The identity of the obscure Countess Althann is about to come to light. An attentive reader may recall that this name has already appeared in the narrative, but let me make it clear at once that it referred to a different lady. The difficulty lies in the fact that, in the eighteenth century, the Althann […]
Archduchess Marianne receives the long-awaited visit of Countess Thürheim, who – quite literally – seems to have stepped out of the seventeenth century. As the author, I was intrigued by the challenge of portraying a historically authentic and believable depiction of a nearly ninety-year-old, relic-like lady. Fortunately, she turned out to be related to most […]
Among all her relatives, Archduchess Marianne felt closest to her paternal aunt, Anne Charlotte, the Emperor’s younger sister. The Princess had spent her rather monotonous youth with her ailing mother, the Dowager Duchess of Lorraine. Owing to the political situation, the family failed to find her a suitable husband, despite several attempts. After the Duchess’s […]
One of my particular pleasures in historical research is tracing family ties between the people involved. Such bonds of relationship, however distant, often reveal astonishing connections that can shape how a problem or situation was perceived. My readers have probably noticed the intricate web of kinship within the narrative. Even if it sometimes feels confusing […]
During the reflective discussion at the heart of the maze, Father Franz advises Archduchess Marianne to trust her intuition and follow the inner logic of events. A distinct pattern of roughly ten-year leaps back in time is beginning to emerge in her investigation — a pattern that, originating from my own research, also forms the […]
In this chapter, Archduchess Marianne and Father Franz explore the maze in the Schönbrunn park. This marvellous structure of four quadrants and a central pavilion was gradually developed between 1700 and 1740 and can be seen in the famous painting by Bernardo Bellotto, completed in 1760. The intricate network of walkways between tall hedges created […]
Researching Prince Schwarzenberg’s death and the Princess’s alleged role in it, Archduchess Marianne — although reluctantly — has to delve into their marital relations. After more than a decade of living apart, the House of Schwarzenberg stood on the brink of extinction. Then, as if out of the blue, the long-estranged couple — both already […]
One important thread running through the narrative is Marianne’s tense relationship with her mother. To untangle this web of contradictory feelings and, ideally, to find their cause, was one of the keen aims of my research. From the very beginning, it was clear that without understanding the dynamics of this essential bond between mother and […]
Access to the Metatext via placing an order for an augmented product. See Terms of Use
