A Scandalous Adventure (28 page)
Read A Scandalous Adventure Online
Authors: Lillian Marek
“You needn't worry,” Emily assured him. “We are all excellent riders, and I am told that the cold is preferable to the heat of the summer.”
M. Chambertin smiled at her and shook his head. “I do not doubt that you are a horsewoman
par
excellence
, and your mother and Lady Julia as well. However, the journey over the mountains will take weeks. We will encounter few villages, and those we find will be most poor. There will be times when we must sleep in tents or take shelter in stables. Nowhere will there be comfortable inns where ladies can refresh themselves.”
Emily and Julia looked at each other, sharing their irritation. Male condescension was obviously to be found everywhere.
“I believe you misunderstand the situation, gentlemen.” Julia spoke in her iciest, most superior tone. “We are not fragile pieces of porcelain. We are grown women, and English women at that. I do not think you will find us swooning at the sight of a spider. Or, for that matter, at the sight of a lion. Since Lord Penworth has determined that we are capable of undertaking the journey, I see no need for you to question his judgment.”
Mr. Oliphant flushed uncomfortably. “I assure you that no insult was intended either to you or to Lord Penworth. It is simply that ladies do not normally undertake such a journey.”
Julia's tone grew even icier. “
Ladies
do not? Are you suggesting that there is something improper about our taking part in this trip?”
His flush deepened. “Not at all. I would notâ¦I assure youâ¦my only concern is your safety.”
“You need not worry about that either,” said Emily, waving a hand casually in the air. “Harryâthat's Lady Julia's brother, Lord Doncaster. He's married to my sister Elinor. He has provided each of us with a revolver.”
There was an odd, choking sound from M. Chambertin.
Emily turned to him. “Are you quite well, monsieur?”
“Quite well.” His face, when it reappeared from his napkin, was slightly red. “And the Lord Doncaster, he has no doubt taught you how to shoot these revolvers?”
“Of course.” Emily smiled rather smugly. “In fact, I am becoming quite a good shot. Would you care for a demonstration? Not here in the dining room,” she assured Mr. Oliphant, who was looking more and more distressed.
M. Chambertin, on the other hand, was grinning broadly. “No demonstration will be needed, I assure you. I begin to think that this will be a most interesting voyage.
Bien
intéressant
.”
Before German unification in 1871, there were dozens of small independent German statesâkingdoms and principalities and duchies. Many of them were located in the north, but in the south, between Baden and Württemberg, were two small states, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern-Hechingen. These two were ruled by branches of the same family that ruled Prussia and were actually absorbed by Prussia in 1850.
For the purpose of my story, I have borrowed their location and half of their names, erasing their actual histories and their connection with the Hohenzollerns. Instead, the ruling families of my fictional principalities are descended from the Hohenstaufens, Holy Roman Emperors in the early Middle Ages and rulers of the medieval Duchy of Swabia. Sigmaringen and Hechingen are therefore still independent in 1863 and, like Baden and Württemberg, worried about the ambitions of both Prussia and Austria. This does not greatly depart from the actual course of history. My story only delays by some twenty years the absorption of Sigmaringen and Hechingen into the German Empire, a fate foreseen by many of the characters in the novel.
Needless to say, the characters and the masquerade are all entirely fictitious, though inspired by one of my favorite books, Anthony Hope's
The Prisoner of Zenda
.
With grateful appreciation to all the artists, editors, copy editors, and proofreaders at Sourcebooks for all the work they do to make this book as good as they can, especially Hilary Doda, for her insightful comments and suggestions.
I would also like to thank Professor Robert K. Bloomer, coordinator of German programs at SUNY Stony Brook, for his help with Schwäbisch words and phrases. Any mistakes are my own fault.
Lillian Marek was born and raised in New York City. At one time or another she has had most of the interesting but underpaid jobs available to English majors. After a few too many years in journalism, she decided she prefers fiction, where the good guys win and the bad guys get what they deserve. The first book in her Victorian Adventure series,
Lady Elinor's Wicked Adventures
, won first prize in both the Launching a Star and the Windy City Four Seasons contests. She now lives on Long Island, next to a pond inhabited by swans and snapping turtles, with occasional visits from cormorants, egrets, and herons.
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