy Table Manners.
The lady may think them unintentional, but the gentleman begs to differ!
Never mind that Admiral McGillvary wore a borrowed coat, stained and threadbare into the bargain. The lovely Miss Elliot, seated by chance at his table, did not recognize him--she thought him a clerk! Nor did she bother to hide her scorn at his scruffy appearance.
The temptation to tease her was overwhelming. McGillvary gave her one of his most charming smiles...and tapped the hard tea biscuit sharply against the tabletop.
She looked up.
"Old habit," he remarked. "Reminds me of a nibby. A sea biscuit. Navy issue."
"Oh," she said. "The Navy."
McGillvary nearly laughed outright. Obviously, flirting with a clerk was taboo! When she looked his way, he poured the last of his tea into the saucer to cool. This was clearly outrageous; his mother would have boxed his ears! He lifted the saucer and took a long, gleeful draught.
Replacing it, he remarked, "A nice brew, but I prefer coffee. As you can see," he indicated his waistcoat, "we had a little mishap with the coffeepot."
"Do you mean today?" she said.
He stiffened. Did she think he would wear a stained waistcoat all week?
And so begins the sparring banter between the Admiral and the arrogant Miss Elliot, romantic leads in Mercy's Embrace, a spin-off of Jane Austen's Persuasion.
And it seems I cannot help myself. All my life I have been surrounded by men: a father, one brother, a husband, and three sons. Even though I write Regency, real-life male behaviors creep in. Too much fun!
The lady may think them unintentional, but the gentleman begs to differ!
Never mind that Admiral McGillvary wore a borrowed coat, stained and threadbare into the bargain. The lovely Miss Elliot, seated by chance at his table, did not recognize him--she thought him a clerk! Nor did she bother to hide her scorn at his scruffy appearance.
The temptation to tease her was overwhelming. McGillvary gave her one of his most charming smiles...and tapped the hard tea biscuit sharply against the tabletop.
She looked up.
"Old habit," he remarked. "Reminds me of a nibby. A sea biscuit. Navy issue."
"Oh," she said. "The Navy."
McGillvary nearly laughed outright. Obviously, flirting with a clerk was taboo! When she looked his way, he poured the last of his tea into the saucer to cool. This was clearly outrageous; his mother would have boxed his ears! He lifted the saucer and took a long, gleeful draught.
Replacing it, he remarked, "A nice brew, but I prefer coffee. As you can see," he indicated his waistcoat, "we had a little mishap with the coffeepot."
"Do you mean today?" she said.
He stiffened. Did she think he would wear a stained waistcoat all week?
And so begins the sparring banter between the Admiral and the arrogant Miss Elliot, romantic leads in Mercy's Embrace, a spin-off of Jane Austen's Persuasion.
And it seems I cannot help myself. All my life I have been surrounded by men: a father, one brother, a husband, and three sons. Even though I write Regency, real-life male behaviors creep in. Too much fun!
Even though tapping the "nibby" was how sailors knocked the weevils out...
Not something I am wanting to eat.
Not something I am wanting to eat.
Comment question:
What outrageous Male Table Manners - the kind designed to get a rise out of guests - have you observed?
Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Laura!
You can find Laura here:
Readers are loving Laura Hile's joyous Regency novels. Her signature style - intertwined plots, cliffhangers, and laugh-out-loud humor - keep them coming back for more.
The comedy Laura comes by as a teacher. There's never a dull moment with teen students!
This winter she will be releasing Darcy By Any Other Name, a comic 'body-swap' romance based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and sons. Her fiction is for everyone, even teens.
The comedy Laura comes by as a teacher. There's never a dull moment with teen students!
This winter she will be releasing Darcy By Any Other Name, a comic 'body-swap' romance based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and sons. Her fiction is for everyone, even teens.
Shelley, thanks so much for hosting this post. Such fun to look at books from a new point of view.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite welcome. :)
DeleteUpdate from the author:
ReplyDeleteI have re-released this series as indies, with new lower prices and beautiful new covers. Here's a look at So Rough a Course ... a big improvement over my publisher's pink cover, isn't it?
So far there is only one review because the older editions are not yet linked. https://www.amazon.com/Mercys-Embrace.../dp/B07815SDQX/