Скачать книгу - Unveiled

He is a man of secrets When a mysterious, seductive trader arrives at her door, noblewoman Katrine de Gravere reluctantly agrees to give him shelter. The payment – enough wool to keep her precious looms filled. She is a woman of lies Sleeping under the same roof, tempted every minute to let his fingers linger on this flame-haired, reserved innocent,Renard wonders if she suspects his real reasons for being there. In a town where no one feels safe, Katrine makes him yearn for things long forbidden, but can he trust her not to betray him…?

Darius, King of Persia, has many beautiful women in his harem—but none entice him more than his latest prize: Myrine of Scythia.The princess’s overwhelming beauty and provocative dances fill him with lust—and his desire is matched by her own boldness. Myrine has been given to the new king as a tribute, a tantalizing prize for the fierce warrior.But she is no submissive concubine, and her veils hide more than her sensuous curves. If she can capture Darius’s attention through a game of seduction, she will have him at her mercy

Somber black crepe gowns, long black veils, a strand of Whitby jet beads or a bracelet braided from a loved one’s hair, black-edged handkerchiefs—these were just some of the trappings of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century mourning. Middle- and upper-class Americans of this era were expected to follow strict etiquette guidelines in all aspects of their lives, including—perhaps especially—following a loved one’s death. Sustained by advice writers, newspapers, and the retail and manufacturing industries, mourning culture was prevalent in daily urban life. Prescriptive guidelines were most extreme for the widow, who was expected to mourn her lost husband for at least two years, including one in seclusion from society. Filled with nuanced requirements for how to live and what belongings to live with, these customs would have been difficult, if not impossible, for most women to follow—especially those suddenly impoverished by their widowhood. Widows Unveiled illuminates American mourning practices between the Civil War and World War I through an investigation of the textual, material, and visual culture of New York widowhood.Illustrated with images of period costumes, jewelry, accessories, drawings, and photographs, Widows Unveiled analyzes mourning etiquette and its accouterments, interprets the abundant negative stereotypes of widows in visual culture, and explains the slow, uneven demise of mourning practices in the twentieth century. Author Rebecca McNamara demonstrates that material mourning was far more complex and confusing than is generally acknowledged and that its purpose went beyond superficial consumption: indeed, the black-crepe-enrobed and -veiled woman, as she navigated a society critical of and even hostile to widows, was both demonstrating an ideal feminine role—loyal, doting wife—and signifying a continued independent presence in polite society.