H.G. Wells was born in1866. Bertie, as he was called, was the son of Joseph Wells, a gardener who worked for a large estate in Bromley, Kent. In 1874, Wells suffered a broken leg that left him homebound for some time and had a tutor during that time. Obviously, I shifted the time and location of his childhood to fit in my story line.
The Henley Royal Regatta began life as simply the Henley Regatta in 1839 and has been held every year since. That first year, it was just a one day event but was stretched out to two days the following year. In 1886, it was extended to three days and then to four by 1906. By 1928, they were running qualifying races because the number of entrants outnumbered the lanes available.
Though the Regatta has been run on what is considered the New Course since 1886, I reference what is now known as the Old Course, which was used from the advent of the regatta until that time. The use of a Centre lane ended with the Old Course reducing the number of crews per heat to two. The Old Course started at the upstream end of Temple Island and extended over a mile to finish short of the Henley Bridge.
By 1876, the ‘paper’ boat I describe was considered the boat to have in the rowing world. As we have today, sliding seats had been in use for some time. However, the swivel oarlock, patented by the American Michael Davis in 1875, which is still essentially in use today, would have been considered a controversial choice at that time.
According to the results of all the races on the Henley Regatta’s Old Course, 60% of the races were won by the team rowing in the Berkshire side lane due to the bend in the Thames over the last ¼ mile of the course.
The Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory (RAL) does exist near Didcot in Oxfordshire and houses ISIS which is one of the UK’s major scientific research facilities. It’s more than 2000 scientists research subjects “ranging from clean energy and the environment, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, through to nanotechnology, material engineering and IT”. And, yes, they are currently housing a project to find a cure for Cryptococcal Meningitis and who knows what else.
And finally to the science of it all. A quantum zero-point energy siphon – if one were to actually exist – would be the size of a large suitcase. Theoretically, the siphon could pull zero-point energy directly from the raw underlying power of the universe at a sub-quantum level, just as Fergusson’s did. With the power source connected to each plate as I described, a quantum vacuum could be created between the plates. In theory, this would create a stable wormhole between two points. In reality, it is all theory but, if it did happen, there would be no wind and probably no visible indication of the singularity, which actually would be microscopic. If there were anything visible, it would be a nothingness like a black hole.
Either way, I have to think that the spaghettification (yes, a real word!) of being drawn out to be squeezed into the singularity would hurt more than a little.
I hope you enjoyed Kate and Brand’s story. Skol!
About the Author
Angeline Fortin picked up her first romance novel in college and has never been able to put them down since. A life-long lover of history, she holds a BA degree in History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and has worked at Colonial Williamsburg as a historical interpreter. Blending her two favorite things, she began writing her own historical romances for the enjoyment of herself and her friends ten years ago.
Angeline is a native Minnesotan, a fan of the Vikings and the Twins. As a former military wife, she has lived in many places but currently resides in the southeast with her husband and two children and misses winter.
Your comments are always welcome! Please send Angeline an email to fortin.angeline@gmail.com or LIKE her & the Questions for a Highlander series on Facebook for information and updates.
More romances by Angeline Fortin
A Laird for All Time
The Questions for a Highlander series
A Question of Love – Eve’s Story
A Question of Trust – Kitty’s Story
A Question of Lust – Moira’s Story
And a prequel to the series
Abby’s Story – A Novelette Coming Soon
And still more to come from the MacKintosh clan in the future
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Author’s Note
About the Author
More romances by Angeline Fortin
The Questions for a Highlander series