While researching Highland Rebel I came across some of the poetry of John Wilmot Earl of Rochester(played by Johnny Depp in the film version of The Libertine) I also found a first edition (1680) of bishop and historian Gilbert Burnett’s account of the Earl of Rochester’s conversations with him while on his death bed, which Burnett attended. I started researching the Restoration for a possible story based on that character and I fell madly in love with the time period, which I have always been interested in since reading Antonia Stuart’s biography of Charles II several years ago. The neglect of the Restoration puzzles me as there was so much going on with politics, religion, philosophy and thought. Cromwell’s regime was moralistic and repressive. Much loved entertainments including gambling, theatre, and dancing were outlawed and church attendance made mandatory. The Restoration of Charles II, an informal and easy going womanizer dubbed the Merry Monarch, resulted in a social rebellion. The Restoration court was filled with a host of colorful characters and was one of the most bawdy, hedonistic, and lively courts in history. In terms of literature and science it rivaled the Elizabethan period. Women had more freedom during this period than they would for many years to come and there is so much room to develop characters and so much interesting material. John Wilmot exemplifies the times. Tall dark and handsome, a renowned rake, court poet and wit, he wrote fearless and ferocious satirical verse that was profane, sometimes pornographic, and often very funny. Unfortunately, his lifelong promiscuity and early death make him unsuitable for any kind of happy ending, but his character and the things that shone about him made me ask what if? That question led to LIBERTINE’S KISS, and The Earl Of Rochester was the inspiration for the character of William and speaks through him with his poetry. I’ll be spending much of my time in the 17th century over the next little while and right now there’s no place I’d rather be. If you’re interested, here’s THE BLURB
William de Veres, the handsome son of a hard-drinking cavalier was abandoned at an early age to a brutal school system and a predatory and abusive tutor. He soon discovers the escapes of poetry, literature, alcohol and sex, and the defences of a sharp sword and lacerating wit. By the time he graduates he is thoroughly debauched. As a titanic struggle erupts between parliament and king, William takes up arms in the Royalist cause and pursued by Cromwell’s men, finds himself seeking shelter from a sober young Puritan woman in a cottage deep in the woods.
The Civil war has cost the once high spirited Elizabeth Walters her best friend and her father, leaving her unprotected and alone. She flees an unwanted marriage, seeking safe haven, but what she finds there is something she never imagined. Despite William’s gratitude and promise to aid her, Elizabeth never expects to set him again, but the Restoration of Charles II to his throne will bring her to the attention of both William and the king.
Can a debauched court poet and notorious libertine convince the wary Elizabeth he is capable of love, and can a promise long forgotten and a friendship forges in the past help two lonely people find each other and themselves? These are the questions asked by LIBERTINE’S KISS