Dancing the Maypole
Share/BookmarkAn Unlikely Hero
John Smirke’s black marble heart has an insatiable need to be loved and admired, but his only developed talent is causing creative misery. Outside his immediate family he's universally hated. The word love has no emotional definition in his brain while the word romance can only be conceived as a state of heightened sexual pleasure. As he meets death at the end of a rapier in a senseless duel of honour he belatedly longs to find a woman who can love him, whatever that means.
Smirke’s in luck. He’s failed so miserably to learn even the basic skills of humanity that he's being sent back to his body to succeed or suffer his own hellish company.
His desire to avoid hell is heightened by the fact that Heaven has located one woman under the age of seventy who’ll love him. He's determined to find and marry this mysterious Joan as quickly as possible so he can have sex without getting the pox and ending up back in hell, but she could be anywhere. Of course if he'd been paying attention he'd have realised that there was only one female who could be the saintly Joan.
Miss J. Lark, Smirke’s unmet ward, has been living in Lincolnshire dying of loneliness. Learning Smirke will be in Bath for the winter Joan impulsively sets off to meet her wicked guardian and see if he’s as beautiful as his portrait. Love opens its tool box and sets to work on Smirke's marble heart. Hit by a sledgehammer, Smirke learns the hard way that love is far more than physical pleasure.
Background to An Unlikely Hero
John Smirke is named after the Regency architect, Sir Robert Smirke, who designed The British Museum among other buildings. John Smirke, in my head, lives in another architect's house. The next time you're in London drop into the John Soanes Museum. It's on the north side of Lincoln Inn Fields and it's free! It's just around the corner from the Holborn Underground Station. It's one of the strangest places, but best for the fact it's a Regency house frozen in time for the most part. I still haven't managed to make my way around the whole of it. It's not very big, but Soanes managed to shove an unimaginable amount of stuff into his house. If you've read the free short story Introducing Smirke you'll recognise what the English call the first floor which we Americans call the second floor. You can go up the stairs and step into Smirke's reception room! Yes it's yellow and black - Smirke's colours of course. That was another lovely coincidence. I had lots of strange coincidences with this story.
Apparently, Soane's two sons refused to follow in his footsteps and become architects. One of the sons then published his feelings on his father in a daily newspaper. Needless to say the son didn't inherit much; I'd be surprised if he got an old sock with a dead mouse in it!
Soanes designed some beautiful buildings. I have yet to visit his Dulwich (London) picture gallery, which I believe is the very first picture gallery in England built specifically for paintings. It looks amazing in photographs. He also designed the old Bank of England, but that was demolished in the early 20th century. Too many beautiful old buildings have been knocked down. Some would call it progress I'd just call it the scourge of mediocrity.
I am now forcing my brain to flow back towards John Smirke before I lose all self control and jump on one of my hobby horses and ride till I fall on my head. I wanted to explain the cover for An Unlikely Hero. It's Spelsbury Church in Oxfordshire about a mile or so from Ditchley on foot. I'd wanted to visit this particular church for about a year and my Goblin (that's a term of eternal endearment) took me there for last year's anniversary. When we got married it was raining, but on our eighth anniversary we had the most glorious sunlight. Spelsbury Church is where John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester is encrypted. I stepped out of the car and was dazzled by the aching beauty of the light falling through the various foliage and the grey church and grey tombstones looking otherworldly. It was utterly magical. I lifted the camera and took one shot. We wandered in and took various pictures and I was so excited I didn't allow myself to go near the door until the Goblin was finished taking pictures. I'm one of those freaky people who find it pleasurable to wait for pleasure. I could wait till Jan 30th to open my Christmas presents. Don't try to analyse it, it's weird!
My husband and I share a camera which teaches us patience and how to get irritated when one misses a shot because the other has the camera! But the Goblin took some brilliant photos (he's the photographer, I'm the artist) and then he handed me the camera and I went in after fondling the ancient triangle door handle. I should explain that I'm obsessive. When some poor dead person grabs my interest I'm relieved they’re dead because if they weren’t they’d have me arrested! I was savouring the touch of something he'd probably touched. So we went in, and then the Goblin left me alone, closing the door, and I stood there and had the distinct impression I wasn't alone. There was definitely someone in there who wasn't happy with my presence. I ignored the feeling and took some pictures including the cover for Redeeming a Rake and learned that John, Earl of Rochester is buried in the crypt along with most of his family. The Goblin returned and announced that he was going to the car for a rest. In taking my time I noticed the donation box. I'd left my purse in the car, but I decided I'd just go to get my purse. I left and didn't see anyone. I could only see one entrance to the churchyard. The car was parked very close to the church gate. I didn't see anyone go in or out of the churchyard. I reached the church door and it wouldn't open. I tried it a couple of times and then I thought maybe I'll just leave now, just in case there's someone dead on the other side of the door! Call me crazy, and I may be, but that was bizarre!
John Smirke has taught me many things about myself. I feel like I've been on a journey. I'm definitely a stronger artist than I was two years ago. Thanks to Smirke I've picked up my pastels and started drawing again. Now all I have to do is finish his portrait. I'm enjoying the process. I hope you enjoy the stories.
