Drumroll, please! After one-third of the story with no particular action, we have reached the middle of the intrigue, which appears to be a great tangle of raw material which Marianne must patiently unravel and analyse.
All of the rumours, suggestions and facts given in the chapter have been dispersed across several sources of varying type and historical relevance. Gathering these sources resulted in that fantastic collection as described, and I found myself facing the serious methodical problem of how to present the chaotic material. In the end, accumulating all the information and letting the readers confront it seemed to be the most functional way to deal with it. If the reader considers it hard to cope, then, yes, I agree. It is likely that Marianne had (or could have had) quite a similar reaction.
Finally, who is the right person in Marianne’s vicinity to deliver such bedlam to her with enthusiasm? My choice was Countess Strassoldo – an aged lady-in-waiting, not exactly a brilliant mind, but a living archive of court news of old. Admittedly, it is my own interpretation; her actual personality remains unknown.
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