A few more pictures of Highclere/Downton Abbey

A few more photos from my visit to Highclere/TV's Downton Abbey, taken around and about outside, you're not allowed to take pictures inside. It was a fun visit, and we recently watched the first episode of Downton Abbey and enjoyed identifying where some of the scenes were shot.

St Catherine's Lighthouse, Isle of Wight

A friendly little goat at Tapnell Farm, Isle of Wight

A friendly little goat at Tapnell Farm, Isle of Wight, he enjoyed having his ears stroked and a little back rub!

Newark Castle

Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire, is a beautiful site with a rich history, a great place for a stroll and maybe a picnic. Apparently King John died here in 1216 from a surfeit of peaches. I've included a link for more information and some pics with a view looking down onto the river below.
http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=93

The Folly at Highclere Castle

Downton/Highclere

Downton Abbey/ aka Highclere Castle. Up close and personal.

An unusual discovery!

I found the Tardis! Actually this is probably a real old phone box we discovered on our visit to the Portsmouth historic dockyard. But, well, you never know!

What is a Courtesan?

What is a Courtesan?

A courtesan is someone far more ambitious, worldly and practiced in her arts than a mere mistress or prostitute. A successful courtesan would understand men, fashion and society, be bold and able to hold her own in the bedroom and out of it. Some infamous courtesans even rose to the heights of power at the side of their benefactors. Others acquired houses, jewels, gowns and money, and eventually retired comfortably. But where did a courtesan get her start? Beginning such a career was no easy feat. She had to learn both the sensual arts and rules of society somewhere. She needed an introduction.

In my book An Aspiring Courtesan, we take a playful sensual journey with Livvy a young woman who wishes to become so much more than a mistress or wife. In the Regency, a time of few rights for women and arranged marriages, she would be a woman in control of her own destiny. Or so she thinks. She turns to her cousin Alina, a housemaid, for advice and instruction. Alina who is about to be married, can no longer have the playful sensual flings with the handsome young Duke of Borden that she has previously enjoyed on his visits to her own employer the Earl of Devensley. She instructs the untutored Livvy in the sensual arts, persuading the duke to accept Livvy and to be her first lover.

Livvy is a sensual and determined young woman who knows what she wants. If she has to learn from someone she is happy that it is the duke.

This book delves into both the duke’s thoughts and Livvy’s, followed by the story of his friend the earl and a seemingly innocent young debutante who has learned a few things from Livvy.

An Aspiring Courtesan is a sensual romantic comedy and very definitely for adults only!

A beautiful day at Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight

The beautiful blue room at Hardwick

Pictures of my visit to the beautiful blue room at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire.