To Wed a Rake (13 page)

As a female scene painter, Emma would have been quite unusual for the 1800s, although not utterly improbable, as women were employed in many areas of the stage by this period. I made Emma a scene painter because my imagination was caught by the description of Philip de Loutherbourg’s sets for Drury Lane, created in the 1770s. One of de Loutherbourg’s innovations was to stretch colored silks on side scenes that served as transparent shades, casting a brilliant color on the backdrop. As soon as I read this detail (thanks to my brilliant research assistant, Franzeca Drouin), I imagined the scene between Emma and Gil: a proud Titania challenging—and conquering—her wayward Oberon. The description of the fairy woods is purely my invention, although the performance of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
was certainly probable. In the season 1811–1812, for example, there were eight Shakespeare revivals staged at Covent Garden theater alone.

One final note: Emma’s sister Bethany Lynn is a real person, blessed with a passionate and loving husband who wrote me a note out of the blue, telling me of his wife’s birthday and his wish to give her a particularly interesting birthday present. So…

Happy Birthday, Bethany Lynn!