As the reader will notice, I am not an author who rushes to advance the plot. Since I intend to stay with my protagonist for more than one case, I have time. Aside, this chapter also reflects my own aversion to horror stories. Vampires? Dark forces? Please! Based on everything I have come to understand […]
Now that the name of Princess Schwarzenberg has been spoken, can we expect the intrigue to ignite? Hardly. What would your reaction have been to such a silly, childish tale? Would you have taken it seriously? I suspect not — and neither does Marianne. Instead, the two sisters settle themselves comfortably to read some fairy […]
Archduchess Marianne, still confined to bed, receives her next amiable visitor. Half-secretly, her younger sister Amalia — affectionately nicknamed Mali — slips away from her lessons to see her admired elder sister. Of all the siblings, these two share the closest bond. Eleven-year-old Amalia bore a strong resemblance to Marianne in her lively, curious and […]
The aspiration to depict a historical personality in all their ambiguity and ambivalence is unquestionably a challenge for an author. Fortunately, Archduchess Marianne receives a visitor — her confessor, Father Franz — who, in addition to gently acquainting her with recent political developments, brings comfort and reassurance to his ward. Having endured a serious crisis, […]
We have now arrived at what some might call the ‘boring’ part of historical fiction — the political and social realities that form the backdrop to the plot. A struggle for the balance of power forms the distant background of the narrative. For decades, Austria had relied upon Britain and Russia as its allies, viewing […]
Let us take a glimpse at Archduchess Marianne’s living conditions. As a grown-up lady, she has her own apartment of five rooms, located on the second floor of the Leopoldine Wing of the Hofburg Palace. In the narrative, I directed her windows towards the State Chancellery Wing across the inner courtyard, although this may not […]
A reader meets Archduchess Marianne after three days of unconsciousness. The worst is over. She is weak, but no longer in danger. No one could possibly expect her to embark on an investigation — in fact, there is no case yet. Barely recovered from her ordeal, she is resting in her bedroom and simply trying […]
Despite my efforts to keep the number of characters as low as possible, a reader may still feel somewhat confused when trying to orientate among the counts and princes, ladies-in-waiting, courtiers and high-born visitors. Owing to the historical context, it is indeed quite a crowded narrative. Let us begin by introducing the Imperial family. During […]
What an unpromising start for a novel: the death of the protagonist in the very first chapter! It looks as though the story is over before it has any chance to begin. A reader encounters Archduchess Marianne at a turning point in her life, brought about by a nearly lethal illness during Holy Week in […]
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