The Accidental Empress
Read The Accidental Empress Online
Authors: Allison Pataki
Praise for
The Accidental Empress
“A love match alters the course of history. . . . Pataki deserves kudos for choosing her subject matter well—Sisi’s life is ideal fictional fodder.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“
The Accidental Empress
is a stunning masterpiece of imagination, enriched with lavish historical detail. Utterly riveting, amazingly insightful. A splendid saga sure to capture the heart.”
—Jan Moran, bestselling author of
Scent of Triumph
“Pataki’s fully drawn
Accidental Empress
is an indelible portrayal—not only of one of the most complicated and misunderstood Habsburgs, but of a turbulent royal marriage during a tumultuous era.”
—Juliet Grey, author of the acclaimed
Marie Antoinette
trilogy
“Allison Pataki so vividly depicts the world of the Habsburg court, you’ll feel the silk of Sisi’s gowns under your very fingers as you eagerly turn the pages of
The Accidental Empress
. As a woman both ahead of her time and wholly situated within it, Sisi makes for a captivating central figure, and rarely has an author so heartbreakingly captured the exquisite tragedy of getting what you want. Sumptuous, surprising, and deeply felt.”
—Greer Macallister, author of
The Magician’s Lie
“A glorious novel about a misunderstood empress. . . . With a sumptuous sense of history and evocative attention to detail, Allison Pataki conjures the rebellious, glamorous spirit of Sisi of Austria.”
—C. W. Gortner, bestselling author of
The Queen’s Vow
“
The Accidental Empress
is a tale of royal love we don’t know but should, and who better to share it with us than the supremely gifted and entertaining historical novelist Allison Pataki. A delightful gift for readers. . . .
The Accidental Empress
is enthralling.”
—Allegra Jordan, author of
The End of Innocence
Praise for
The Traitor’s Wife
“A most impressive debut.”
—Philippa Gregory
“One of the best, best, best historical novels. I was riveted. . . . I couldn’t put it down.”
—Kathie Lee Gifford,
The TODAY Show
“Pataki smoothly weaves intrigue and personality with critical historical facts. . . . Historical fiction lovers will look forward to more from this promising new novelist.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“A well-balanced narrative . . . offers fresh perspective, plenty of intrigue and a host of interesting, multidimensional characters.”
—
Kirkus
(starred review)
“If you read one book this year, make it Allison Pataki’s
The Traitor’s Wife
. Few authors have taken on America’s Revolutionary War so convincingly, and this story of Benedict Arnold’s wife will appeal to lovers of historical fiction everywhere. Highly, highly recommended!”
—Michelle Moran, international bestselling author of
Madame Tussaud
“Allison Pataki’s captivating debut novel examines history’s most famous tale of treachery through a woman’s eyes. Meticulously written and well-researched, this story will transport you back to the American Revolution and keep you turning pages with both its intrigue and love story.
The Traitor’s Wife
is a well-told tale.”
—Lee Woodruff, author, blogger and television personality
“I consider this to be the debut of a major writer of historical fiction.”
—Mary Higgins Clark
“
The Traitor’s Wife
is a gripping novel steeped in compelling historical detail. Pataki writes lyrically and succeeds in bringing to life, and humanizing, notorious characters from our nation’s past. Ultimately a story about honor and heart, readers will have a hard time putting this book down.”
—Aidan Donnelley Rowley, author of
Life After Yes
“Allison Pataki has given us a great gift: a powerful story of love and betrayal, drawn straight from the swiftly beating heart of the American Revolution. Replete with compelling characters, richly realized settings, a sweeping plot, and a heroine who comes to feel like a dear, familiar friend,
The Traitor’s Wife
is sure to delight readers of romance and lovers of history alike.”
—Karen Halvorsen Schreck, author of
Sing For Me
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Contents
Imperial Resort at Bad Ischl, Upper Austria
Imperial Resort at Bad Ischl, Upper Austria
Imperial Resort at Bad Ischl, Upper Austria
Imperial Resort at Bad Ischl, Upper Austria
Schönbrunn Summer Palace, Vienna
Castle Hill, Budapest, Hungary
Schönbrunn Summer Palace, Vienna
Schönbrunn Summer Palace, Vienna
Schönbrunn Summer Palace, Vienna
A Conversation with the Author Allison Pataki
To my parents, Libby & George
Like thine own sea birds,
I’ll circle without rest.
For me earth holds no corner
To build a lasting nest.
—Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria
“So quick bright things come to confusion.”
—William Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
, Sisi’s favorite play
Introduction
The year is
1853 and the Habsburg Empire covers much of Europe, stretching from the Russian border in the east to Italy in the west, from northern Germany south to the Balkans.
Emperor Franz Joseph, one of the most powerful crowned heads in the world, rules over more than 35 million souls, including Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. His people are of Austrian, Hungarian, German, Czech, Croatian, Italian, Gypsy, and other descents.
Austria is the quintessential multiethnic empire, a polyglot patchwork held together not by a unifiying nationality, religion, language, or even a feeling of mutual affection. One thing alone unites these divergent lands, people, and interests: Franz Joseph. A handsome young man in his early twenties, with auburn waves of hair and serious blue eyes, Franz Joseph rules by divine right, a blessed figure, an institution more than just a mere man.
Franz Joseph ascends to power in the year 1848, the year that revolutions roil across Europe, toppling crowns on a wave of liberal idealism and nationalistic fervor. Nowhere is that revolutionary zeal more fiercely espoused, and then crushed, than in the Austrian Empire. Quashing revolts in both Hungary and Italy, Franz Joseph takes the throne from a weak uncle and solidifies his grip over the government in Vienna and the entire kingdom.
But a few years into his reign, a Hungarian nationalist attacks the emperor while he strolls through Vienna, lodging a knife blade in the young Franz Joseph’s neck. The empire trembles and prays as the emperor lies in a hospital bed, recovering from the wound. The need for a Habsburg heir has never been more apparent.
With his good looks, his charming personality, and, not least of all, his glittering kingdom, Franz Joseph faces no shortage of young ladies eager to be his bride.
But Franz Joseph’s most powerful advisor is not some stiff-necked general or mustached bureaucrat; the person from whom Franz Joseph most often takes his counsel is his mother. Archduchess Sophie is, after all, the very person who has groomed him all his life for this role and has found the way to thrust him onto a throne that hadn’t belonged to him. And she already has a bride in mind.
