Nancy Jardine - Where History Comes Alive
Good Morning!
The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour begins today!
So, today I expect to be visiting:
On the above blogs you'll find a spotlight of the novel, a guest post that I've written and you won't want to miss and two excerpts from the novel!
I've a busy day, so till next time, Tak Tent. (take care)
Slainthe!
Hello Again,
I mentioned in my last post that Tailored Truths is going on a Blog Tour with the Coffee Pot Book Club and for this I needed to write some guest posts for some of the lovely bloggers who are hosting me/ the book.
I actually wrote more than I needed, so I'll be adding the extras on here because they are all centred around the second part of Margaret Law's story in Tailored Truths. Today's post is about church adherence in the mid-Victorian Era. I, admittedly, made original assumptions when beginning my research of the city of Dundee, Scotland, during the 1850s and 1860s. I wrongly thought that the bulk of the population were good church attendees but this is what I discovered:
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| Dundee Parish Church St. Mary's - rebuilt 1842-1844 Medieval tower in behind |
I don’t believe it possible to write a trilogy set during the Victorian era in Scotland without mentioning church attendance at some point. However, the research I did for churches in Dundee (Scotland) during the mid-1800s wasn’t quite as I expected.
When Tailored Truths opens my character Margaret has just arrived in the city of Dundee to meet her best friend Jessie, who has also left her job in Edinburgh. Margaret’s own religious upbringing has been problematic and has left her with grave doubts about God, and the realities of following a pious church-filled lifestyle.
Margaret’s own parents have had a dysfunctional marital relationship, her father ostensibly fervently devout but never seemingly happy with any particular protestant denomination that he tries out. Growing up in the 1840s, in the small town of Milnathort, Kinross Shire, Margaret has been dragged to church regularly but over time to different church sects and church buildings.
In Scotland, the year 1843 was a time of ‘church’ turmoil, a time when the long-established and main Church of Scotland fractured and around a third of the ministers and lay people left to form new churches. These new churches, based on different ideologies, struggled to gain new followers. Margaret’s father never appeared to find the best fit for his zealous religious fervour, her mother blindly following and displaying almost no will of her own. By her early teen years, Margaret has formed no particular allegiance to any church, and isn’t entirely sure if there’s a point to putting all one’s faith in the god worshipped in protestant churches in Scotland.
Margaret and Jessie are in Dundee for an initial purpose – both seeking to confront their own fathers. Jessie’s father, who has never acknowledged that she is his bastard daughter, is a degenerate minister whose position in Milnathort has been rescinded and he’s been sent to pastor in a Seaman’s Mission Hall in Dundee. Jessie feels the need to confront this ‘Man of God’ – who has left a trail of unacknowledged bastard children in his wake – so that she can get on with her own life. Margaret’s father’s whereabouts are unknown though the last sighting for him is Dundee. She’s not seen him for a few years but she’d like to clarify some awful things she heard about his treatment of her mother, information divulged by her uncle on her mother’s deathbed.
Jessie’s quest for her father is easily resolved at the beginning of Tailored Truths, but Margaret is at an impasse. With no address like Jessie had, Margaret quickly realizes that asking at church doors if anyone has ever heard of her father is a fruitless exercise. There is a church building of some form on almost every street, or street corner, in Dundee. Many of these are of the established Church of Scotland but meeting halls and church buildings affiliated to lots of other protestant sects are dotted in between. When Margaret left home to work in Edinburgh as a twelve-year-old, her father was attending a United Free Presbyterian church, but he could be attending any one of a number of different ones in Dundee. When Margaret walks around Dundee, the church information boards outside their buildings declare them to be Congregational; Methodist; Baptist; Memorial; United Secession; Relief. Many church meeting halls had different names and practices like the Sandemanian and the Glasite communities. Margaret thinks it unlikely that her father would have changed to attending a Roman Catholic Church, or an Episcopalian Church (with rituals more like a Church of England) but it’s always possible. Though, her father may, by now, have given up on religion altogether.
What I found surprising were references to the fact that there were a good number of people living in Dundee during the mid-1850s who didn’t attend a church at all. Whether they were truly atheist, or just not inclined to attend regular worship wasn’t clear. What wasn’t surprising is that the Dundee city population rose steadily every decade of the 1800s and new residents to Dundee perhaps felt less pressured to conform to church attendance, if it wasn’t their calling. There was probably an anonymity to someone dwelling in a city, with fewer people watching their every move, unlike how it still was in a small town, or country setting.
A specific census of 1851, regarding church attendance across Scotland, attempted to determine how many regular church attendees there were. That data isn’t all available but a note was made that possibly around 60% in Scotland were regular attendees. However, it was also noted that attendance in the larger cities in Scotland – Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee – was a lot lower than that of across the countryside.
In Tailored Truths we find Margaret sometimes attending the church of one of her friends but, as often as not, she doesn’t go at all. To still appear to be a respectable young lady there’s a hint that she makes sure to be out of her lodging house at some point on a Sunday, her landlady making the assumption that Margaret is being a good church attendee. Since church services and meetings took place in the mornings, afternoons and evenings on a Sunday it wasn’t so difficult to create an assumption.
Does that mean that Margaret spent godless and lawless Sundays? Tailored Truths reveals that answer…
Till next time,
Slainthe!
Good Morning!
I'm beavering away, getting all my ducks in a row (do they work together?), for a Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour that Tailored Truths is going on very soon beginning the 19th September 2025! There will be more details to come though here's a poster to get us started.
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In the meanwhile... I'm adding an excerpt from the novel for you to enjoy from Tailored Truths! At this point, Margret has begun a relatively new venture, innovative for its time, for Edward Baxton owner of one of the big Dundee linen and jute mills (Scotland). She's managing a little sewing workshop using lockstitch sewing machines (very new technology) making basic, ready made clothes to sell to the workers at the mill. This means regular trips to a draper/ warehouse shop on Reform Street, central Dundee.
What a
cheeky young man!
“Is this young man bothering you, Miss Law?” Mister Ingram’s question was quite loud as he walked forward along the aisle to join them.
“No, it’s
quite alright, Mister Ingram. I’m ready to order now if you’re free?” She made
sure to make her request as business like as possible. “Good day, Mister
Fraser.”
Once back
at Mister Ingram’s desk. she ordered the usual stock that she needed and asked him
for the price of the first bale of woollen cloth from Kirriemuir that she’d
fingertip-assessed.
“Did that
rascal Fraser coerce you in any way to order this, Miss Law?”
Margaret
laughed at the concerned expression on the older man’s face. “No, not at all.
I’m about to create stocks of cheap trousers for mill lads and I think that
slightly coarser wool will do very nicely. Though, of course, it would be even
better if the price was cheaper.”
“I believe
that cloth would suit your purpose. I took it from Johnny Fraser as a favour
even though it’s a bit rough and ready, but I’d need to think long and hard
about selling it any cheaper than the marked price.”
The
twinkle in Mister Ingram’s eye made her confident he might knock the price down
a little, especially as it wouldn’t need to be taking up space on his shelves
till someone eventually bought it.
“I only
took two bales of it into stock earlier today. Though you let me know if you
find it makes good sales at the mill and, if so, I’ll see if I can get you
more.” There was a slight pause while she felt an almost paternal tinge to his
words. “Johnny Fraser has a smooth tongue that you might need to be wary of,
but he’s a likeable lad for all that. He only stepped in to deliver today since
there’s been a bit of sickness in Kirriemuir and the usual delivery man wasn’t
able to make the trip.”
Mister
Ingram quickly jotted down her order in his sales ledger and turned the book
around for her to sign.
Margaret
quickly memorised the total. “I just hope it’s not the cholera! I’ve read about
that in the newspapers. So many people died from that a while back.”
“I hope
not, too. We can do without that in Dundee. We have enough sickness, year on
year, from other causes like the disgusting water supplies in our wells.”
Mister
Ingram went on to inquire if she needed any help to create cutting patterns for
boys’ clothes, saying he could get one of the Spencer tailors to help her.
“No, thank
you. I learned how to do some boys’ tailoring when I worked down in Liverpool.”
Mister Ingram already knew some of her past sewing history.
On her
fast walk back to the mill she put her thumping heart beats and hot cheeks down
to her hurry. It was nothing to do with having met the very handsome Johnny
Fraser with the twinkling blue eyes and head of thick, unruly hair that begged
to be tweaked. Her reasoning made her laugh aloud. In all of the past ten years
hardly any men had produced an instant attraction, and those who had had been
wrong for her, for all sorts of reasons.
She
couldn’t quite put her finger on it but Johnny Fraser was probably too
handsome, somehow too cocksure for his own good…and just as unsuitable.
Kirriemuir wasn’t that far away, a matter of some twenty miles, but it was
likely a good thing that he didn’t live in Dundee.
She was
still chuckling about his appeal as she turned into the cobbled lane that led
to the mill warehouse. The likelihood of ever seeing Johnny Fraser again was
probably as fleeting as the fluffy clouds that whisked their way across the
mostly blue sky above her to dissipate into nothingness.
That night she picked up her pen and ink.
Dear
Jessie,
I know
it’s not long since my last letter but I had to tell you that I had the most
delightful day!
Things
are going so very well at the workroom, that we’re running out of materials
almost as soon as they are delivered to us. As a result, I had to make a visit
to Spencer & Co. and while there I met the cheekiest young man who was
flirting with me right there in the warehouse.
He's
devilishly handsome but I’m not going to be drawn in with those incredibly blue
eyes of Johnny Fraser. It’s just as well he’s from Kirriemuir and not Dundee!
Since
you’ve not written to me this week, I assume that you and the children are well
and that George is his usual fine self. If all goes according to our previous
plan, I’ll take the train down to Glasgow to see you next month.
Your
loving (and presently very amused) best friend,
Margaret
Slainthe!
Good Morning!
It seems to have taken ages to get here but today, 12th September 2025, is the eBook LAUNCH DAY for Tailored Truths, Book 2 of the Silver Sampler Series!!
I send my sincere thanks to the readers who Pre-Ordered Tailored Truths from Amazon during the last 6 weeks, your support is much appreciated.
I've recently been getting ready for the novel to go on a Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour beginning Friday the 19th of September 2025. The tour will run for four consecutive Fridays and for this I've needed to choose 4 different excerpts; write 5 different and unique blog guest posts; and I have 2 author interviews to answer questions for.
Since the 'Coffee Pot' excerpts are now chosen, from a selection of around 18 that I've filed (It's easier to do this when your novel is a long one!) I'll be sharing some of the others on here i.e. from those which won't appear on host blogs during the tour.
Here's an excerpt where the main character, Margaret Law, is finding life a bit tough having arrived in Dundee with no job and very little in savings. She initially shares a room with her best friend Jessie in a Dundee lodging house, but since Jessie has managed to get herself a job as a lady's maid they only spend ten days together before Jessie toddles off to Hawthorn House, the brand new mansion that Edward Baxton, a Dundee mill owner, has recently built for himself and his family.
Enjoy!
Almost Penniless in Dundee
Margaret could barely believe that four
whole weeks had passed since Jessie had confronted her father and had then left
the next day to start work at Hawthorn House. So much had happened and yet, for
Margaret, so little to show for it.
She
creaked-open the front door of Ada Webster’s house, trying to enter unheard,
but her landlady had the most acute hearing of anybody she’d ever met.
A
few minutes later, having unenthusiastically handed over the rent money that
was due, she cradled the now-lit candle and trudged up the narrow wooden stairs
yet another time, saying to herself that it would soon be the last week she’d
have to sleep under Ada Webster’s roof.
Unfortunately,
unlike Jessie, Margaret had yet to find what she’d call a proper job. Nothing
had come of her efforts to secure employment as a tutor, or to gain a position
teaching at a school for young ladies. The reference she had from Mister
Stewart Duncan in Edinburgh, though glowing enough in its own way, didn’t
satisfy any of the school administrators that she could cope with more than one
pupil.
She’d
even asked around if anyone knew of a lady’s maid position, like Jessie’s, but
to no avail.
Once
inside her room, she yanked off her cloak and shook it free of rain droplets,
drenching herself in the process, before she calmed down sufficiently to
stretch it out across the two door pegs, both of them now available for her
use. She couldn’t afford to mistreat the now very worn wool, her little supply
of money dwindling surprisingly quickly. Frustrated beyond measure, she dumped
the contents of her small drawstring bag on the only bed that was now in the
room that she’d shared with Jessie for such a short few days. The tiny pile of
coins staring up at her was horrifying. Worse still, her earnings would not be
in her hands for days yet to come.
Her
Uncle James, in Perth, would likely lend her money but she was resisting asking
him. She was keeping that strategy as a very last resort. She’d written to him
twice since she’d taken up residence in Dundee, mentioning her lack of success
in finding her father William, though she’d admitted that was mostly because
she didn’t really know where to ask. She’d drawn a dead end after unsuccessful
attempts at the United Presbyterian Churches that were close to Ada Webster’s
lodgings. There was some church, or other, on nearly every Dundee street so the
asking at churches might take forever. Her father had changed church
allegiances sufficient times when she was growing up in Milnathort that he
might well have taken up with a completely different church sect by now.
She
gathered up her meagre coin collection and dumped it back into her bag before
slumping down onto the bed. Finding her own father no longer seemed any kind of
priority. A confrontation with him would be very different from Jessie’s
situation though reluctantly, when she thought about it, it would be traumatic
in its own way. William Law had always acknowledged her as his daughter, she
had to admit to that, even if no real love had come her way. But if he hadn’t
treated her mother in the way he had, she wouldn’t even bother to try to see
him again.
Till next time,
Slainthe!
Hello!
There are 5 more days left of the Pre-Order time for the eBook of Tailored Truths! 12th September is launch day and from then the special 'early bird' price of £1,.99 will rise to something more appropriate for a lovely long read of approx. 450 pages.
Part 2 of Margaret Law's story covers her life from mid-teens to around the age of 28. During that time many things happen to her that wouldn't have happened to many young women of her Victorian working-class background.
Well-educated to the age of just short of twelve at school in the small Scottish town of Milnathort, Margaret is lucky enough to progress her own education - as a by-product - when she works as a private tutor. Initially this is with little Rachel Duncan in Novice Threads, Book 1 of the Silver Sampler Series, and then in Tailored Truths (Book 2) she has a little spell of returning to tutoring in Liverpool.
In Liverpool, Margaret is doing one-to-one English Oral speaking classes, essentially conversation classes where she is improving the oral English of teenage boys who are native French speakers. To conduct these formal lessons means Margaret's own knowledge of French improves by leaps and bounds. Margaret's employer for the evening tuition lessons is Mister Michaud, the principal of a brand-new school for boys in the area of Everton/West Derby. How did Margaret land this position? The job is a godsend at the time because it's also a live-in post, meaning her bed and board are covered. The reader of Tailored Truths will see that serendipity works in mysterious ways.
Here's a little excerpt about Margaret's thoughts on what will aid the progress of the conversation classes with Edouarde and Hong Davis. Their father is a French diplomat currently working in London. Their mother is of far-eastern origins and the boys have grown up in wonderful places like Thailand.
After
she mentioned that a careful choice of subject matter to converse about with
her pupils might mean greater success, Mister Michaud had been impressed with
her insight. He had access to a local lending library in Liverpool and readily
agreed that an account should be opened for Margaret to borrow books for
tutoring.
It was a
delight, once again, to be able to visit a library to choose study materials,
mainly for use with Edouarde, but she also found subjects which interested
Hong. The choices of materials were nothing like those that she’d selected for
little Rachel Duncan years before but the situation was similar. In choosing
materials to hone Edouarde’s English skills, she was also learning new subject
matter herself.
In
addition, she’d managed to acquire a substantial French to English dictionary
from Mister Michaud, a relatively new publication which he personally thought
was wonderful. Although taught French by his own father from an infant, Mister
Michaud acknowledged there were plenty of French words he’d never encountered,
topics which had never been relevant in his family setting. The dictionary was perfect
in helping Margaret with her own development in learning French.
The most
nerve-wracking time for Margaret was when Mister Michaud regularly tested
Edouarde and Hong Davis at the end of each week, to check on their progress.
“Hong’s
fluency is progressing remarkably well, Margaret,” Mister Michaud had stated
after one month had passed by. “Though Edouarde is another matter, Margaret. And he is the one who does not have the time to dally. His father is already
making inquiries about his entry to Cambridge.”
She
accepted the criticism and determined to do better. A confrontation came
mid-February when she and Edouarde had a very long talk. Helping the young man
with his very genuine doubts over his academic abilities was very difficult but
she was resolute about finding a way.
“Is there
something else that you’d rather do during the next few years, till you reach
your majority?” she asked.
Edouarde
looked so wryly forlorn, she almost felt guilty. “You mean apart from wanting
to travel the world and sample every new moment, in every new place?”
Margaret
patted his hand, a gentle touch but one she normally wouldn’t dream of making.
“That’s a very laudable ambition. And perhaps one your father would approve of
when you are older. But…”
He gripped
her hand and squeezed, glittering eyes staring into hers, his enthusiasm
evident in his interruption. “Do you really think so?”
Margaret
removed her hand, smiling all the while. “I wasn’t quite finished.”
The moue
he made was quite ridiculous.
“According
to Mister Michaud you are doing well with your mathematics. So, what if you
were to choose subjects like architecture and perhaps art to begin with for
your studies at Cambridge? Those topics might give you an insight into the
cultures and peoples you might visit one day. And, I think, especially
something like architecture must depend on being good at mathematics which
would be using your strengths wisely.”
Edouarde
looked thoughtful. “That plan might work with my Papa, though he is much more
interested that I study law and political philosophy.”
Margaret
felt the need to emphasise that he needed to show he was serious about his own
choices. “When do you next expect your Papa to visit you?”
“He comes
for a ‘talk’ at the end of March.”
“He is
coming,” she gently reminded him of the correct verb tense.
She waited
till he’d finished repeating his corrected sentence.
“Then we
must make sure you are ready for your father’s visit,” she declared.
Hello!
September is here already and I'm eagerly awaiting the eBook launch of Tailored Truths on the 12th September.
In the meantime, things are moving on and the paperback version of Tailored Truths is well and truly launched and available. The paperback version can also be ordered in bookstores since it's now published with Ingram Spark.
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And...the reviews are trickling in already. I've noticed 3 reviews on NetGalley, and today I received the amazingly wonderful news that the Coffee Pot Book Club have issued a 5 star Editorial Review! It's humbling to read what the reviewer has picked to highlight as good points of the book. The review is a cracker and a great read on its own merit! The reviewer has 'Highly Recommended' the Novel but I, in turn, highly commend the writing of the review. It's a long one, so it's best to read from the original source but here's a taster -
“Tailored Truths (Silver Sampler Series Book 2)” by Nancy Jardine is an
enchanting masterpiece that pulls readers into its intricate narrative, making
the pages seem to turn themselves in a delightful whirl of emotions. The story
is written with rich, vivid details and profound emotional depth, resonating
deeply within the hearts of its audience. This captivating tale leaves readers
on the edge of their seats, yearning for the next instalment as they eagerly
anticipate the arrival of Book 3 in this mesmerising series.
There are so many wonderful comments in the review that you can be sure I'll be mentioning them for many years to come.
Please read the Full Review HERE:
I'm off to add that lovely badge to some promotional material, my blog sidebar, and my website!
Slainthe!
