Guest post written by author Janna MacGregor
Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She is the author of the Cavensham Heiresses series, which begins with The Bad Luck Bride. Janna credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to hear from readers. A Duke In Time releases on June 29th 2021 and will be available from Amazon, B&N, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Powell’s.
In my Regency era romance A Duke in Time, the female protagonist Katherine, Lady Meriwether Vareck, owns her own business. She makes bed linens, pillows, lap desks, and even has her own small workshop. She counts the Prince Regent as one of her customers.
But you’re muttering to yourself…Regency women didn’t work for a living.
Before you throw your hand against your brow and call for smelling salts, let me assure you that women did indeed work during this period of history. They even owned their own businesses. They were a very rare breed, but they did exist.
In the widely successful Bridgerton series, working women are portrayed proudly. Think of Penelope Featherington who loves Colin Bridgerton from afar. Her alter ego is the widely popular gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. Don’t forget Genevieve Delacroix. She’s the thriving modiste who can pick and choose her clientele. Every woman begs for Genevieve’s gown creations because they make those dashing Regency men fall hard.
There are other women who weren’t fictional characters that followed their own rules and found success during this era.
Normally, a Regency woman’s financial security resulted from marriage. Matrimony was the tried and true way of ensuring a woman had a roof over her head and food on the table. Most of society frowned on women becoming economically independent. But with the vows came certain duties such as raising children, helping husbands in their endeavors, all the while running households. When you think of how women of our period have worked during the recent pandemic, you get a pretty good glimpse of what an ordinary Regency woman might have experienced.
Some truly exceptional women during this period made a name for themselves as entrepreneurs. Let’s take a peek at a few. While most gentile women didn’t work, a few made names for themselves in several acceptable careers for a woman. Writing, painting, and elevated servant positions such as governess or a lady’s companion were considered suitable.
One of the most familiar examples is Jane Austen. Yet, poor Jane didn’t make enough from her beloved novels to make ends meet. Since she never married, she had to rely on the generosity of her brother after her father passed away.
Yet there were trailblazers who didn’t follow these so-called “suitable positions” for women. Let me introduce you to Harriett Mellon. She was the inspiration for my character Katherine. Have you ever heard of her? Probably not, though her influence on society during the Regency period was great. An actress of moderate accomplishment, part of her fame and biggest success came from her career as a banker and major partner at Coutts & Co. It’s still in business, and it’s where the Queen banks.
When Harriett’s first husband, the wealthy banker Thomas Coutts died, he left his majority interest in the bank to Harriett. The naysayers were ignored and she proved her mettle. She took her position seriously and was an active partner managing the day to day business and investments. Through the years, it’s been the financial institution favored by royalty. Of course, Harriett was friends with the Prince Regent who later became George IV. After her first husband died, Harriett married the Duke of St. Albans, who was twenty-three years her junior. Sigh. What a love story.
Let’s not forget Eleanor Coade who purchased a stoneware company and turned it into a successful business by supplying neoclassical statues and garden ornaments for the Prince Regent and others during this period. Her pieces are still found throughout the UK and the world. Oh, she never married.
Another business dynamo was Madame Marie Tussaud. Her famous wax museum is still in existence today! The woman was a marketing genius and knew how to entertain the masses.
Back then, both single and married women were experts at multitasking. They ran households, managed businesses and finances, and entertained their families and friends. Some even raised children on top of it all. It was all in a day’s work.
Let’s give a huge shoutout to the women who have helped us manage our way through the pandemic. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky took over the helm of the Center for Diseases Control. We wouldn’t have the vaccines without the brilliant work of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett and Dr. Nita Patel.
Brava to them.
During the last year and a half, we’ve turned into sourdough starter gurus, virtual schooling hall monitors, teachers, and principals, household CEOs, and masterminds of surviving the lockdown. All of this while juggling careers and zoom meetings.
Brava to us.
The next time you get the urge to make sourdough bread or you hear your children crying out for help with their online classes, take a breath. Our Regency superwomen survived and excelled by multitasking.
You’re doing it too, and just as well.
