Authors: Angeline Fortin

Nothing But Time (47 page)

BOOK: Nothing But Time

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Author’s Note

First off, I’m going to say, as a native Minnesotan, that this is just how we talk. I’m sure that there will be a few people out there who try to deny it but, face it, I toned it down and you know it
;)
It could have been a lot worse. Oh, ya, you betcha.

Others might say that it’s not realistic to say that a girl would spend her childhood fishing or camping. I had a dad who did all the things that Kate’s father did and before my brothers came along, my sisters and I did all those things with our dad. We went camping, fishing, ice fishing, hunting… I even remember checking traps with my dad. They were great times. Of course, my dad wouldn’t let me go deer hunting with him again after he caught me up in my perch reading a book and drinking hot chocolate but… well, I guess it’s a good thing my brothers were there to take my place and, hey, there was always the fishing, right?

Collecting old reels is a pretty big deal. You wouldn’t believe what they can go for.
The
J.F. & B.F. Meek
company produced what
was one of the earliest examples of the Kentucky reel beginning in the 1850s. By the 1870s, the company had become Meek and Milam and eventually to B.F. Meek and Sons. Regardless
of their evolution
, all Meek reels are considered rare and collectible.

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 Co
urse 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, y
es, 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
. The
oretically, 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
i
s
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
[email protected]
or LIKE her & the
Questions for a Highlander
series on Facebook for information and updates.

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