Attingham Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England (Photo by Peter Vetsch)
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #16
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 3 grand prizes!
• The hunt BEGINS on 10/23 at noon Mountain with Stop #1 at https://lisatawnbergren.com/2025/10/christian-fiction-scavenger-hunt-stop-1-13/
.
• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not
Explorer).
• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/26 at midnight Mountain)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the
form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
You've landed here on my site, and I'm Erica Vetsch, historical romance author. I am a history addict and museum junkie! I love old houses, old artwork, old artifacts, and writing new stories about them! My newest book is A Scheming in Parliament. Here's a bit about the story:
Evil is masquerading in the halls of Parliament, and Sir Bertrand Thorndike is tasked with investigating from the inside. With his new position as a member of the House of Commons, he has access to the power brokers of English government. His tactic is to listen and learn, careful not to reveal his true motives, and he’s quickly inducted into the mysterious Theban Club.
Miss Philippa Cashel's mission, the Princess Charlotte Eleos School for Women in Need, is thriving with donations, and the students are learning skills to help them earn their livings in honorable ways. But when a dear friend's past is revealed by blackmail, Philippa must wrestle with the question, Is it ever right to do the wrong thing?
Bertie's and Philippa's missions collide when Bertie uncovers a dangerous plot involving vulnerable women. He and Philippa join forces against the corruption threatening to topple England's government, all while navigating their outward reputations and inward feelings for each other.
A Scheming in Parliament is book 2 in the Of Cloaks & Daggers series.
Did you know that the scenario of a knight of the realm and a former courtesan marrying in the Regency isn’t the stretch of fiction it might seem?
In the Of Cloaks & Daggers series, Sir Bertrand Thorndike, the second son of an earl, and Miss Philippa Cashel, the illegitimate daughter of an earl, form an attachment of sorts with romance on their horizon.
Scandalous!
But not unprecedented. When I visited England in 2023, I toured the marvelous Attingham Park with it’s stately hall and lovely grounds. And there I viewed a display case of miniatures from the Regency Era. Beneath one of the small portraits was a card naming the woman pictured as Sophie Wilson, noted courtesan of London, who became Lady Berwick, the wife of the 2nd Baron Berwick.
Thomas Berwick inherited the title and the estate at the tender age of 18. As was the custom of the time, when Thomas completed his studies at Cambridge, he set off on a Grand Tour of Europe. While there, he indulged his passion for purchasing paintings, sculptures, and fine furniture. He had these items shipped home to fill Attingham Hall.
He was devoted to the Hall and improving it, commissioning famed architect John Nash to design a picture gallery to display his Continental Treasures. (The design was sadly flawed and the glass roof leaked!)
Thomas did not spend all his time in the Shropshire countryside. He traveled to London to spend the Season. While there, he made the acquaintance of a family of four sisters, the Wilsons, and was particularly taken with Sophie Wilson. All four were 'working girls', and Sophie's sister, Harriette, was the most famous courtesan of her age. (When she was down on her luck in later life, she wrote her memoirs, detailing her liaisons with many famous and titled gentlemen. She offered to scrub their names from the manuscript before publication if they would pay her the handsome sum of 200 pounds each. To which Lord Wellington is famously said to have declared, ‘Publish and be d----d!’)
Thomas, Lord Berwick, persuaded Sophie to give up her life as a Cyprian and marry him. (Or did she persuade him?) She became Lady Berwick and set about patronizing, ignoring, and otherwise separating herself from her sisters, particularly Harriet. Lord and Lady Berwick’s box at the opera was below that of Harriet Wilson’s, and Harriet was so peeved by her sister’s good fortune and neglectful behavior that she was said to have spat down upon her during the performances.
Upon their marriage, Thomas and Sophia set about attempting to spend the Berwick fortune into penury, and they nearly succeeded. Thomas could not stop acquiring expensive artwork, and Sophia could not stop squandering money on a lavish lifestyle.
Harriet said, in her memoirs, “Sophia, having the command of more guineas than ever she had expected to have pence, did nothing, from morning till night, but throw them away.”
By 1827, the creditors were pounding on the doors, and the contents of Attingham Hall were put up for sale to satisfy the debts. The cycle repeated in 1829. Shortly before the auctions, Lord and Lady Berwick fled to Italy where Thomas died in 1832. Sophia returned to England and lived out her days in Leamington Spa where she died at the age of 81 in 1875.
Thomas’s younger brothers, William and Richard, purchased some of the household items from the auction to keep them in the family. William, a British Diplomat to Italy, died childless, and Richard, the third son, inherited the title. Many of the items they saved from under the auctioneer's gavel are still on display at Attingham Hall.
While Thomas and Sophia’s story is less than ideal, it does show that aristocrats could and did marry courtesans in Regency England.
You’ll need to read the Of Cloaks & Daggers series to see if Sir Bertrand Thorndike and Miss Philippa Cashel can make a better go of it than Lord and Lady Berwick did!
Now, back to the Scavenger Hunt!
Before you go, I have something fun just for you at this stop! You could win a prize!
In addition to partaking in the Fall Scavenger Hunt 2025, I'm also giving away a prize at this stop on the hunt: A custom art print by Mockingbird Artist called "Take Me To Pemberley." Sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Instagram, and join us in the Inspirational Regency Readers Group on Facebook using this entry form: sweepwidget.com/c/93958-rzxnde37
You'll be entered to win the art print!
US Residents only.
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 3 grand prizes!
• The hunt BEGINS on 10/23 at noon Mountain with Stop #1 at https://lisatawnbergren.com/2025/10/christian-fiction-scavenger-hunt-stop-1-13/
.
• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not
Explorer).
• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/26 at midnight Mountain)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the
form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
You've landed here on my site, and I'm Erica Vetsch, historical romance author. I am a history addict and museum junkie! I love old houses, old artwork, old artifacts, and writing new stories about them! My newest book is A Scheming in Parliament. Here's a bit about the story:
Evil is masquerading in the halls of Parliament, and Sir Bertrand Thorndike is tasked with investigating from the inside. With his new position as a member of the House of Commons, he has access to the power brokers of English government. His tactic is to listen and learn, careful not to reveal his true motives, and he’s quickly inducted into the mysterious Theban Club.
Miss Philippa Cashel's mission, the Princess Charlotte Eleos School for Women in Need, is thriving with donations, and the students are learning skills to help them earn their livings in honorable ways. But when a dear friend's past is revealed by blackmail, Philippa must wrestle with the question, Is it ever right to do the wrong thing?
Bertie's and Philippa's missions collide when Bertie uncovers a dangerous plot involving vulnerable women. He and Philippa join forces against the corruption threatening to topple England's government, all while navigating their outward reputations and inward feelings for each other.
A Scheming in Parliament is book 2 in the Of Cloaks & Daggers series.
Did you know that the scenario of a knight of the realm and a former courtesan marrying in the Regency isn’t the stretch of fiction it might seem?
In the Of Cloaks & Daggers series, Sir Bertrand Thorndike, the second son of an earl, and Miss Philippa Cashel, the illegitimate daughter of an earl, form an attachment of sorts with romance on their horizon.
Scandalous!
But not unprecedented. When I visited England in 2023, I toured the marvelous Attingham Park with it’s stately hall and lovely grounds. And there I viewed a display case of miniatures from the Regency Era. Beneath one of the small portraits was a card naming the woman pictured as Sophie Wilson, noted courtesan of London, who became Lady Berwick, the wife of the 2nd Baron Berwick.
Thomas Berwick inherited the title and the estate at the tender age of 18. As was the custom of the time, when Thomas completed his studies at Cambridge, he set off on a Grand Tour of Europe. While there, he indulged his passion for purchasing paintings, sculptures, and fine furniture. He had these items shipped home to fill Attingham Hall.
He was devoted to the Hall and improving it, commissioning famed architect John Nash to design a picture gallery to display his Continental Treasures. (The design was sadly flawed and the glass roof leaked!)
Thomas did not spend all his time in the Shropshire countryside. He traveled to London to spend the Season. While there, he made the acquaintance of a family of four sisters, the Wilsons, and was particularly taken with Sophie Wilson. All four were 'working girls', and Sophie's sister, Harriette, was the most famous courtesan of her age. (When she was down on her luck in later life, she wrote her memoirs, detailing her liaisons with many famous and titled gentlemen. She offered to scrub their names from the manuscript before publication if they would pay her the handsome sum of 200 pounds each. To which Lord Wellington is famously said to have declared, ‘Publish and be d----d!’)
Thomas, Lord Berwick, persuaded Sophie to give up her life as a Cyprian and marry him. (Or did she persuade him?) She became Lady Berwick and set about patronizing, ignoring, and otherwise separating herself from her sisters, particularly Harriet. Lord and Lady Berwick’s box at the opera was below that of Harriet Wilson’s, and Harriet was so peeved by her sister’s good fortune and neglectful behavior that she was said to have spat down upon her during the performances.
Upon their marriage, Thomas and Sophia set about attempting to spend the Berwick fortune into penury, and they nearly succeeded. Thomas could not stop acquiring expensive artwork, and Sophia could not stop squandering money on a lavish lifestyle.
Harriet said, in her memoirs, “Sophia, having the command of more guineas than ever she had expected to have pence, did nothing, from morning till night, but throw them away.”
By 1827, the creditors were pounding on the doors, and the contents of Attingham Hall were put up for sale to satisfy the debts. The cycle repeated in 1829. Shortly before the auctions, Lord and Lady Berwick fled to Italy where Thomas died in 1832. Sophia returned to England and lived out her days in Leamington Spa where she died at the age of 81 in 1875.
Thomas’s younger brothers, William and Richard, purchased some of the household items from the auction to keep them in the family. William, a British Diplomat to Italy, died childless, and Richard, the third son, inherited the title. Many of the items they saved from under the auctioneer's gavel are still on display at Attingham Hall.
While Thomas and Sophia’s story is less than ideal, it does show that aristocrats could and did marry courtesans in Regency England.
You’ll need to read the Of Cloaks & Daggers series to see if Sir Bertrand Thorndike and Miss Philippa Cashel can make a better go of it than Lord and Lady Berwick did!
Now, back to the Scavenger Hunt!
- Here’s the Stop #16 Basics: If you’re interested, you can order A Scheming in Parliament on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook or at your local bookstore!
- Clue to Write Down: novel
- Link to Stop #17, the Next Stop on the Loop: Pepper Basham's Site at https://pepperdbasham.com/2025/10/22/christian-fiction-scavenger-hunt-stop-17/!
Before you go, I have something fun just for you at this stop! You could win a prize!
In addition to partaking in the Fall Scavenger Hunt 2025, I'm also giving away a prize at this stop on the hunt: A custom art print by Mockingbird Artist called "Take Me To Pemberley." Sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Instagram, and join us in the Inspirational Regency Readers Group on Facebook using this entry form: sweepwidget.com/c/93958-rzxnde37
You'll be entered to win the art print!
US Residents only.
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