The House in Grosvenor Square (53 page)

1. What was the most pleasant surprise for you in
   The House in Grosvenor
   Square
   ?
   
2. Which character would you say is your favorite, and why?
   
3. Does a character need to be somewhat heroic to qualify as a favorite for you? Why or why not?
   
4. Many of the characters are given opportunities to act heroically in this story. Which character is most heroic? Talk about what makes him or her most heroic.
   
5. How are the qualities of the most heroic character godly? Name a character quality from this person that you would like to have more of in yourself.
   
6. Ariana Forsythe says she would have had a much worse time during her abductions if not for her faith. How did her faith help her to cope with the dangerous situations? If you were in her place, would you have fared as well? Why or why not?
   
7. Can you envision yourself relying on God in a dire situation and having good results? Why or why not?
   
8. Mrs. Bentley turns to the prayer book (
   The Book of Common Prayer
   ) for comfort after her niece has been abducted. She asks Mr. Pellham to pray with her and then feels better afterward. Do you feel better after praying for something that's been bothering you? Explain to someone else what it is about praying that makes you feel better (God's faithfulness, your trust in Him, your experience in the past, and so forth).
   
9. Lord Antoine repents of his foolish past even before he entertains the idea of coming to faith in Christ. Can living right be its own reward? How so?
   
10. Is being good sufficient cause for a person to go to heaven when they die? Why or why not?
    

abbess:
(slang) A bawd; the mistress of a brothel.

ague:
(rhymes with “achoo”; pronounced “ah-gyoo”) Originally, malaria and the chills that went with it. Later, any respiratory infection such as a cold, fever, or chills.

annus mirabilis
:
A miraculous year; a year of miraculous events; a singularly satisfying year.

apoplexy:
A stroke; a cerebral hemorrhage.

assembly, assemblies:
Large gatherings held in the evening for the gentry or the aristocracy, usually including a ball and a supper. Almack's in London was the ultimate assembly in the early part of the nineteenth century. A number of high-standing society hostesses had autocratic power of attendance as they alone could issue the highly prized vouchers (tickets)—or not—as they chose. Competition to get in was fierce. The Duke of Wellington was once famously turned away for being late.

ball:
A large dance requiring full dress. Refreshments were available, and sometimes a supper. Public balls required tickets; private ones, an invitation.

banns:
The banns of marriage were a public announcement in a parish church that two people intended to get married. They had to be read three consecutive weeks in a row and in the home church of both parties. After each reading (and this was their purpose), the audience was asked to give knowledge of any legal impediment to the marriage. If there was none, after three weeks the couple was legally able to marry within the next three months in a church. To bypass the banns, a couple could try to get a marriage license instead. Without banns or a license, the marriage would be illegal.

beadle
: A parish constable.

beak
: (slang) A magistrate.

bishop
: A mixture of wine and water into which is put a roasted orange.

“blocked at both ends”
: Finished; ended.

blunt
: (slang) Cash; ready money.

bon ton
:
(pronounced “bawn-tawn”) Fashionable society.

bone box
: (slang) Mouth.

brown study, in a
: Said of one in a reverie or deep in thought; absent.

buck of the first head, a
: One who surpasses his companions in vice or debauchery.

canezou
: A certain style of spencer for a woman.

cant
: (slang) The characteristic or secret language of a group.

Carlton House
: Given to the Prince of Wales by George III upon reaching his
majority, Carlton House was in a state of disrepair (for a royal, at any rate). The house consequently underwent enormous alterations and changes and was the London palace for the Regent. He spent a great deal of time there but eventually came to favour the palace at Brighton—an even larger extravagance. The Brighton “Pavilion” is today a museum, but Carlton House, unfortunately, no longer exists.

cat's foot, under
: To be under the dominion of a wife; hen-pecked.

cat's paw, a
: To be made a cat's paw is to be made a tool for the purposes of another; to be used for another's gain.

Charley (noun)
: A word used for a local night watchman or law officer on duty.

chamber
: A private room in a house, such as a bedroom, as opposed to the parlour or dining room.

chaperone
: The servant, mother, or married female relative or family friend who supervised eligible young girls in public.

chemise
: A woman's long undergarment, which served as a slip beneath her gown. Also a nightdress. (Previously the chemise was called a “shift.”)

chit
: An infant or baby; used to describe a young girl derisively.

clubs
: The great refuge of the middle and upperclassman in eighteenth and nineteenth century London. Originating as coffeehouses in the seventeenth century, clubs became more exclusive, acquiring prime real estate on Pall Mall and St. James Street. Membership was often by invitation only. Among the more prominent were Boodle's, White's, and Brooke's. Crockford's began to dominate in the very late Regency.

corset
: A precursor of the modern bra, usually meant to constrict the waist to a fashionable measurement as well as support the high bust required for a Regency gown. It consisted of two parts and often was reinforced with whalebone that hooked together in front and laced in the back. The garment was commonly referred to as “the stays.”

Corinthian
: (slang) Term for a male frequenter of brothels; or brazen, impudent young men.

countess
: The wife of an earl in England. When shires were changed to counties, an earl retained the Norman title of earl; his wife, however, became a countess.

comb, combing
: To give a combing is to scold; give a set-down.

cove
: A man, most often a rogue.

cravat
: (pronounced as kruh-vaht, with the accent on the second syllable) A loose cloth that was tied around the neck in a bow. Throughout the Regency, a fashion-conscious gentleman might labour much over this one detail of his appearance, hoping to achieve a number of different, much-coveted effects.

cull
: A man who is the victim of a cove.

curricle
: A two-wheeled carriage that was popular in the early 1800s. It was pulled by two horses and deemed rather sporty by the younger set.

curtsey
: The acceptable mode of greeting or showing respect by a female. By
mid-century the curtsey was less in evidence except for social inferiors like maids to their betters or by any woman presented at court.

demireps
: Impures; women of questionable morals.

dowager
: The name given to a widow of rank. For example, if you were a duchess and your husband died and your oldest son was married, his wife would become the duchess, and you would be dowager duchess.

doxie
: She beggar; a lady of questionable morals; an impure.

drawing room
: A formal parlour used in polite society to receive visitors who came to pay calls during the afternoon.

ewe (a white ewe)
: A beautiful woman.

eye (that's my eye)
: An expression of derision or irony, as “sure!” or “right!” used facetiously.

first floor
: The second floor in the United States. The English called the street-level floor the “ground floor.” Entertaining was never done on the ground floor.

flash house
: A house that harbours thieves; a certain style of which was common in criminal “nurseries” in London in the early nineteenth century.

flummery
: In actuality flummery was oatmeal and water boiled to a jelly; in speech it meant compliments “neither of which is over-nourishing”; that is to say flattery.

footman
: A liveried male servant beneath the butler but above the boy or page. He had many duties ranging from errands to lamp trimming to waiting table or accompanying the lady of the house to carry packages when she shopped or to deliver calling cards when making calls.

footpad
: A thief on foot; a mugger.

fortnight
: Two weeks.

gaming
: Gambling. Nothing to do with game in the sense of hunting or innocent playing of games.

glim
: A candle or dark lantern used in housebreaking.

gospel shop
: (slang) a church.

groom
: The servant who looked after the horses.

Grosvenor Square
(pronounced “grove-nuh”): Located in Mayfair and considered the most fashionable square in London. Mr. Mornay's town house is in the square.

gudgeon
: One easily imposed on; easily taken in a trick.

hack
: A hack was a general purpose riding horse, but the term might also refer to a “hackney coach,” which was a coach-for-hire like a taxicab today.

hocused
: Drunk.

“holy ground”
: Facetious term for flash house territory or criminal nurseries. Also brothels.

housekeeper
: The top ranking female servant in a household, and the one who held the keys. She usually hired or fired the housemaids, oversaw their work, and supervised the kitchens, including the ordering of food. A housekeeper, married or not, was always “Mrs.” someone or other.

jarvis
: A hackney coachman; a stand-in.

ken (colloquialism)
: Know (for example, “How do you ken?”).

lady's maid
: The servant who cared for her mistress's wardrobe and grooming. A French lady's maid was preferred, and she was particularly valued if she could do hair in all the fashionable styles. A lady's maid was an upper servant and could not be fired by the housekeeper. She might also be better educated than the lower servants.

lorgnette
: Used by ladies, a pair of eye-glasses (or a monocle) held to the eyes with a long handle or worn on a chain around the neck. The monocle used by a man was called a “quizzing glass.”

link boy
: A boy or man who would lead people to their desired destinations on dark nights, for money, by use of a bright torch.

laudanum
: A mixture of opium in a solution of alcohol, it was used for pain relief and as an anesthetic.

livery
: A distinctive uniform worn by the male servants in a household. No two liveries, ideally, were exactly alike. Knowing the colour of the livery of someone could enable you to spot their carriage in a crowd. The uniform itself was an old-fashioned style, including such things as a frock coat, knee breeches, powdered wigs, and a waistcoat.

Mayfair
: The most fashionable residential area of London, located in the West End and only about a half mile square in size.

mews, the
: Any lane or open area where a group of stables was situated. The townhouses of the rich often had a mews behind them or close by, where they kept their horses and equipages when not in use.

monastery (slang)
: A brothel.

mort
: A woman, a wench;

a gentry mort
: a gentlewoman;

a bleached mort
: a blond-haired woman.

MP
: Member of Parliament.

muslin
: One of the finest cottons, muslin was semitransparent and very popular for gowns (beneath which a chemise would be worn).

nap
: To steal furtively.

Nimrod
: The earliest recorded hunter
in the Bible, Nimrod was described as a “mighty hunter before the Lord.”

old grim
: Death.

on-dit
(French)
: Literally, “It is said.” In the Regency it was slang for a bit of gossip.

Pall Mall
: A fancy street in the West End of London, notable for housing some of the most fashionable men's clubs. Carlton House faced Pall Mall.

pantaloons
: Tight-fitting pants that were worn, beginning in the early 1800s, and which pushed breeches out of fashion except for formal occasions. They had a stirrup at the bottom to keep them in place.

parlour
: The formal or best room in a modest home. Grand houses often had more than one.

peer
: A nobleman, that is, a titled gentleman with the rank of either duke, marquis (pronounced mar-kwiss), viscount (pronounced vy-count), or baron. The titles were hereditary, and the owners were entitled to a seat in the House of Lords.

pelisse
: An outdoor garment for women, reaching to the ankle or mid-calf and often hooded.

pet (slang)
: A temper tantrum; a passion.

pianoforte
: The piano. Genteel young women were practically required to learn the instrument.

pin money
: A colloquialism for a woman's spending money. The allowance agreed upon in her marriage settlement to be used on small household or personal (vanity) items.

prime article
: A handsome girl.

Regent
: A person who reigns on behalf of a monarch who is incapable of filling the requirements of the crown. When George III's relapse of porphyria rendered him incapable of meeting his duties, his son, the Prince of Wales, became the Prince Regent. The actual regency lasted from 1811 to 1820.

reticule
: A fabric bag, gathered at the top and held by a ribbon or strap; a lady's purse. Reticules became necessary when the thin muslin dresses of the day made it impossible to carry any personal effects in a pocket without it seeming bulky or unsightly. The earliest reticules (apparently called “ridicules,” as it seemed ridiculous to carry one's valuables outside of one's clothing) were, in effect, outside pockets.

rubber
: In games like whist, a rubber was a set of three or more games. To win a rubber, one had to win two out of three or three out of five games.

season
: The London social season in which the fashionable elite descended upon the city in droves. It coincided, not unnaturally, with the sitting of Parliament, though the height of the season was only March through June.

smelling salts (smelling bottle)
: A small vial filled with a compound that
usually contained ammonia and used in case of fainting.

spencer
: For women, a short jacket that reached only to the high empire waist. For men, an overcoat without tails, also on the short side.

squire
: Nineteenth century term of courtesy (like “esquire”) for a member of the landed gentry.

St. Gile's Greek
: Low class speech, specifically that from the parish of St. Gile's, which is so thick in its accent that it's unintelligible. For example, “I don't know, it's St. Gile's Greek to me!”

St. Gile's Parish
: The parish belonging to St. Gile's in London, known for its large criminal population and poverty.