Please welcome Kryssie Fortune and her new release, Wickedly Used, to my blog.
A Tale of Two Soldiers ~Waterloo #history #amreading #Regency #Romance
“I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me.” -The Duke of Wellington
Wellington may have been talking about his army, but some of his officers and Allies at Waterloo were eccentric too.
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton.
{PD-1923}} – published anywhere before 1923 and public domain in the U.S.
According to Wellington he was “a rough foul-mouthed devil as ever lived.”
Hardly a recommendation, although Wellington added that he found him capable. Picton’s cruelty when Governor of Trinidad saw him put on trial for torture. Although convicted, the conviction was later overturned.
He fought in the Peninsula War then became a member of parliament. When war broke out again, he headed for Waterloo. He arrived, but his luggage didn’t. He rode into battle in a top hat.
That must have made people look twice. It probably marked him as a target, too.
Welsh folklore says that his top hat was shot off by a cannonball moments before his death.
Sadly, he was the most senior officer killed in the conflict. Although, some historians think he was so hated by his own troops that one of them shot him.
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
– {{PD-1923}} – published anywhere before 1923 and public domain in the US
“Forwards!” he was quoted as saying. “I hear you say it’s impossible, but it has to be done! I have given my promise to Wellington, and you surely don’t want me to break it? Push yourselves, my children, and we’ll have victory!”
Ever used the phrase, “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle”. My guess is it wouldn’t translate well into another language. The same applies to Blucher. Once, when he rallied his men he told them he was pregnant with a baby elephant. I really hope this was a saying, not insanity or schnapps talking.
Injured at the start of the allied campaign, he lay beneath a dead horse. And was repeatedly ridden over by French cavalry. Only the fact that a great coat concealed his uniform stopped the French from killing him.
Once he rejoined his troops, he bathed in a liniment of rhubarb and garlic, fortified himself with schnapps, and led his army to the battle. He was 74 at the time. By late afternoon, their intervention helped the Allies win a great victory.
Why my interest in Waterloo?
Because Stormy Night Publishing have just released my dark Regency Romance, Wickedly Used.
Buy links
Blurb
While he is no stranger to pleasurable company from ladies of the night, Major Richard Rothbury of the royal dragoons is not the kind of man who will stand idly by as a woman is taken against her will, and when he witnesses a disreputable cad attempting to force himself on a girl in a back alley, he does not hesitate to intervene.
But after the grateful young woman offers herself to Rothbury, he is shocked to discover that not only was she no harlot, she was a maiden and he has deflowered her. Furious at the girl’s scandalous behavior and her carelessness with her own safety, Rothbury chastises her soundly.
Though she is due to inherit one of the largest fortunes in England, the fact that she cannot touch the money until she marries or turns thirty has kept Elizabeth completely at the mercy of her cruel uncle, and for years she has been treated as if she were a servant. Her encounter with Lord Rothbury is by far the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her, but while he shows great concern for her safety, he refuses to believe that she is anything more than a serving girl.
Despite having made it clear that he doesn’t consider a match between them to be possible, when Elizabeth disobeys him Rothbury proves more than ready to strip her bare, punish her harshly, and then enjoy her beautiful body in the most shameful of ways. But can she dare to hope that he will one day make her his wife, or is she destined to spend her life being wickedly used?
Publisher’s Note: Wickedly Used: A Dark Regency Romance includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
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