Let me be honest — this chapter reflects my own professional hesitations. As an experienced researcher, my first demand of myself is that any traits or actions I attribute to my characters must be historically relevant and psychologically credible. All my own questions here were projected onto my protagonist: Why would an imperial princess involve […]
To provide a slight counterbalance to the deeply introspective nature of the chapter, let us cast a brief glance at the family entertainments. The Imperial children were involved in public events from an early age. They participated in gala occasions at court and in religious ceremonies, and they gave formal audiences to ambassadors. A steady […]
Archduchess Marianne has noticed a gap in the document and begins to consider how she might plausibly explain it. More generally, this reflects the twofold methodological problem that runs throughout the plot: first, how she becomes aware of a source or witness; and second, how she gains access to that source or witness. The variety […]
Archduchess Marianne’s thrilling adventure in the underground burial crypt of the Schwarzenbergs is over, and she is back at her desk reading the first written document related to the case — the excerpt from the funeral register obtained from Brother Aloïs. Keeping accounts of baptisms, weddings, and funerals was one of the principal duties of […]
The available information on the burial crypt of the Schwarzenbergs proved to be rather fragmentary. To the best of my knowledge, it was located near the altar of St Nicholas of Tolentino in the Augustinian Church and was in use from 1682 to 1789. By the spring of 1757, the crypt had become the final […]
Archduchess Marianne’s visit to one of the potential ‘crime scenes’ in the Augustinian Church required a considerable amount of preliminary research on my part. Curiously enough, even guiding her through her own home proved quite a challenge. Hofburg Palace served as the residence of the Habsburgs for centuries, and every era left its mark on […]
Ernestine Countess Strassoldo (1695–1766) was the longest-serving matron in Marianne’s circle, holding the post of Fräuleinhoffmeisterin — the supervisor of the young unmarried maids of honour (namely Juliana and Leontine), responsible in particular for their conduct, duties, and — last but not least — their potential marriage prospects. In her recent past, the year 1746 […]
Drumroll, please! After several chapters with little overt action, we have reached the very heart of the intrigue — a great tangle of raw material that Marianne must patiently unravel and analyse.All the rumours, hints, and facts presented in this chapter have been drawn from a variety of sources, differing widely in type and historical […]
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