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COLD STONE & IVY is a Gothic steampunk mystery, set in England during the fall of 1888. It features several real people as characters. Together, publisher Tyche Books and I will be showcasing some of these historical figures over the next few weeks, and today, I’d like to throw a spotlight on the residents of everyone’s favourite sanitarium, Lonsdale Abbey. Patients: Our very first blog post featured Miss Lizzie Borden. In COLD STONE & IVY, she is under the care of psychiatrist/neurologist Arvin Frankow. But Lizzie isn’t the only famous (or infamous) resident of Lonsdale. From the very start, Ivy Savage makes an impression on a wild young Russian known as Grigori. His hair is long, his beard tangled and his eyes ‘dart about as if watching a swarm of bees.’ To Ivy, he is the very definition of he word insane, owed in part to the fact that he cannot die., His surname, she believes, is either Rasmussen or Raspberry and it isn’t until his release at the end of the story that she learns that his name is Rasputin. From stealing bread in church to rumours of his regenerative constitution to an obsession with the Virgin Mary, these are all anecdotal chapters of the real man’s story. The great escape, however, is fiction. Probably. Next to Lizzie, Grigori and Catherine Savage, there is another resident of Lonsdale. Daniel Dunglas Home (pronounced Hume) was a Victorian medium who stunned crowds of believers and skeptics alike with his levitating abilities. He died of TB at the young age of 38. Readers of COLD STONE & IVY will know that in fact, he did not die, but retired to Lonsdale to recover both health and skills, using them in the service of Arvin Frankow, Queen Victoria and the War Office. Staff: Two of Lonsdale’s staff members were also Victorian celebrities of a sort. The first, Carl Feigenbaum, is a quiet, sober-minded orderly working behind the scenes at the sanitarium and assisting Frankow in the running of the Abbey. Ripperologists will know him as one of the more convincing Ripper suspects, having been tried and sentenced to death for the similar murder of a woman in New York City in 1896. Carl was a merchant seaman and it is possible to tie an international series of Ripper-like crimes to the naval vessels upon which he served. He remains one of the most solid Ripper candidates but in COLD STONE & IVY, Carl is one of the ‘good guys.’ Sort of. The second historical staff member was Mrs. Amelia Dyer. A part-time nurse in the Victorian era, Mrs. Dyer worked in Lonsdale along with Agnes Tidy. She stonewalls young Ivy in the Abbey’s foyer, but has met her match in the Mad Lord of Lasingstoke. Sebastien turned and bounded up the steps but as he passed the nurses, the cold rose up all around him. He paused, turned back to study them. Agnes Tidy was the first. He’d known her for years, but the other scowled at him and he stepped closer. Gagging, choking, silent as night He narrowed his eyes at her. She stiffened, raised her brows in defiance. Barely a whimper, Godfrey’s Cordial, dressmaker’s tape In a smooth, swift motion, he reached behind his back to pull a clockwork pistol, leveling it between her eyes. He cocked the hammer. “Leave,” he growled under his breath. “Leave before I put a bullet in your brain.” Tidy gasped and shrank back, but the woman whose pin read “Amelia Dyer” did not. She scowled one last time before spinning and quitting the foyer. He waited until the sound of her shoes had died away, then pocketed the pistol and threw a look at Tidy, smiling like the sun. “Hello, Tidy. How’s the children?” Perhaps Sebastien should have shot Mrs. Dyer, for she has gone down in history as England’s greatest serial killer. She was tried and ultimately hanged for the murder of only one child, but it is commonly believed that she was responsible for as many as 400 infant deaths over a 20-year period. As we can see, Dr. Arvin Frankow was not the best when it came to choosing patients or employees. You can find the fantastical fictions of these infamous folk in COLD STONE & IVY, available wherever fine books are sold.
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 COLD STONE & IVY is a Gothic steampunk mystery, set in England during the fall of 1888. It features several real people as characters. Together, publisher Tyche Books and I will be showcasing some of these historical figures over the next few weeks. Today’s focus is on Prince Albert Victor, son of Crown Prince Albert Edward and grandson of Victoria.
Albert Victor (Eddy) was the oldest child of Crown Prince Edward and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Born 2 months premature, Eddy struggled thoughout his early life, lagging in social skills and generally underperforming in academic studies. Many theories have been postulated for his lack of success, including learning disabilities, deafness and/or petit mal seizures. He was also rumored to have suffered from gonorrhea and died of influenza at the young age of 28, leaving his younger brother George next in line for the crown. Scandal dogged the young prince all his life, from mental stability, marital unsuitability to sexuality. He was implicated in the 1889 Cleveland Str. Scandal (involving a brothel during a time when homosexuality was a crime) and was accused of fathering numerous children out of wedlock. One of these accusations included an East End girl and an Imperial conspiracy, later fueling rumors of a Jack the Ripper connection. In COLD STONE & IVY, Eddy is an integral part of the Ripper investigations but not as a conventional suspect. Eddy was a fascinating historical character to research, and while not the scene-stealer his father Bertie was, I enjoyed delving into his character and creating a consistent, authentic personality for him based on conjecture and profiling. I actually began to feel great sympathy for this tragic man and could easily see him as being an awkwardly square peg in a royally round hole. “Have you never been to a brothel, Laury?” asked the Duke. “No, Eddy. Can’t say as I have.” “Well then, I’m quite certain you will need to after Sandringham.” The Duke grinned a lazy grin. “I must admit I find them very exciting places. They are like theatre—the singing and the drama, the laughter, the music. The sheer crush of humanity—men and women together searching desperately for the promise, the illusion, of love. Yes, I must admit I like them very much indeed.” He turned his heavy-lidded eyes toward Sebastien, blinked slowly. “Is that so terribly scandalous, Laury?” “Well, for a man of your station, I would think it scandalous, yes.” “My entire life is a scandal, Laury. I fear there is nothing I can do that would be acceptable either to my family or to the British people.” “Responsibility is a bugger, Eddy.” Find out how it all ends for Eddy, Ivy and the Mad Lord in COLD STONE & IVY, available wherever fine books (and others not so fine) are sold!  Our latest novel, Cold Stone and Ivy, by H. Leighton Dickson, is a Gothic steampunk mystery. Set in England, (Lancashire and London, mostly) during 1888, the book features several real people as characters. We will be showcasing some of these historical figures in the next few weeks. (Make sure to begin with a review of Jack the Ripper.)
"The Clockwork Empress has a brief scene in Cold Stone and Ivy, but she leaves quite an impression, her forceful personality overshadowing several key points of the story. The stern, unsmiling face. The black dress.The small crown and the lacy white veil. It’s a familiar image of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, but it doesn’t reveal much of her actual personality. Let’s face it, everyone is stern and unsmiling in photographs from the 1800s. In actuality, Victoria was remembered by family and staff as often “roaring with laughter”. The black dress? Also a testament to the depths of emotion that Victoria felt. When Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, died at the age of forty-two after twenty-one years of marriage, she was devastated, heart-broken. They had a devoted, affectionate, and passionate relationship, producing nine children in seventeen years. She wore deepest mourning for the rest of her life, and went into seclusion for twenty-five years following his death. Although Prince Albert died from typhoid fever, Victoria blamed his death on their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who had been caught having a fling with an actress in Ireland–Prince Albert was scandalized. Victoria was a conundrum. Thanks to her, women receiving pain relief during childbirth became an acceptable and common practice. Victoria received chloroform during the births of her eighth and ninth children, despite the opposition of the clergy, who believed it a sin to go against nature and God to prevent the pain of childbirth. After two successful royal births with the aid of chloroform, every woman clamored for the wonder of birth without pain. Victoria could also be compassionate and understanding of the difficulties of pregnancy and motherhood (it is suspected that Victoria suffered postpartum depression), writing to her eldest daughter, “Oh! If those selfish men – who are the causes of all one’s misery, only knew what their poor slaves go through!” But Victoria did not believe in giving women the right to vote and was condescending of women’s abilities to think for themselves–a disquieting attitude for the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India. Indeed, she once wrote that “we women…are not fitted to reign.” This from the woman who became queen at the age of eighteen, delayed getting married for as long as possible, and ruled for over sixty-three years. The Clockwork Empress in Cold Stone and Ivy is made of sterner stuff, imposing her will on those around her quite ruthlessly. She is an eerie woman. Some of her organs have been replaced with clockwork mechanisms; due to her rheumatism, she is “carted around on a wheeled brass crinoline”. While the real Victoria denied ever having said, “We are not amused”, the fictional Clockwork Empress emphatically does. She is *not* amused. Cross her at your peril. Thanks to Tyche Books for sharing this post! Next up on the dock, the highly controversial Prince Albert Victor, whom scandal followed "like flies follow a butcher's cart.' Grab your forks and prepare for a feast!  COLD STONE & IVY is a Gothic steampunk thriller, set in England during the fall of 1888. It features several historical people as characters and over the next few weeks, publisher Tyche Books and I will be showcasing some of these fascinating figures. Today’s focus is on Crown Prince Edward Albert, eldest son of Victoria and Albert, and heir to the greatest empire on earth. Albert Edward, or Bertie as he was known to friends and relatives, was a well loved member of the Royal Family. Not a brilliant pupil, he was incredibly charming, tactful and socially skilled, earning him the name ‘Peacemaker’ from European dignitaries. During his early adulthood, he made several successful tours to North America and India, boosting the image of the British Empire at home and abroad. That charm was indiscriminate, however, and he earned the reputation of being a playboy, much to the consternation of both Victoria and Albert. In fact, after Albert’s death, it is said Victoria could not look upon her eldest son without a shudder of shame. While being a disappointment to his parents seemed to plague his every step, he was an intelligent, affable man and he pioneered the art of royal appearances (very similar to what we know today). He was politically savvy, socially conscious, financially responsible and a fashion trendsetter for men – he is credited with the art of the ‘stand-up, turn-down’ shirt collar and the ‘last button undone’ waistcoat. He was a patron of the arts, a gentleman hunter and an avid sportsman, having a stable of fine thoroughbreds for racing and steeplechase. When he took the throne in 1901, he was easily the most popular king in centuries. Naturally, Bertie is a key figure in COLD STONE & IVY and Ivy finds herself alternately charmed, bullied, praised and threatened by this big bear of a man. Indeed, he is seen as the Peacemaker between demanding Victoria and reluctant Sebastien de Lacey, the Mad Lord of Lasingstoke. He also knows far more about the murders in Whitechapel than he lets on and Ivy must tread carefully to stop the crimes and save the de Lacey brothers, without calling the wrath of the Royal Family down on her own head. On a personal note, Bertie was a delight to write and his unique speech patterns were completely fabricated. Just looking at his photographs reminded me of actor Peter Ustinov, and while writing his dialogue, I constantly heard Prince John’s “A-Hah! A-Hah!” from Disney’s animated Robin Hood. I must admit, I am quite chuffed with the way he comes across in this book. Next up on our tour of famous, and infamous characters, we will read about Bertie’s nefarious son, Albert Victor and Bertie’s dear Mummie, old clockwork Vic herself. Stay tuned and I say, buy yourself a copy and get up to speed, wot? In an 8-wheeled Steam Car! Ah Hah! Buy Cold Stone & Ivy   COLD STONE & IVY is a Gothic steampunk thriller, set in England during the fall of 1888. It features several historical people as characters and over the next few weeks, publisher Tyche Books and I will be showcasing some of these fascinating figures. Today’s focus is on Dr. John Williams, OB/GYN of the Royal Family and, according to record, one of Whitechapel’s most discreet abortionists.
“Of medium height and well-nourished, Dr. John Williams cut a formidable figure with his silver hair, intelligent eyes, and an absence of burns or beard or moustache. Christien had always thought he needed something, for he had a very grim mouth.” John Williams was a study in contrasts. Born the son of a congregational minister in Wales, he studied medicine and once in London, soon became private physician to the Royal Family. While he moved in high social circles (eventually becoming the 1st Baronet of the City of London), he was an avid advocate for social reform and spent a good deal of his energies helping the underprivileged in London’s East End. His wife Mary (called Lizzie) was barren, serving to fuel his work as an obstetric surgeon, and he spent much of his time devoted to researching the causes of infertility. Called Jack by his friends, Williams was also an avid collector of rare books, and was instrumental in founding the National Library of Wales. He was also a collector of Welsh cultural art and maps, and retired from public service after a bout of ‘mental instability’ in the late fall of 1888. Dr. Williams was first suggested as a Ripper suspect in 2005, when a young relative, Tony Williams, came across the late Uncle Jack’s medical instruments and journals in his personal library. There is a surgical knife and three slides containing ‘uterine matter’, which Williams insists belong to tissue removed from the victims. No DNA testing has been done to either prove or rule out this theory, but he uses the statements of Dr. Thomas Bond as supporting evidence. “ – a strong knife, at least six inches long, very sharp, pointed at the top and about an inch in width.” This is consistent with the Lister Knife found in Sir John’s archives. Also in the archives, journals and letters containing names and dates that correspond to the Ripper crimes. “There is a letter where Sir John indicates that he will be in Whitechapel on the 6th of September 1888. There is also a notebook listing patients in which Sir John has noted he has performed an abortion on a ‘Mary Ann Nichols’ in 1885.” There are also repeated references to a Mary Kelly, who may or may not have been the same woman murdered on Nov. 9, 1888 in Miller’s Court. Williams surmises that they not only knew each other (Mary Jane Kelly did in fact, grow up in Wales), but he believes that they were intimately involved. According to young Williams, there is also a notable deterioration in handwriting that mirrors the increasingly sloppy, fragmented letters ‘from Jack’ received by the police at the time and he hypothesizes that Uncle Jack was becoming unhinged due to his criminal activities and left public practice to recover from a nervous breakdown. He sites the increasing savagery of the murders as support for this theory, and the fact that they ceased immediately after the death of Mary Jane Kelly. While Tony Williams builds a fascinating case, it is entirely circumstantial and has been largely denounced by the majority of Ripperologists. Still, it makes for a great deal of fantastical fun, making his multilayered involvement in COLD STONE & IVY a natural. Check out Tony Williams’ book, Uncle Jack, in your local library. Better yet, check out COLD STONE & IVY! It's bloody good! |
H. Leighton DicksonAuthor. Zoologist. Imaginary Genius. Engineer of Fantastical Worlds. Master of None.
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