When the Bluestocking Belles’ 2022 Desperate Daughters was published, it was missing a story by one of the strategic sisters. Readers noticed and expressed their concern about Lady Susana’s future. (Yes, she was named after me because I was the one who failed to write the story.) This situation made me very sad and last fall I finally wrote Susana’s story and we added it to the Belles’ original book. If you own it and haven’t read the story, you can go into your Kindle library and update it so that Susana’s story is included. If you haven’t purchased that book yet, you can do so at any time and read all of the connected stories.
As of July 1, 2024, however, you can purchase A Seamstress, a Soldier, and a Secret separately from the original book, both digitally and in print.
A Seamstress, a Soldier, and a Secret
As a gifted seamstress, Lady Susana Bigglesworth contributes to her family’s livelihood by working as a modiste in a haberdashery shop in Leeds, far away enough from her home in Harrogate to prevent tongues from wagging about an earl’s daughter being “in trade.”
Blaise Arquette returns from nearly two decades of fighting the French to discover a pretty young lady seamstress working in his brother’s haberdashery shop. Perhaps it’s a good thing she’s leaving for Harrogate and a Season in York, because, sadly, he has nothing to offer her.
A Trip to Macclesfield to Visit The Silk Museum
The city of Macclesfield, Cheshire and the silk industry play an important part in Susana’s story, so when I was in the UK this past May, I paid them a visit. Fascinating!
History of the Silk Industry in Macclesfield
Macclesfield was once the world’s biggest producer of finished silk. A domestic button industry had been established in the town by the mid-16th century, although the first mention of silk buttons is not until 1649. In the mid-18th century, when metal buttons became fashionable, the silk-button industry transitioned to silk manufacture in mills. Macclesfield’s first silk mill was founded by Charles Roe in 1743 or 1744. The mills were initially powered by water, and later by steam. There were 71 silk mills operating in 1832, employing 10,000 people, but a crash occurred in 1851 and many mill-workers emigrated to the American silk town of Paterson, New Jersey. (Wikipedia)
Paradise Mill and the Silk Museum
The Museum was great, but the guided tour of Paradise Mill next door was the best part of the excursion. Our tour guide showed us through the factory, from the spinning and winding machines to the looms and the (surprisingly) automated jacquard machines. Not only does she operate the looms and other machines, but she is also painstakingly refitting the machines that are currently inoperable.
Winding machine
These are the cards punched with holes that automate the design process of the jacquard silk
Jacquard designs
The hole punching machine used to create the cards for making jacquard silk
“Macclesfield Silks”
So now I can visualize the silk mill owned by the fictional Thomas Pemberton in A Seamstress, a Soldier, and a Secret. I might have to write more stories about silk and seamstresses and soldiers. We’ll see!
Susana's Parlour 