Welcome to Unwritten's February blog event! Of course, this is the month of love, so I wanted to celebrate that theme as I've done in year's past. But this year, I've decided to add a scientific spin to it. All month long, talented authors from several genres will write about some aspect of love from their books as it relates to science. It could be social, psychological, biological, or anything in between. Our blog event is sponsored by "HMC by Kate", a fabulous independent jewelry crafter. Kate's giving away one of her very beautiful necklaces that I think fits our theme perfectly. She's also offering everyone who stops in a 10% discount on any item from her Etsy store. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post and check out her lovely offerings! Without further ado, please welcome our guest author:
From
Widow to Wife
by
Mysti Parker
by
Mysti Parker
In my upcoming historical romance, A
Time for Everything, Portia McAllister has to make a difficult choice.
With her husband killed in battle, her only child taken by sickness and with taxes a
poor Confederate widow cannot pay, she decides to leave home to work as a tutor
for a Union veteran’s son in Lebanon, Tennessee. Only after a great deal of
resentment do she and her employer, Beau Stanford, find common ground and eventually
love.
Had it not been for the war, her progress from widow
to wife would have been much different. If Portia’s husband Jake had died of
natural causes at home instead of on a battlefield, she may have had the chance
to sit beside him in his last hours. She would have worn black mourning clothes
for a period of up to two years. Should her daughter have died—and this was
still quite likely, as child mortality rates were much higher before the rise
of vaccines and antibiotics—Portia would have worn black for at least a year.
Having had no other close relations, her husband’s
brother Frank and his wife Ellen would have taken her in. Portia would have
helped take care of their children and home, while Frank would have made the
decision whether to sell his dead brother’s property or claim it as his own.
Soon as the mourning period passed, Portia would have been
eligible to marry again. Her husband would most likely have resided nearby in
Brentwood or the area surrounding it. He would have to have Frank’s blessing to
marry her, as her brother-in-law was her closest male relative and would be
responsible for her well-being. Once married, she would move into her new
husband’s home and be fully integrated into his family.
 |
| A Time for Everything coming this fall from EsKape Press |
So she did another thing most women would have never
done pre-war. She left home to live and work in a stranger’s household. A Union
household at that. She didn’t arrive wearing mourning clothes, either. Not
because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t afford to purchase or even
dye those garments herself.
Before the war, Beau would have never entrusted his
son to a Confederate’s widow, nor would he have allowed himself to fall in love
with her. Yet, the war obliterated more than men and bricks and mortar. It
forced new social rules upon everyone. Former slaves were now free, but
struggling under the weight of what freedom brought with it. Veterans were left
handicapped, with missing limbs or internal scars that would never heal. And
widows were left to fend for themselves, taking on the provider role of their
late husbands.
When widows finally did become wives again, they often
had to marry men who were much older or younger, or those who had once been
considered enemies. Like Beau and Portia—two people who understand the pain of
loss, let go of dead social conventions, and find comfort in each
other's arms.
Sources:
****
Bio: Mysti Parker is a wife, mom, author,
and shameless chocoholic. She is the author of the Tallenmere standalone
fantasy romance series and The Roche Hotel romantic comedy series. Her short
writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites,
Christmas Lites II, Christmas Lites IV, The Darwin Murders, Tasteful Murders
and EveryDayFiction. Her award-winning historical romance, A Time for
Everything, will be published this summer by EsKape Press.
Other writing pursuits include serving as a
class mentor in Writers Village University's seven week online course, F2K. She
has published one children’s book, Quentin’s Problem (as Misty Baker), with
another (Fuzzy Buzzy’s Treasure) coming this spring.
When she's not writing fiction, Mysti works as a freelance editor and copywriter. She also reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.
When she's not writing fiction, Mysti works as a freelance editor and copywriter. She also reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.
Author
links:
ENTER TO WIN!
This beautiful handmade necklace from HMC by KATE
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