High Tea and Low Tea

As regular visitors to the salon know, there is nothing I like more than tea,  so it's a delight to welcome my very good friend, Cindy Nord, to the parlour today. Cindy is about to serve us high tea and low tea; all comments will be entered into a giveaway and the lucky winner will receive a copy of one of Cindy's books (winners choice) 's their preferred format!

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Greetings from the golden age of the mid-19th century!!! Historical Romance Author, Cindy Nord, here.  And I would first like to thank Mme Gilflurt for her kind invitation to visit with you all today.  Speaking of visiting, let’s dwell a bit closer on a major social pastime of the Victorian era, shall we? Indeed, that all-important afternoon tea. The correct terminology of this most-important affaire, by the way, is LOW TEA. Revered by ladies, rather than gents, this delightful activity was enjoyed in the mid-afternoon at low tables, either inside in a parlor, or outside in an elegant garden setting.  

You see, dearest readers, by the mid-19th century, kerosene lamps had began to appear in the wealthier homes, so folks started eating their dinners much later [around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.] -- and since most only ate two meals per day [a mid-morning ‘brunch’ so to speak, as well as a grander evening affair], well…the fine ladies were getting ‘famished’ much earlier in the day. 

So, the Duchess of Bedford, Anna Marie, one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting in the royal bedchamber, decided to invite a few ladies over for an afternoon ‘cream’ tea [a repast that consisted of nibbles of scones, and cream for their invigorating cup of tea]. Quicker than a game of croquet, her ‘noshing’ idea caught on! And, lo and behold, soon hotels, cafes, and tea rooms everywhere began hosting these intimate little ‘afternoon’ gatherings.

And even fashion got involved with the introduction of fingerless gloves [called ‘warmers’] that were created especially for this daily event so the well-heeled ladies could sip their beverage at low tea, and still enjoy the various petit fours without ever having to soil, or remove, their usual full-hand gloves. 

But, what about those hungry men and womenfolk who worked for a living? You know, those of the ‘middle class…hard-working doctors, lawyers, nannies, housekeepers, or clerks? Their supper still waited for them, hours away? Well, say hello to HIGH TEA, which is actually a working class ‘meal’ served at high tables at the end of the workday shortly after 5:00 p.m. – Indeed, these repasts, designed to hold one over ‘til dinnertime, consisted of heavy meat dishes, veggies & beans. 

So…you see, readers? Those wily Victorians had an answer for everything….including the how’s AND when’s of eating. And the next time you hear of HIGH TEA and LOW TEA, now YOU will know the difference. 

About AUTHOR CINDY NORD: 

Say hello to Bestselling Historical Romance writer, CINDY NORD...author of NO GREATER GLORY, book one in her award-winning four-book ‘The Cutteridge Family’ series, as well as the #1 Civil War Romance at Amazon for over one full year. WITH OPEN ARMS, book two, also a #1 Bestselling Western Historical Romance. And book three, AN UNLIKELY HERO, just debuted July 1st, and by that evening had surged onto the coveted ‘Top 100 Romances at Amazon’ list thanks to her beloved readers. She is now hard-at-work crafting BY ANY MEANS, book four in her series, which is set to debut the winter of 2017. Cindy is also honored to be a contributor alongside many NYTimes writers in the delightful non-fiction anthology SCRIBBLING WOMEN & THE REAL-LIFE ROMANCE HEROES WHO LOVE THEM [all proceeds from the sale of this book go to the ‘Women In Need’ shelter in NYC]. A member of numerous writers groups, Cindy’s work has finaled or won countless times in competitions -- including the prestigious Romance Writers of America National Golden Heart Contest. A luscious blend of history and romance, her love stories meld both genres around fast-paced action and emotionally driven characters. 

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NO GREATER GLORY

Amid the carnage of war, he commandeers far more than just her home. 

Widowed plantation owner Emaline McDaniels has struggled to hold on to her late husband’s dreams. Despite the responsibilities resting on her slender shoulders, she’ll not let anyone rip away what’s left of her way of life—particularly a Yankee officer who wants to set up winter camp on her land. With a defiance born of desperation, she defends her home as though it were the child she never had…and no mother gives up her child without a fight.

Despite the brazen wisp of a woman pointing a gun at his head, Colonel Reece Cutteridge has his orders. Requisition Shapinsay—and its valuable livestock—for his regiment’s use, and pay her with Union vouchers. He never expected her fierce determination, then her concern for his wounded, to upend his heart—and possibly his career. As the armies go dormant for the winter, battle lines are drawn inside the mansion. Yet just as their clash of wills shifts to forbidden passion, the tides of war sweep Reece away. And now their most desperate battle is to survive the war with their lives—and their love—intact.

Zip over here to read the opening:  https://amzn.com/B008GWOI9S  

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Book two in my four-book The Cutteridge Series, WITH OPEN ARMS takes us all the way out west to the turbulence of the Arizona territory during 1866.  I’m gifting one lucky commenter with a free copy (whatever format you’d like) of my #1 bestselling western historical romance… But, right now, I’d love to know who YOUR favorite cowboy might be? So hold on to your Stetson & chaps, ladies, here’s a lil’ snippet ♥  

WITH OPEN ARMS

A war-weary ex-soldier.  An untamable hellion.  Love doesn’t stand a chance in hell…

Hardened in childhood by the death of her parents, then left to run the family’s southwestern territory ranch when her brother rode off to fight for the Union years before, Callie Cutteridge hides her heartbreak behind a mask of self-sufficiency. Breaking horses for the army proves she’s neither delicate nor helpless. When a former cavalry officer shows up claiming to own her brother’s half of the Arizona ranch, she steels herself to resist the handsome stranger’s intention to govern even one single aspect of her life. After all, loving means losing…to her it always has.

For months, Jackson Neale has looked forward to putting the bloodstained battlefields back east behind him. Callie isn’t the agreeable angel her brother led him to believe, but he’s damned well not the useless rake this foul-mouthed hellion thinks he is, either. His quest for calm stability contradicts sharply with her need for control, yet still their heartstrings tangle. But how can these mistrusting partners transform their fiery passion into a happily- ever-after when all Callie knows how to do is fight…and all Jackson wants is peace? 

ZIP over here to read the opening:  https://amzn.com/B00KT23WO0  

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AN UNLIKELY HERO

He’s a hard-as-stone man with a broken past...and she’s a reminder of all he’s lost. 

Rugged army scout Dillon Reed has met his match in spoiled Boston debutante Alma Talmadge, but an unwanted assignment escorting the beauty across the wilds of America soon evolves into a journey of monumental change for them both. With killers hot on their trail, the odds of staying alive are stacked against them…and yet, falling in love was nowhere in their plans for survival.

ZIP over here to read the opening:  https://amzn.com/B01HMVIAYW 

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CONNECT with Cindy via her SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:  

Webpage:   https://www.cindynord.com   

Amazon Author Page:  https://amazon.com/author/www.cindynord.com  

Facebook ‘Coffee Klatch’ site:    https://www.facebook.com/cindy.nord.9  

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/cnord2  

Barnes & Noble NOOK link (With Open Arms) buy link:   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-open-arms-cindy-nord/1119742281?ean=9781619225435   

Barnes & Noble NOOK link (No Greater Glory) buy link:    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-greater-glory-cindy-nord/1112120177?ean=9781619212435  

Barnes & Noble NOOK link (An Unlikely Hero) buy link:   http://bit.ly/29irk5j  

Apple/iBooks (All Three Books) buy links:   https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/an-unlikely-hero/id1128489909?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4      

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+CindyNord9/posts/p/pub  

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/cnord2/ 

Written content of this post copyright © Cindy Nord, 2016.