As a writer of historical novels set in Georgian and Regency times, I find that dances feature quite frequently. In an age when young ladies of good birth and breeding were chaperoned everywhere, the dance floor was one place where they could talk to a man - and even hold hands with him!
Imagine the shock, then, when the waltz swept across Europe. Suddenly it was acceptable to stand very close to a man, to even be in his arms. This must have caused shock and horror amongst the older generation, and even some alarm in the breasts of shy young maidens.
This set me thinking about a new story and Dance for a Diamond is the result. Antonia Venn sets up her own dancing school but soon finds herself embroiled in the lives of the beautiful Isabella Burstock and her autocratic brother. The early version of the waltz swept the dancers along at an ever increasing speed, and I hope this sparkling Regency tale does the same with its readers.
Melinda Hammond
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