Home of the Bluestocking Belles

Susana: Thank you for coming today, Mr. Walker. I understand you are quite a busy man. How generous of you to squeeze in some time to tell us a bit about you before your story is revealed in A Home for Helena.

James (rolling his eyes): Yes, well, Her Ladyship—that is, Lady Pendleton—made it quite clear that it was in my best interests to do so. That woman is a force beyond nature. I thank the heavens every day that we are not connected by blood, although it is quite bad enough that she considers my wife to be her protegée. Sir Henry—my neighbor—has the misfortune to be her son by marriage. But he did know what he was getting into when he wed Lady Sarah. [Sighing] In any case, they seem to be rubbing along quite well—three children, the most recent a boy. Not the heir, of course, since he has a son by his first marriage.

Susana: Er-yes, Lady Pendleton can be a bit of a nosey-parker, particularly when her family is involved. However, I have asked you here today to talk a bit about yourself for the benefit of my readers who are waiting eagerly to hear about my upcoming story about Helena and yourself.

James (pulling at his collar): Yes, of course. Unfortunately, my life is not that much different than most English gentlemen. At least it wasn’t, until I met Helena. Now her story is the remarkable one.

Susana: Indeed. But your part is just as important. Tell us about your early life.

James (sighing): Very well. I was born into a family of gentleman farmers. Unfortunately, by the time he died, my father had lost two of his three estates from gambling and reckless investments, and the only one remaining belonged to me through my mother. He still managed to run it down to the ground before he died, though, and I’ve been struggling to build it back up for a decade. [Smiles] It’s been quite a challenge, but I’m pleased to say that Melbourne Manor has begun to turn a handsome profit.

Susana: Melbourne Manor. Might you be related to the prominent London Melbournes?

James: My mother was a distant cousin of the current Viscount Melbourne. It’s not a connection I wish to claim, however. My father’s recklessness is enough to live down; the scandalous doings of the Melbournes are too much.

Susana: Oh, the Melbourne Miscellany. Quite remarkable how the family has remained so prominent in Whig circles when everyone knows Lady Melbourne’s children are not her husband’s.

James (rubbing his temple): Indeed. But the fact is they do socialize in the highest circles, and I suppose I am in the minority for not wishing to promote the connection. [Clearing his throat]. I’ve even considered changing the name of the estate, but I’ve been advised that doing so might have the opposite effect.

Susana: What would you change it to?

James (laughing): I’ve suggested Helena’s Haven, but she just rolls her eyes. She doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Melbourne Manor.  It’s tradition, she says. She quite likes having roots, since she grew up without any herself. But we both agree that we won’t have our children raised around that particular branch of the family.

Susana: You have a daughter from your first marriage, do you not? Can you tell us a little about her?

James: By all means. Annabelle is a precocious six-year-old. It’s through her that I met Helena—my current wife. When I lost the last in a long line of governesses, my neighbors the Newsomes invited Annabelle to stay with them for a time and share their governess. Helena—Miss Lloyd at that time, of course—was there for a few weeks as a temporary replacement, and then… well, things have never been the same.

Susana: You’ll have to explain that last statement. What was it about Helena Lloyd that changed your life?

James (with a deep sigh): For one thing, she’s not a plain drab thing with a sour look on her face. She’s not only very pretty, but dresses like a duke’s daughter. She’s American, but that doesn’t completely explain the remarkable manner of her speech, nor the astonishing ideas she advocates. There was a time when I suspected she was a follower of that woman Mary Wollstonecraft, who advocates for women’s rights. But for some reason, even that couldn’t tear me away from her. [Stares at the floor] I almost lost her, though. When I finally discovered the truth. For awhile there I thought she was a lunatic—or else I was—and I couldn’t decide which was worse.

Susana: And—?

James (shrugging): If loving Helena means accepting an alternate reality, then so be it. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together. [Winking] And it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a wife who has a talent for predicting the future. [He grins and rises from his chair.]

Susana: Indeed not. Thank you so much for coming today, Mr. Walker. Please give my best wishes to your delightful family.

James (bowing): My pleasure, Ms. Ellis. My congratulations on the upcoming release of A Home for Helena. I do hope your readers enjoy the story of how Helena found her home.

About A Home for Helena

Believing that she has been misplaced in time, Helena Lloyd travels back two hundred years in an attempt to find out where she belongs.

Widowed father James Walker has no intention of remarrying until he makes the acquaintance of his daughter’s lovely new governess.

Lady Pendleton, a time-traveling Regency lady herself, suspects that these two belong together. First, however, she must help Helena discover her true origins—and hopefully, a home where she belongs.

This is Book 2 of The Lady P Chronicles.

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About the Author

Susana Ellis has always had stories in her head waiting to come out, especially when she learned to read and her imagination began to soar. A former teacher, Susana lives in Toledo, Ohio in the summer and Florida in the winter. She is a member of the Central Florida Romance Writers and the Beau Monde chapters of RWA and Maumee Valley Romance Inc.

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