- and the Nation is in mourning for the death of the Prince Consort, when a newly appointed archivist arrives at the Queen’s island residence of Osborne, enticed by the prospect of long country walks as much as by his professional duties. But his plans are forced to change as he uncovers a complex web of intrigue and scandal that reaches from revolutionary France to the very heart of Victorian society.
What is he to make of such an unwelcome discovery? And who is the mysterious woman he encounters again and again when walking by the sea?
A testament from the grave that reveals one of the most powerful yet maligned of 19th Century courtesans whose life has been almost erased from history. But it is knowledge that does not please everyone.
“Parry’s choice to present the narrative in diary form gives a strong and steady pace of daily activity that reads like an authentic Victorian journal. His research and grasp of the time period is impeccable.” Stephanie Pina, The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood.
“With a fast-paced and naturally flowing storyline followed by a stunning ending, I found this to be a most satisfying read.” Arleigh Johnson, historical-fiction.com
“I recommend this book for anyone interested in Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Marie Antoinette, or Louis XVI. Or, for anyone just wanting to read a great book!” Charla Wilson, Book Talk with Charla
“Vividly written and full of exquisite period detail … a novel that is as compelling as it is unexpected.” Kirsty Stonell Walker, author and biographer
● From Regency England to post-revolutionary France, the real rags-to-riches story of Baronne de Feuchères or Sophie Dawes - the English mistress of Louis Henri Prince de Condé.
● Adult content with an authentic nineteenth-century English Gothic setting.
● A junior archivist working at the royal residence of Osborne House is an observer of events following the death of Albert the Prince Consort.
● Scandal involving the French Bourbon and d’Orleans families that reaches back to the English Regency, the French Revolution and a crime that once shook all of France.
● Lavish settings and authentic period ‘victoriana’ - alternating between the seaside home of Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wight and the nearby fishing village of St Helens.
● Extensive references to the lives of Louis XVI, XVII and XVIII; Marie Antoinette and others.
