I'll See You in Paris (46 page)

I applied for a six-month research fellowship, with the Berenson library, the very same Berenson I “met” on my trip. I didn't have the easiest time describing my qualifications and, oddly, “fake researcher” doesn't look all that impressive on paper. But years ago my mom applied for a job with nothing to back her up. Turned out for the best, in the (very long) end.

And what of the formidable Laurel Haley? Well, she stayed with Gus. That's right, the man from the pub you were so worried about. See how I could never fit these things in an e-mail? For now, let's leave it at this. My mom and Gus went to Paris once. And in Paris they remain.

You're doing your job—safely, I hope—but I wish you were here. At age twenty-two I'm an unexpected empty nester and this old farm is too quiet by myself. Don't worry. I do have some company, in the form of some very sick little girls who want to find some freedom on a horse.

Six months, seven months, whatever it takes. I might not be in Virginia, but that doesn't mean I won't be here for your return. When you arrive, we'll celebrate. Then we'll sit in our armchairs, in the weary twilight. You'll talk about the fight. As for me, I'll have a magnificent story to tell.

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I came across Gladys Deacon when researching my first book,
A Paris Apartment,
a novel based on the real-life discovery of an abandoned apartment in Paris. Inside this home, among hundreds of other magnificent relics, was a previously unknown Giovanni Boldini portrait, which eventually sold for more than €2 million at auction.

While digging into Boldini's life, I studied every luminary he brought to canvas. Amid renderings of such notables as Sarah Bernhardt, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Edgar Degas, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, one woman outshone them all, her background every bit as colorful as the painting itself. This woman was Gladys Deacon, the Duchess of Marlborough.

Born to a wealthy Newport family, the dazzling Miss Deacon considered herself continental through and through. Though privileged, no one would accuse her of being sheltered. By age twelve, Gladys Deacon found herself in the middle of a worldwide murder scandal. At fourteen, she declared her love for the Duke of Marlborough, her future husband. She was living independently in Paris at twenty, finally married at forty, and turned up in a dilapidated Oxfordshire manse at almost a century old.

Here was a woman who carried a handgun, went temporarily blind due to excessive reading, and declared herself “a miracle”: “Differential calculus was too low for me!” Her political savvy was no less impressive. “Of course I'm well-informed! I've slept with eleven Prime Ministers and most Kings!” She used this extensively gathered information to heckle her chief nemesis, Winston Churchill: “[Hitler] had the whole world up in arms. He was larger than Winston. Winston could've have done that!” All that, and they say she could've prevented World War I.

Because of these and many other details, when it came time to write, I immediately honed in on Gladys Deacon as the story's heart. Hugo Vickers's captivating biography
Gladys: Duchess of Marlborough
helped ignite the spark. The book contains a seemingly endless collection of duchess quirks and quotes and also inspired the character of Win Seton, but he is in no way meant to represent Vickers.

While my book is a work of fiction, I've used many of Gladys Deacon's actual mannerisms and adventures. She did tour the world with Coon. Proust did try to detain her in Rome by having her arrested. The kidnapped POWs, passion for firearms, and proliferate spaniels are all historically accurate as well.

Many of Gladys's direct statements are also included. She did indeed think “education smooths a life” and most of the barbs directed at Churchill are taken verbatim. Several of her letters are quoted throughout this novel, as are comments and opinions made by others. In the words of Virginia Woolf: “One does fall in love with the Duchess of Marlborough. I did at once.” I know exactly what she means.

I tried to stick closely to another character in the book—Gladys Deacon's final home. As depicted, the Grange was in fact a run-down monstrosity and Gladys every bit as welcoming as her fictional likeness. The real woman treated visitors to reams of chicken wire, hails of bullets, and at least one “fuck you” sprayed in the lawn with weed killer. The contents of Tom's barn and Tom himself are also taken from fact.

Alas, this is a work of fiction so I did fudge dates and other elements for the sake of the plot. And while she had a difficult relationship with her stepsons, the true Marlborough family is no doubt far more delightful than what is portrayed in these pages. All other inaccuracies and fabrications are mine alone.

If you're intrigued by the woman who inspired this novel, I encourage you to read Vickers's biography. For a look at Gladys Deacon through the eyes of a probable “frenemy,” check out
The Face on the Sphinx
by Daphne Fielding. All that plus a little Googling will show exactly why Gladys Deacon was once considered the most beautiful—and tempestuous—woman to ever exist. There's even a selfie or two to prove it.

One of my characters says “I always had the sense she was more legend than woman.” While that could well be true, I personally found the craziest stories the most believable. Of course, the duchess would try to persuade us otherwise. When Hugo Vickers tracked “Mrs. Spencer” down in 1975 to inquire about her life: “she looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and said slowly: ‘Gladys Deacon?… She never existed.'”

It is exactly the comment one would expect from a woman who insisted: “I was not born. I happened.”

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The best part about finishing a book is getting to write the acknowledgments. I'm so grateful to all of the people who've helped along the way.

I have to begin with a gigantic thank-you to my fantastic and shrewd editor, Laurie Chittenden, for taking my extremely vague idea (“this duchess is crazy!”) and helping me shape it into a bona fide story.

Always a tremendous thank-you to my agent, Barbara Poelle, for being smart, tenacious, hilarious, and a good friend. Thank you for always fighting for me, sticking with me, and telling me when I'm doing it wrong. And, speaking of agents, a shout out to Heather Baror-Shapiro for her hard work on foreign rights.

Thanks to the hardworking, savvy team at St. Martin's Press, including Melanie Fried, Laura Clark, Whitney Jacoby, and the amazing Katie Bassel, the best publicist in the business. The entire St. Martin's team has been so incredibly kind and gracious and cool, not to mention they grace me with the world's most fantastic covers. The pressure's really on now!

Thank you to Leslie Rossman, Emily Miles Terry, Sara Beigle, and the rest of the team at Open Book Publicity for doing so much to market my work.

A special thanks goes to my cousin Drew Thompson and his wife Amy for providing a little “artwork” for this book. Thank you also to Scott and Lisa Hourin for their insight into what the Marines were doing post-9/11. Scott, I hope I've used your intel believably and I apologize for any civilian mistakes!

To my funny, kind, and scary talented fellow San Diego writers: Sue Meissner, Tammy Greenwood, Margaret Dilloway, Jennifer Coburn, Jan Moran, Juliette Sobanet, and especially the wonderful Liz Fenton, for being such great friends and always having my back. You guys are all so inspiring, not to mention fun to hang out with. And thank you also to my wonderful local bookstore, Warwick's in La Jolla, Julie Slavinsky in particular, for the tremendous encouragement and support.

A thousand thanks to two great organizations, the Women's Fiction Writer's Association (WFWA) and Barbara Bos's Women Writers, Women's Books for not only supporting me but other writers worldwide.

And to two old (but not
old
) friends, fellow Tri Delts Elaine Turville Kropp and Anna Dinwiddie Hatfield for your support and getting people to attend my signings. Always huge thanks to Karen Freeman Landers, the best friend and greatest co-Chargers-season-ticket-holder a gal could ask for. Thank you also to Wendy Merry who not only sends people to my appearances but also Hollywood producers to my door.

Thank you to the people at Ellie Mae, especially Ed Luce and his wife Ann, for supporting this second career.

None of this would be any fun without my family alongside, including my hilarious, witty, and brilliant sister, Lisa Gable Wheatley, and my smart, fun, Chargers-loving brother, Brian Gable. Thank you to my dad, Tom Gable, for always inspiring me and cheering me on, and of course my mother, Laura Gable, to whom this book is dedicated. How do you thank one person for … everything? Thanks also go to Bill and Suzy Gable for hawking my books to patients and friends alike.

To my husband, Dennis Bilski, who keeps everything running. I always joke that if you made the slightest change to your schedule or availability, the entire system would shut down. Thanks for all you do for me, for our girls, and for making me the luckiest girl in the world.

To my spunky, smart, sporty daughters, Paige and Georgia. Thanks for being the easiest kids to raise. Sweet, independent, and responsible. That's why I get so much done.

I learned many things when my first book came out, my favorite was seeing firsthand just how awesome other people are. Thank you not only to my friends but also readers nationwide who showed up at my signings. I'll never be able to express what it means to meet you all in person. I'm also extraordinarily grateful for every reader's note sent my way. I've saved each one. I hope you all love the second book as much as the first.

And, finally, I want to close these thanks in memory of my beloved grandmother, Carol Gable, a woman so interesting that even in her final days she still had new stories to tell.

Michelle Gable

Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

National bestselling author of
A Paris Apartment
,
MICHELLE GABLE
graduated from The College of William & Mary. She currently resides in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. You can sign up for email updates
here
.

    

 

ALSO BY
MICHELLE GABLE

A Paris Apartment

 

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