I had such fun Easter
Sunday watching the kids running around our outdoor chapel area hunting for
Easter eggs. So, of course, I had to begin hunting for what games my characters
might have enjoyed on Easter Sunday—or any other Sunday in the 1800s, for that
matter. Imagine my surprise when, besides the normal egg hunting, I discovered
egg tapping, egg shackling and egg dancing. Egg Tapping
The rules are simple: pick an egg, face your opponent and tap eggs until one
breaks. The person with the unbroken egg wins and moves to the next players.
The egg still intact at the end is the winner. A single elimination tournament
with no age limit and guaranteed laughs.Egg Shackling
In the Victorian Era, egg shackling was a favorite game. It’s origins go back to medieval days. Children wrote their names on an egg and put it in a basket with all the others. The basket was shaken until all eggs cracked. The last egg to crack or remain intact was the winner.
The Egg Dance
The egg dance or the hop-egg, is a dance done in small, hopping steps
through a minefield of boiled eggs. Blindfolded. If you manage to do the dance
without breaking an egg, there will be chocolate! Since the Saxon word hoppe
means “to dance,” hopping was probably brought to England from Germany by the
Saxons as early as the 5th century.
In my latest release, WILD TEXAS HEARTS, the heroine,
Lizzie, is caught teaching the hero’s young son poque, or poker.
From WILD TEXASHEARTS
“Remember, the ace can be a high card
or a low card. Depends on where you need it.”
Calvin laid his two cards down,
counted on his fingers, and picked them back up to be sure he saw them right.
“If I have it as my high one, that counts eleven, right?” His lips moved as he
recounted his hand. “That’s too many. I think.”
“Then count it as one point and ask
for another card. You want to get close to twenty-one, but not go over.
Remember, though.” She hesitated before dealing. “If you have more than fifteen
points, another card will probably be too many.”
Calvin huffed in frustration. “I don’t
understand.”
“Didn’t I tell you studying your
figures in school was important?” Lizzie folded her own cards and set them
aside. “Let’s have a look at what you have. We won’t count this hand.”
Calvin turned over a black jack,
followed by an ace of hearts.
A shiver ran her spine at the reminder
of her attacker. “That’s twenty-one. You would have won, boy.” Lizzie learned
across the table and slapped his shoulder.
“Durn it!” Cal shoved his chin forward
in a pout. “We didn’t count that one.”
“That’s all right. We’ll just deal
again.” She gathered the cards and started to shuffle. “We’re just practicing
anyway.”
“But if I win, you’re gathering the
eggs tomorrow, right?”
Lizzie laughed at the hope in his
eyes. “And if you lose, you wash and
dry the dishes all day.”
Cal straightened in his seat. “I’m
gonna win this time.”
“Don’t count on it, swabbie. I’m pretty good at this
poque stuff, too.”
“What’s poque?” Cal picked up
his cards, one at a time, and started adding, his lips forming the numbers so
clearly Lizzie didn’t even have to see her hand to bet.
“It’s a fancy French term for poker.
At least, that’s what the sailor told me when he taught me to play.” She laid
the homemade deck of cards aside and glanced at the two she’d dealt herself.
“Those sailors sure taught you lots of
stuff.”
“There wasn’t much else to do once my
chores were done. Or when the wind quit blowing. What you gonna do?”
“I’ll take…uh…one more. I think.”
She bit back a chuckle and dealt Cal
another card. “I’ll hold on these. Show your hand.”
Cal turned over a king, a ten, and
seven.
“Twenty-seven is six too many.” She
flipped over her hand. “Nineteen for the dealer. I win and you have to wash the
supper dishes.”
A
broken man…
Revenge has driven Wolf Richards since the brutal murders of his wife and young daughter. Returning home with his son, Cal, he faces memories and loss at every turn. Raising Cal alone seems to be more of a challenge than he can handle. He can never replace his perfect Emily—until a rough-edged female falls into his arms—and living becomes a new adventure.
An unlikely woman…
Lizzie Sutter is as rough as a cowboy and as compelling as a stormy sky. Dressing as a man allows her to hire on with a cattle drive, only to be discovered and set adrift near Civil, Texas. When she stumbles onto an abandoned cabin, she makes herself at home. Then the owner of her newfound home shows up and Lizzie discovers just what’s missing from her life—and her heart.
Two wild hearts tamed…
Lizzie hasn’t a feminine thing about her, yet she calls to something deep inside Wolf, something he can’t deny. Being a woman has always left her feeling lacking, until he shows her their WILD TEXAS HEARTS belong together…
Revenge has driven Wolf Richards since the brutal murders of his wife and young daughter. Returning home with his son, Cal, he faces memories and loss at every turn. Raising Cal alone seems to be more of a challenge than he can handle. He can never replace his perfect Emily—until a rough-edged female falls into his arms—and living becomes a new adventure.
An unlikely woman…
Lizzie Sutter is as rough as a cowboy and as compelling as a stormy sky. Dressing as a man allows her to hire on with a cattle drive, only to be discovered and set adrift near Civil, Texas. When she stumbles onto an abandoned cabin, she makes herself at home. Then the owner of her newfound home shows up and Lizzie discovers just what’s missing from her life—and her heart.
Two wild hearts tamed…
Lizzie hasn’t a feminine thing about her, yet she calls to something deep inside Wolf, something he can’t deny. Being a woman has always left her feeling lacking, until he shows her their WILD TEXAS HEARTS belong together…
