Pink 9!

We remain in France (having last seen Laura and Andre safely to England in The Orchid Affair) and meet back up with spy/poet/obvious loon Augustus Whittlesby at the time Napoleon is declared Emperor. He gets wind of a "device" to be tested at Malmaison during a party for the out-going US envoy and asks Jane to get him into the party. Enter Emma Delagardie - American ex-pat, widow, best friends with Hortense Bonaparte nee de Beauharnais - who has been commissioned to write a masque for the party. Note: this is not the first time "devices" and theatre have intersected in the Pink Carnation series - see the denouement of Pink 4, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. Emma and Augustus work together, sparks fly...but not in the direction we, the readers, assume they will (the romance finally comes along as expected after taking an extended walk through self-examination).

This is proabably the best-nested-in-history Pink novel thus far. They all have their basis in the history of England and the Napoleonic Wars (Willig does holds an advanced degree in history) but this the first in the series to really position the story so securely between real people.

(view spoiler)[ One thing that I really quite liked about this book is that Jane pretty much pissed me off (as oxymoronic as that statement sounds). Jane, in her cool, nothing-touches-my-heart persona of the Pink Carnation, squashes poor Whittlesby flat after his declaration and then acts like she was doing everyone a favor. It's the first time she's depicted as other than a sweet, proper cousin or master spy. She's developed an ego and it gives her more depth, even though it isn't flattering. I hope this is a lead up to knock her off-kilter in a future book. (hide spoiler)]

I also - how odd - enjoyed Colin and Eloise's framing story this time out. They've always been background for me, the relationship echoing what goes on in the spy story, and never seemed to move forward on their own (over nine books, well eight since they didn't feature in The Mischief of the Mistletoe, their story has progressed from October 2003 to May 2004). Eloise's dilemma over staying for the boy vs leaving for her career is a very real one and it pulled the relationship forward.

While I liked Emma, she didn't top Letty and Arabella in the heroine rankings (she's probably duking it out with Mary - after Caroline Murat, Lady Vaughn won't scare her). Augustus, on the other hand, doesn't fare so well in the hero ranking. After Geoff, Miles, Turnip, Vaughn, Richard and Andre (tied), and Alex, the only hero he tops is Robert the Duke of Dovedale (who still strikes me as a wet blanket, sorry). Augustus is probably tied with Alex. He has very tough competition.