Teresa Grant (48 page)
Authors: Imperial Scandal
H
ISTORICAL
N
OTES
ISTORICAL
N
OTES
As with
Vienna Waltz,
I have compressed the time line of historical events slightly for the purposes of this story. Sir Charles Stuart gave a ball on 6 June. I have advanced the date of the ball to 13 June (the book begins after midnight, so technically the story opens on the fourteenth). In combining real and fictional characters and events, I have of course had real historical people do and say things that are not part of the historical record, though much of the Duke of Wellington’s dialogue in the book is taken from things he is actually recorded to have said.
Vienna Waltz,
I have compressed the time line of historical events slightly for the purposes of this story. Sir Charles Stuart gave a ball on 6 June. I have advanced the date of the ball to 13 June (the book begins after midnight, so technically the story opens on the fourteenth). In combining real and fictional characters and events, I have of course had real historical people do and say things that are not part of the historical record, though much of the Duke of Wellington’s dialogue in the book is taken from things he is actually recorded to have said.
Lady Caroline Lamb went to Brussels to nurse her wounded brother after Waterloo but was not in fact there in the time frame of
Imperial Scandal
. She seemed such a perfect childhood friend for Cordelia that I couldn’t resist including her in the story.
Imperial Scandal
. She seemed such a perfect childhood friend for Cordelia that I couldn’t resist including her in the story.
Accounts of the Duchess of Richmond’s ball differ as to the order and location of events. I have relied chiefly upon the description given by Lady de Ros (the former Georgiana Lennox) and Elizabeth Longford’s account in
Wellington: Years of the Sword
.
Wellington: Years of the Sword
.
In one of her letters, Harriet, Countess Granville, refers to Emily Harriet Wellesley, Fitzroy Somerset’s wife, as Harriet. Based on this I have called Lady Fitzroy Somerset Harriet rather than Emily in the book.
I knew from the first that I wanted to involve Malcolm in the events of the battle of Waterloo. I was delighted in my research to learn that there are accounts of Wellington, with many of his aides-de-camp wounded, pressing civilians into service as message carriers.
S
ELECTED
B
IBLIOGRAPHY
ELECTED
B
IBLIOGRAPHY
Booth, John (compiler).
The Battle of Waterloo, containing a series of accounts published by authority, British and foreign.
London: J. Booth and T. Edgerton, 1815.
The Battle of Waterloo, containing a series of accounts published by authority, British and foreign.
London: J. Booth and T. Edgerton, 1815.
Cotton, Edward.
A Voice from Waterloo.
Brussels: Kiesling, 1895.
A Voice from Waterloo.
Brussels: Kiesling, 1895.
Creevey, Thomas.
The Creevey Papers: a selection from the correspondence & diaries of Thomas Creevey, M.P.
Edited by Sir Herbert Maxwell. London: Murray, 1904.
The Creevey Papers: a selection from the correspondence & diaries of Thomas Creevey, M.P.
Edited by Sir Herbert Maxwell. London: Murray, 1904.
De Lancey, Magdalene.
A week at Waterloo in 1815.
London: John Murray, 1905.
A week at Waterloo in 1815.
London: John Murray, 1905.
de Ros, Georgiana.
A Sketch of the Life of Georgiana, Lady de Ros with some reminiscences of her family and friends, including the Duke of Wellington, by her daughter the Honorable Mrs. J.R. Swinton.
London: John Murray, 1893.
A Sketch of the Life of Georgiana, Lady de Ros with some reminiscences of her family and friends, including the Duke of Wellington, by her daughter the Honorable Mrs. J.R. Swinton.
London: John Murray, 1893.
Frazer, Augustus.
The Letters of Colonel Sir Augustus Simon Frazer, K.C.B.
London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1859.
The Letters of Colonel Sir Augustus Simon Frazer, K.C.B.
London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1859.
Kincaid, John.
Adventures in the Rifle Brigade.
London: T. and W. Boone, Strand, 1830.
Adventures in the Rifle Brigade.
London: T. and W. Boone, Strand, 1830.
Longford, Elizabeth.
Wellington: Years of the Sword.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1969.
Wellington: Years of the Sword.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1969.
Mercer, Cavalié.
Journal of the Waterloo Campaign.
London: Greenhill Books, 1989.
Journal of the Waterloo Campaign.
London: Greenhill Books, 1989.
Miller, David.
The Duchess of Richmond’s Ball 15 June 1815.
Staple-hurst: Spellmount, 2005.
The Duchess of Richmond’s Ball 15 June 1815.
Staple-hurst: Spellmount, 2005.
Müffling, Friedrich Karl Ferdinand.
A Sketch of the Battle of Waterloo in which are added Official Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington; Field Marshal Prince Blücher; and Reflections upon the Battles of Ligny and Waterloo.
Brussels: Gérard, 1842.
A Sketch of the Battle of Waterloo in which are added Official Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington; Field Marshal Prince Blücher; and Reflections upon the Battles of Ligny and Waterloo.
Brussels: Gérard, 1842.
Pratt, Sisson Cooper.
The Waterloo Campaign.
London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1907.
The Waterloo Campaign.
London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1907.
Weller, Jac.
Wellington at Waterloo.
London: Greenhill Books, 1967.
Wellington at Waterloo.
London: Greenhill Books, 1967.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
IMPERIAL SCANDAL
Teresa Grant
About This Guide
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Teresa Grant’s
Imperial Scandal
.
Imperial Scandal
.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
Suzanne, Cordelia, Julia, Jane, and Simon all betray (or in Simon’s case withhold information from) the men in their lives in different ways. How do the betrayals compare? Which do you think is the most devastating?
Suzanne, Cordelia, Julia, Jane, and Simon all betray (or in Simon’s case withhold information from) the men in their lives in different ways. How do the betrayals compare? Which do you think is the most devastating?
2.
How do Henri Rivaux and Rachel Garnier help Cordelia and Harry come to certain realizations about each other? Do you think it’s significant that Harry and Henri have the same name?
How do Henri Rivaux and Rachel Garnier help Cordelia and Harry come to certain realizations about each other? Do you think it’s significant that Harry and Henri have the same name?
3.
Which couple do you think has the most difficult path ahead: Suzanne and Malcolm, Harry and Cordelia, Rachel and Henri, Violet and Johnny? Why?
Which couple do you think has the most difficult path ahead: Suzanne and Malcolm, Harry and Cordelia, Rachel and Henri, Violet and Johnny? Why?
4.
Did the revelation about Suzanne midway through the book surprise you? Why or why not? Did it change what you think of her as a character? (Including her actions in
Vienna Waltz
if you’ve also read it.)
Did the revelation about Suzanne midway through the book surprise you? Why or why not? Did it change what you think of her as a character? (Including her actions in
Vienna Waltz
if you’ve also read it.)
5.
Did you guess the murderer’s identity? Why or why not?
Did you guess the murderer’s identity? Why or why not?
6.
How does being parents affect Suzanne’s, Malcolm’s, Cordelia’s, and Harry’s actions in the course of the book? Do you think their lives and relationships as couples would have evolved differently if they didn’t have Colin and Livia?
How does being parents affect Suzanne’s, Malcolm’s, Cordelia’s, and Harry’s actions in the course of the book? Do you think their lives and relationships as couples would have evolved differently if they didn’t have Colin and Livia?
7.
Harry tells Henri Rivaux, “Some of us have been in the espionage game long enough to envy you your decency.” Which of the spy characters do you think has most compromised him- or herself in their espionage work? Which do you think have managed to hold on to their integrity? Why?
Harry tells Henri Rivaux, “Some of us have been in the espionage game long enough to envy you your decency.” Which of the spy characters do you think has most compromised him- or herself in their espionage work? Which do you think have managed to hold on to their integrity? Why?
8.
Discuss how formality and social conventions break down in the household in the Rue Ducale in the course of nursing the wounded.
Discuss how formality and social conventions break down in the household in the Rue Ducale in the course of nursing the wounded.
9.
Compare and contrast Suzanne and Malcolm’s relationship with Cordelia and Harry’s, from their reasons for marrying to their betrayals to the challenges they face in
Imperial Scandal
and beyond.
Compare and contrast Suzanne and Malcolm’s relationship with Cordelia and Harry’s, from their reasons for marrying to their betrayals to the challenges they face in
Imperial Scandal
and beyond.
10.
How do childhood friendships color the way various characters interact—Malcolm and the Prince of Orange; Cordelia, John Ashton, and the Chases; Cordelia and Caroline Lamb; David, Malcolm, the Chases, and Cordelia? Does having known each other since the nursery make these characters more or less likely to see the truth of their present-day behavior and motives?
How do childhood friendships color the way various characters interact—Malcolm and the Prince of Orange; Cordelia, John Ashton, and the Chases; Cordelia and Caroline Lamb; David, Malcolm, the Chases, and Cordelia? Does having known each other since the nursery make these characters more or less likely to see the truth of their present-day behavior and motives?
11.
Compare and contrast the various farewells between the couples (Cordelia and Harry, Violet and Johnny, Jane and Tony, Aline and Geoffrey, Suzanne and Malcolm) at the Duchess of Richmond’s ball. What do their different ways of saying farewell have to say about the characters and their relationships?
Compare and contrast the various farewells between the couples (Cordelia and Harry, Violet and Johnny, Jane and Tony, Aline and Geoffrey, Suzanne and Malcolm) at the Duchess of Richmond’s ball. What do their different ways of saying farewell have to say about the characters and their relationships?
12.
How do you think Malcolm would react if he learned the truth about Suzanne?
How do you think Malcolm would react if he learned the truth about Suzanne?
13.
Malcolm, Suzanne, Harry, and Cordelia all claim not to be romantics. Perhaps they protest a bit too much. Which of them, or of the other characters in the book, do you think is the greatest romantic? Why?
Malcolm, Suzanne, Harry, and Cordelia all claim not to be romantics. Perhaps they protest a bit too much. Which of them, or of the other characters in the book, do you think is the greatest romantic? Why?
14.
Discuss how Malcolm and Suzanne are both torn between duty and personal relationships in the course of the story.
Discuss how Malcolm and Suzanne are both torn between duty and personal relationships in the course of the story.
15.
How does the hothouse atmosphere in Brussels with its frenetic round of parties and war looming ever closer on the horizon affect the personal relationships of the characters?
How does the hothouse atmosphere in Brussels with its frenetic round of parties and war looming ever closer on the horizon affect the personal relationships of the characters?
16.
How do you think Suzanne and Malcolm’s life would have played out if the French had won at Waterloo?
How do you think Suzanne and Malcolm’s life would have played out if the French had won at Waterloo?
17.
The battle doesn’t leave anyone untouched. Which of the characters who survives the battle do you think has changed the most by the end of the book? Why?
The battle doesn’t leave anyone untouched. Which of the characters who survives the battle do you think has changed the most by the end of the book? Why?
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2012 by Tracy Grant
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-7816-6
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