Author Archives: diane

About diane

Diane Gaston is the RITA award-winning author of Historical Romance for Harlequin Historical and Mills and Boon, with books that feature the darker side of the Regency. Formerly a mental health social worker, she is happiest now when deep in the psyches of soldiers, rakes and women who don’t always act like ladies.

June 14, 1815

Updated on June 14, 2010 by diane

This week marks the 195th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, a battle that figures prominently in history and also in our Regency Historicals. The first book in my Three Soldiers Series, Gallant Officer, Forbidden Lady, ends at Waterloo. Book number two, Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress, begins there, smack in the middle of the battle.

I wondered what the two men whose names are nearly synonymous with the battle were doing on June 14, 1815. Both, I discovered, were writing dispatches.

Napoleon’s was in the form a a proclamation to his troops.

“Soldiers: This day is the anniversary of Marengo and Friedland, which twice
decided the destiny of Europe. Then, as after the battles of Austerlitz and
Wagram, we were too generous. We believed in the protestations and oaths of
princes to whom we left their thrones. Now, however, leagued together, they
strike at the independence and sacred rights of France…After having swallowed up twelve millions of Poles, twelve millions of Italians, one million Saxons, and six
millions of Belgians, they now wish to devour the States of the second order
among the Germans. Madmen! one moment of prosperity has bewildered them. To
oppress and humble the people of France is out of their power; once entering our
territory, there they will find their doom. Soldiers: We have forced marches
before us, battles to fight, and dangers to encounter; but firm in resolution,
victory must be ours. The honor and happiness of our country are at stake! and,
in short, Frenchmen, the moment is arrived when we must conquer or die!”

Napoleon knew he was days away from engaging the Prussians and one can understand his need to inspire his troops. Still, his words are brimming with arrogance, of the certainty of his superiority.

Napoleon had the advantage. He knew he was on the attack. The Allies knew only that engagement was imminent; at this point, they did not know where or when Napoleon would meet them.

Because of this, Wellington’s dispatches of June 14, 1815, deal with more practical matters. On this day he wrote to other Allied leaders, including Prince Metternich. In his dispatch to Metternich, Wellington, like Napoleon, is looking forward in time and planning for the occupation of France. He proposes a plan that will increase the cooperation of the conquered people, ceding control to Louis XVIII. He also reiterates his characteristic policy of reimbursing the citizenry of any property the army may need to take from him.

Wellington writes:

…It tends to make partisans instead of enemies of those who shall have
given their property for the subsistence of the several armies. Every man who
shall have in his possession a voucher or receipt on the part of the officers of
Louis XVIII. will feel an interest in the success of the cause, in proportion as
he shall value the property taken from him.
…It will put an end to very disagreeable discussions between the Commanders of the several armies, myself particularly, and Louis XVIII. His Majesty…will naturally claim to take possession of the country which shall fall into the hands of the Allies… His Majesty Louis XVIII. and the Allies, will appoint officers to govern that country….By adopting this system, which is the most simple and, as I have above shown, the most beneficial to the allied armies, we should at the same time hold out something to France to which the public opinion might attach itself….We should avoid the evil of seizing the public treasures in France; an evil which it will be very difficult to avoid under any other system, and which will be fatal to the discipline and reputation of the allied armies, and will give but too much reason to the French people to believe that the Allies have forgotten, or have omitted to act upon, the system laid down in their public declarations and their
treaties.

It appears that Wellington had no intention for the Allies to “swallow up” France, but rather to restore the country to the monarchy.

Neither Napoleon nor Wellington could have known the outcome of the ultimate battle. Moreover, neither one could have known that this battle would take a prominent place in history as one of the greatest battles of all time.

My friends Kristine Hughes and Victoria Hinshaw are attending this year’s Waterloo reinactment and I’m so envious I could just…..something. Check out their activities on Number One London blog.

So…what are you writing today? Any dispatches or proclamations?

Don’t forget to visit me at Diane’s blog on Thursday when I’ll give away another signed copy of Gallant Officer, Forbidden Lady. I’ll announce last week’s winner there tomorrow.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Napoleon, Waterloo, Wellington | 6 Replies

Peace by William Strutt

Updated on June 7, 2010 by diane

I had a great idea for a blog today, to blog about one of my favorite paintings, Watson and The Shark, which hangs in the National Gallery of Art. I remember first seeing the painting when I was a child and never forgetting it.

Turns out, though, I wrote that blog already. See it here!

So I thought I would write about another favorite painting, one later than the Regency, dated 1896.

This painting is called Peace by William Strutt, an English history painter who studied in Paris but moved to Australia and lived and painted there from 1850 to 1862. He moved back to England but continued to paint images of Australia. He also painted religious art, like this one.

Peace depicts a biblical verse:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isaiah 11:6-7

An 1896 print of this painting has been with me all my life. In my childhood it was in an old wooden frame painted gold. My mother had the print reframed and, sadly, replaced what might have been the original frame. What is worse, the reframing nearly destroyed the print. My friend Tony Wallace (to whom Justine and The Noble Viscount in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor is dedicated) arranged to have the print professionally restored. The print safely hangs in my living room now. It is the first item I point out to new visitors.

I love the images of the animals and the child. The print always made me feel hopeful, even when I was little, because every creature was co-existing in peace with the other. The lion and the wolf were no longer scary. The leopard was curled up exactly like my pet cat, Snoopy.

The painting’s message is such a lovely one–We can all live together in peace no matter what our differences.

Do you have some family heirlooms that hold a special meaning for you? Tell us!

Don’t forget to visit me at Diane’s blog on Thursday when I’ll give away another signed copy of Gallant Officer, Forbidden Lady. I’ll announce last week’s winner there tomorrow.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged heirlooms, Peace, William Strutt | 11 Replies

Life Within A Harem by Michelle Willingham

Updated on June 5, 2010 by diane

When I was researching my novella “Innocent in the Harem,” I’ll admit it came out of my own fascination with the secret world of the harem. What sort of world allowed a man to keep hundreds of odalisques, and what would it be like within the forbidden interior?

I used the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, as my setting, and when researching potential sultans, I found that Suleiman the Magnificent (also spelled Süleyman, 1494-1566) was the best candidate. He had several sons, whom he sent off to various provinces within his kingdom, in order to avoid rivalry between the heirs. When one of his sons posed a threat by allying with an enemy, Suleiman had him killed. Palace life was not for the faint of the heart, and sons of royal blood could easily be caught within intrigues and murder plots. The blood of princes could not be spilled, so poisoning and strangling were the preferred methods of execution. I created a fictional son for Suleiman, based on what I learned about the princes (in reality, Suleiman had eight sons by his wives).

In “Innocent in the Harem,” Prince Khadin’s life is in danger because Suleiman sees him as a threat to his heir. When Khadin rescues the beautiful Laila Binte Nur Hamidah from a slave market, he knows he may only have days left before his own execution. He takes her within the world of the harem, and Laila is awakened to the sensual environment.

Within the harem, bathing within the hamam was a popular pastime. The walls and floors were made of tile, and women would wear special sandals called pattens to prevent their feet from being burned from the heated marble. Body hair was considered sinful, and depilatory creams were used, the hair being scraped away with sharp shells. Slaves scrubbed the odalisques with loofahs and rinsed them off with water poured from gold and silver bowls. The women were massaged and perfumed daily, and after bathing, the women would recline in the tepidarium, where they would drink coffee and listen to stories.

The harem was strictly governed by the valide sultana, who was typically the sultan’s mother. The valide sultana would choose which women would share the sultan’s bed, and the women took turns. One unfortunate woman tried to trade her turn on the royal couch and was executed for it. And yet, the harem environment was one where women were treated as valuable, exquisite creatures. The concubines were well-educated, versed in music, languages, writing, sewing, and other arts. If an odalisque pleased the sultan, and particularly if she became pregnant, he might elevate her to the status of his wife.

Eunuchs protected the women and held valuable positions within the harem. Although they were castrated, some would still risk having illicit affairs with the women. The chief black eunuch, the kizlar ağasi held a political position and was often the foreign minister.

“Innocent in the Harem” follows the journey of Laila, a Bedouin horse whisperer, after she enters the harem and is brought to Prince Khadin. They share sensual nights together, even knowing that each night may be their last. And though Laila longs for her freedom, the longer she remains with her prince, the more she longs for both of them to escape the dangers of the palace.

(photographs courtesy of Michelle Styles)

You can read an excerpt from “Innocent in the Harem” at http://www.michellewillingham.com/books/innocent-in-the-harem/ . I’ll be giving away a free download of “Innocent in the Harem” to one lucky commenter.

Any questions about life within the harem? I’ll do my best to answer!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Innocent in the Harem, Michelle Willingham | 19 Replies

Not One In Ten Thousand Know Your Name

Updated on May 31, 2010 by diane

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May and a US Holiday, began as a day to remember those soldiers lost in the Civil War. It was later expanded to include all men and women who died in the service to their country, and many people use this day to remember all their departed loved ones. Every day we are heart-wrenchingly reminded of the sacrifice our brave soldiers make for the rest of us when we hear the names of the latest soldiers lost in Iraq or Afghanistan. Those aches are too raw, so I’m looking back to “our” era, the Napoleonic War and the War of 1812.

The Napoleonic Series has an article about one Battalion in 1809, listing the names of the officers and the biographical data they were able to piece together on as many of them as possible, lest they be entirely forgotten. (look under Biographies) They include men like Captain Joseph Bradbey, who among other things, was wounded when a general ordered his company of 470 men to attack French forces of over 2500. Bradbey was lucky. Most of his company died that day. Another was Lt. Charles Ward, unique among the biographies because no information existed of him before or after his military service. It is as if he existed only as a soldier.

The Napoleonic Series article quotes a lyric from a Stan Rogers song, “Macdonell on the Heights:”
So you know what it is to scale the Heights and fall just short of fame
And have not one in ten thousand know your name.

Stan Rogers, a Canadian folk singer, wrote this song of an officer who fought valiantly in the war of 1812. Canadian Lt. Col. John Macdonell lost his life during the Battle of Queenstown Heights. Seeing his name engraved on a plague on a rock near where he fell inspired Rogers to compose this song. Rogers lost his own life tragically at the age of 33, in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 at Cincinnati airport. Here’s a YouTube tribute for both Macdonell and Rogers:

About 4,000 soldiers died in action in the War of 1812 (another 20,000 died from disease). Estimates of soldiers lost in the Napoleonic War are about 2.5 million, a staggering figure. When lists of casualties were printed, only the officers were listed. Can you imagine how many mothers, sisters, sweethearts, waited and hoped and ultimately despaired of ever knowing the fate of their private or sergeant?

The US Military honors those soldiers who previously (now with DNA testing almost all can be identified) could not be identified, at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery. Today, as on every Memorial Day, a wreath will be placed at the Tomb, to honor all soldiers.

I’ll bet each of us have lost someone tragically, maybe not to war, but someone who “falls short of fame,” someone who led an ordinary life and who lives on only in the memories of those who loved him or her in life.

My choice is my cousin, Jimmy Getman, a graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy, who died of a sudden heart attack in his 30s while working long hours to ready the boat he commanded for service during a very frigid winter in the 1970s. I just searched the internet and found nothing about him except a citation of an article he co-wrote in 1976. But I remember him from long before. I remember him as older and smarter than me and clever enough to fix my doll’s shoe. He was a hero to me that day and ever since.

Who do you want to remember this Memorial Day?

Don’t forget to visit me tomorrow on Diane’s Blog for the announcement of last week’s winner of Gallant Officer, Forbidden Lady, and on Thurday as well.