Cerise DeLand's Blog, page 4

Tasty bits of a real castle and royal history in LORD FOURNIER'S SHAMELESS PRINCESS, PART 3

Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen
in Black Forest in Baden
Many little tidbits are true history in PRINCESS that you definitely want to read it for that —as well as the slow burn romance of Dirk, an English baron who valiantly saves lives, for the lovely Liesel, Crown Princess of Rittenburg!

So what are the true bits?
1. The picture above of the Hohenzollern Castle is what I picture the Rittenburg Castle to look like.
2. But the real castle of Thurn und Taxis looks like this: 

The timing of Bonaparte being declared emperor for life and his relentless march to overtake the Continent.
The race by many German leaders to leave the Continent before he could capture them.
The alliance of many, like the Margrave of Baden, with Bonaparte.
The crossing of General Caulaincourt over the Rhine to capture the unlucky and unwise Duke d’Enghien.
The attempt by many to persuade that young Bourbon to leave Ettenheim.
The outrage by Britain and Russia that the French violated international boundaries to be so bold as to capture, try and assassinate a prince of the Bourbon blood.
And that description in SHAMELESS PRINCESS of the “crush” at King George’s birthday celebration where a few fainted from the heat is also true!

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My Personal Tasty Bit of History for SHAMELESS PRINCESS: My ancestor fought for Napoleon!

1. Me at Karlsruhe Palace of Dukes of Baden!A few years ago, I received as a Christmas present from my husband a full subscription to Ancestry.com. I had known for decades my paternal family history as far back as my great grandfather, who was the first in the family to leave Germany and emigrate to the United States. But I knew not anything more.

To my surprise and delight, I discovered in the German records that my great-great-great grandfather listed in the town records his profession as 'soldat'. Soldier. 

He lived during the period of the wars on the Continent and miraculously he survived. He had many children, of whom from one I am descended. But he was forced into the Baden army to serve Napoleon. Why? Because the duke—Der Grosse Herzog, auf Deutsch—aligned himself with Napoleon, then taxed and conscripted his own subjects so that he could gain more land!

2. Pistols on display in palace, c. 1815

So I tell you that as I wrote this story of the princess of Rittenberg and the English baron whom she grew to love, I was telling you also of my enchantment with the cities of Karlsruhe, the capital of Baden. The delights of Strasbourg, across on the French side of the Rhine. The delights of old Heidelberg, the city that for centuries printed more books than any other. 

3. Throne room of dukes of Baden

I show you my pictures...and I have more to come! 

1. Me in the gardens of the palace of the dukes' of Baden and in front of the man who was responsible for him fighting in Napoleon's wars.

2. The pistols circa 1815 used by Baden's soldiers during the Napoleonic wars.

3. The throne room of the Dukes of Baden. This is the example I used to paint a similar throne room in Rittenberg's palace for Crown Princess Elizabeth of Baden.

4. A closer look at the Duke of Baden's statue.

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4. Closer look at the duke of Baden's statue.

Extra! These are the 2 scepters and crown of dukes of Baden!

Tasty bits of real history in LORD FOURNIER'S SHAMELESS PRINCESS, PART 1. Who could a crown princess marry?

    

My vision of Elizabeth, 
Crown Princess von Rittenburg
Debuts: 3/27/25

Our heroine, Elizabeth—or Liesel, as she prefers to be called by her friends—is a crown princess of a very well positioned principality in the Holy Roman Empire. The heroine of LORD FOURNIER’S SHAMELESS PRINCESSS, Liesel is not only lovely and well educated, but hails from a rich city-state. Exactly like so many young ladies in German states at this time, she is afraid. She can flee the French into Russia, Prussia, or Vienna. But by the time Bonaparte abducts the Duke d’Enghien, that man has shown he cannot quell the advances of the French.

Liesel’s home, the city-state of Rittenburg, I made up. But it is based on the real princely house of Thurn und Taxis. In 1615, they became the Imperial Postmasters of the Holy Roman Empire and while setting postal rates for most of Europe, became fabulously rich. (They continued in this role until 1867. Look them up! The family still have their titles and live in their magnificent castle.)

Liesel’s intended fate to marry into the British royal family is not far from reality. Our Lisel has enough prestige, power and money and influence that the British Georgians want her in their family. She is not the only German royal desired by the British royal family. 

George III and Queen Charlotte had 15 children. Of them, ten married and eight of them married royalty from the Germanic principalities. Often relatives married very close relatives. The list is long: 

Prussia

Brunswick

Saxe-Meiningen

Wurttemberg

Saxe-Cobourg-Saalfeld

Hesse-Homburg

Hesse-Kassel

Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Most of these German territories abutted the German state of Hanover. Many were wealthy territories, like Baden and Württemberg. Others were small with little income but many royal progeny from which the Hanoverian rulers of Britain could choose potential spouses. Indeed, they were so numerous and often interbred—even before Victoria married her cousin Albert—that they suffered from all kinds of health ailments. But what these marriages with Germanic princes and princesses offered Britain was a sense of stability in a period when the post-Napoleonic Europeans wished for it most avidly. 

Read LORD FOURNIER'S SHAMELESS PRINCESS for a slow burn romance you'll adore!

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14 reasons to read ALIBI and all the stories in Scarlett Affairs!

The First Kiss is a Smacker! Our hero stands in the road to Malmaison and our heroine comes riding past. Why kiss her? Why is he there? In reality, he is there to abduct Bonaparte! Did this really happen? In June 1800 along the road leading to Malmaison, a group of revolutionaries (who may or may not have been supported with money and/or men by Britain) attempted to abduct Bonaparte on his way home to his wife! The attempt was unsuccessful, as were dozens of other attempts to assassinate Bonparte throughout his years in power. But this scene along a road that I have travels 3 times, is my introduction of my hero, Kane, to our heroine, Augustine! It is also their FIRST KISS!  https://books2read.com/u/mdPpVdKane, Lord Ashley, meets Bonaparte, the First Consul. What does Kane think of the fellow who is 8 inches shorter than he? (And frankly, not as handsome, either!) WAS BONAPARTE really a short man? At 5’6’ or 7”, he was average height for his time and his lineage. Often portrayed as a little fellow and even called the Little Corporal by the British, the derogatory remark was meant to belittle him. And it did. If one accepts that the aristocracy of Britain was affected by the Norman/Viking blood line, then perhaps our hero was indeed must taller than our Little Frenchman.Reason #4: meet Josephine! Josephine holds sway over society. Her polite manners, her graciousness, her demure smiles that cover bad teeth maker her mysterious. What does she think of our heroine, Augustine?Travel with Gus to wonderful towns in France!  Gus must find her missing friend, Amber St. Antoine who has fled Paris—and the deputy chief of police. The man is a true villain, ruthless and cunning. Gus goes first to a town north of Paris where their aunt owns a house. This town is one of the many Gus travels to in order to find her friend.Travel with Gus to wonderful places in Paris!  Gus flees one day into old Montmartre to escape the police who track her. This part of town, before its greater popularity 50 years later as an artists’ haven, had a few characteristics that attracted residents. It was cheap. It was tawdry. It was on the hill above Paris where breezes blew and the climate beckoned many who could not stand the crowded nature of lower Paris. It was also away from the Seine and its filth. There were vineyards, a pottery factory and a small stone quarry. Gus has an idea that her friend Amber has taken refuge in a town north of Paris, Compiegne. But she cannot find her there. Gus joins with Kane and they go to the town of Reims. There, where French kings were crowned, they learn to travel on to another famous town.Gus and Kane go to Varennes to look for Amber. In this small town, there is a  famous church where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were captured and returned to Paris to prison.Facts you will learn about Bonaparte include when he began to cut his hair in more classical style, bathe more often, and insist on white stockings and red velvet frockcoats!Gus and Amber were adopted when children by an Englishwoman who was a former mistress of the Prince Regent and the old Duc d’Orleans. This fictional character, their Aunt Cecily, actually existed. She was imprisoned, along with Josephine, during the Terror. I have made her real!The four heroes of the first four books in this series are sent to France on official business. But beneath that cover, each man is an agent for the British Crown. They are sent by a woman who owns a merchant company. Is this a cover that was real? YES! Why? Because those how knew Europe best wear those who lived, worked and traded in European cities.The romances in the first four of the series occur mostly in France. Lord Fournier’s story takes you to a German duchy along the Rhein. The duke became an ally of Bonaparte…for money. Bonaparte required the duke to conscript his citizens to fight for Bonaparte. This duke also conscripted my great-great grandfather in the Army of the Confederation of the Rhein. My ancestor survived the wars. I am shocked. The death rates of these soldiers was astronomical as they were often used in the front lines.There will be a map in each of the romances so you can keep pace with where everyone is…and where they go! To each of these towns, these churches, these villages, these palaces, I have been. I loved each one…and I wanted you to get to know them more intimately.Lastly, I have long introduced you in my historical romances to the sites, the food, the flavor of the places my characters live in. Dancing in the Moulin de la Galette (THOSE NOTORIOUS AMERICANS), strolling the stony beach of Brighton (CHRISTMAS BELLES), and getting married through newspaper advertisements (MATRIMONY!) are a few of the realities I paint for you in my historical romances. Here in SCARLETT AFFAIRS, I take you deep inside Bonaparte’s empire to show you the places he conquered, the problems he created…the ones he solved, and the love affairs I imagine endured all hardships during the years he took the world by storm.https://books2read.com/u/mdPpVd

A lady's run thru Montmartre and a public bath house in 1802? YES!

A taste of Montmartre in 1802? Before it became a haven for artists during the last part of the century?

Yes!

I take you there in LORD ASHLEY'S BEAUTIFUL ALIBI when Gus, our heroine, must meet a fellow conspirator there. She goes north near the old basilica of St. Denis where all the kings and queens of France are buried and enters a public bath house for men and women.

Facilities were separate for each, but it did exist. Here is a picture of a model of one that existed Paris during that period. I took this picture during one of my trips there. It is part of the exhibit's in the Paris Musee de Carnavalet. 

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Would you impersonate another to solve a crime against your family? IMPOSTER is getting 5 STAR reviews!

He’s the last man she wants to see.

But he’s the only man who sees right through her.

Haunted by their past, they’re desperate to save their future together…if they can.

He’s the last man Viv wants to see. 

Vivienne de Massé goes to Paris impersonating her oldest sister, the infamous Drury Lane actress, Charmaine Massey. Viv has a reason…and a plan to avenge the capture and death of their other sister during the Terror. Only one man can stop her.

Tate Cantrell is the only man who sees right through her.

Tate Cantrell bursts into her dressing room one night in Paris, and calls Viv’s bluff. He reminds Viv she plays a role—and a dangerous game she cannot win alone.

He declares she needs him. She always has. Indeed, he’s spent the last decade helping the émigré Massé family—and falling in love with charming Viv. Now the Earl of Appleby, Tate works as a spy for Scarlett Hawthorne’s network on the Continent. He alone has the means and the connections to help her….if she’ll let him. 

Haunted by their past, they’re desperate to save their future together… If they can survive those who would destroy them.

Excerpt, All rights Reserved, Lord Appleby’s Gorgeous Imposter, Cerise DeLand 2024.

Viv halted her mount. The sight before her brought tears to her eyes. Cringing, she caught her breath at sight of the huge, vacant plot where, according to witnesses, her father had been marched up a platform, hauled to Mademoiselle Machine Horrible, and murdered in the middle of the square. 

“Come away, my dear.”

She sniffed back her tears, caught and yet not surprised by the sound of the bass voice in her earshot. Tate Cantrell again. Was he her personal Paris plague? She chanced sight of him. So broad-shouldered, muscular, and bold, he presented that vibrant mix of flashing blue-green eyes and sugared cinnamon hair that made her mouth water. As if she weren’t in his thrall already, he added to the drama of his presence in a magnificent mahogany-brown riding habit. “I should expect you everywhere I go now, is that right?”

His eyes danced. But of course, said his look. “I know you well.”

Indeed. “Too well. You cannot annoy me into conducting a conversation with you.”

He gave a laugh. “Then I shall annoy you enough to protect you.”

Once she would have kissed his cheek for that. Now, congenial as his promise was, that irritated her. She ground her teeth and urged her horse back toward Pont Neuf. “I have enough protection.”

Tate rode beside her, easy as if he’d been invited. “He does look the part. I hope you pay him well.” 

“Ba! Look at him, monsieur.” 

She nodded toward her groom. Older, gruff with a day’s growth of beard and a bulbous nose long disfigured by too many brawls, Fortin flashed his black eyes at Tate. Then, with suave menace and a hand to the butt of his pistol at his side, he said, “Monsieur, if you please.”

“I assure you, sir,” Tate cooed in the sweetest French as he raised both gloved hands, “I am a friend and I mean no harm.”

Viv sniffed the air.

Her guard grimaced. “The lady does not want you, monsieur.”

Tate checked her eyes. “I believe she does. In fact, he always has.”

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Travel with me to Fontainebleau and learn about Napoleon's 1st abdication!

Travels with CeriseFontainebleau, Grand Courtyard of Main entrance

Travel is a wonderful way to do historical research for novels. Time-consuming, it is an intriguing way to put drama into your day...as you eat and drink you way around your chosen paths!

My biggest kicks come from standing in the very spots that others infinitely more interesting than I have stood. Reflecting on how they must have felt at certain points in their lives—or seeing what has become of those places long after they have passed sends ripples of ennui down my spine. (Here you see my pictures from this memorable day in this lovely palace!)

Closeup of front steps of Fontainebleau

Here you see the grand staircase of Fontainebleau outside. Why is this an interesting view? Well! Not only was this the main entrance to the palace during the Ancien Regime, but also one used by Napoleon and his coterie. On these very steps, Napoleon emerged from the palais in April 1814. The previous night he had attempted suicide, swallowing a poison which proved ineffective. I wish I had a picture of his bedroom where he slept and the room where he signed his abdication from imperial power. Alas, the ones I took were terribly out of focus! It's what comes of being too enraptured and soaking up the scenery instead of tending to the camera!

Napoleon signing abdication papers in Fontainebleau, April 1814

Greeting many of his generals and troops who were gathered in the courtyard below (see next picture), he bid them farewell. He boarded a coach, escorted by a small French retinue and a few Englishmen to assure his departure, and left for Elba. He arrived there May 30, 1814.

The Golden Courtyard where Napoleon's troops would have heard his farewell in April 1814 before he departed for Elba. Here you have the view Napoleon had as he addressed his troops.

To read a fast-paced romance about two lovers who must escape Napoleon’s return, do read BECAUSE OF YOU!

Love does not advertise. Love is not proud.

But when a young woman has nothing left but pride, she places an ad and hopes for a husband to treasure.
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My 360 degree vid of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in St. Denis! Have you seen this?

 

More than 7000 people have watched this video of mine which I took in the basilica of St. Denis in Montmartre years ago.

This duet stands on the ground floor of this marvelous church, which contains the bodies and crypts of all the kings and queens of France. 

Louis and Marie are gorgeous figures. Serene and at prayer. Their remains lie in the crypt beneath the ground floor. If you go, do follow it down. There, the two are buried beneath black granite along with the remains of many who died during the Terror. 

Ah, the file is too big.  Please go watch it on my YOUTUBE channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCba82P_Q1kUrJUVVW0CwJmw/featured

Do subscribe to see all my videos!

A nibble of LORD APPLEBY'S GORGEOUS IMPOSTER! Debuts 12/27! Not your average ballroom Regency!

Part of my historically accurate SCARLETT AFFAIRS series, IMPOSTER debuts this Friday.

This is not your average Regency ballroom romance, but a fast-paced drama of action and suspense. 

Here, a young woman is determined to solve the mystery of her missing and abducted sister...and what she learns demands new courage...and the help of a devoted man whom once she wanted and could not have.

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Travels with Cerise to NAPOLEON'S PARIS and his love of...actresses! LOL!

What others do affects us—sometimes—greatly. I cannot deny that life has gotten in the way of some of my own objectives. A few times, with disastrous consequences I could not alter.

And while in romance we like to solve all our heroes and hoeroines’ problems, occasionally we cannot. 

What is historically accurate in IMPOSTER includes the fact that Bonaparte did invite actresses to his bed—and he did keep them waiting. One, he kept out in his other office for so long, she left! An actress with whom he did have a liaison was the young Madame George who did open in Paris in Phaedra in February 16, 1803.

Another tidbit of history in IMPOSTER is the fact that often what occurred outside the theater was often celebrated inside! (See the excerpt from a London newspaper, 1805)

I hope you join me for LORD APPLEBY’S GORGEOUS IMPOSTER when Tate Cantrell, Lord Appleby, risks his life to help the woman he loves exact revenge on those who destroyed her family.

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