“My job.” He shrugged. “It’s my job to know.”
She tried to tug herself free, but before she could say anything more, he gave a yelp and was yanked to the side.
Bill stood behind him. “Been watchin’ you.” He took a firm grip on the man’s shoulders, and Charlotte saw her attacker’s face pale. “You all right, Charlie?”
She nodded. Dodged around both men and kept running. She heard a thump behind her, and then Bill was running with her.
Up ahead, somewhere in the direction of Hawthorne’s house, a plume of smoke blackened the moonlit sky and the smell of burning seeped into the air.
She ran faster but Bill overtook her and she could do nothing but follow him, grateful he knew the way better than she.
She took the last corner and stumbled to a stop, panting.
Bill was gone, as if he’d been a figment of her imagination.
The fire was around the side of the house, she would guess in Hawthorne’s library, and the insurance firemen were busy dousing the flames.
As she stood and stared, the red glow of the fire was extinguished.
“It wasn’t much of a fire, anyway.” Luke’s voice came from the left, from the dark shadows at the corner of an empty town house. “Not near hot enough for my liking. I’d have preferred that he burn.” There was a wistfulness about his words.
“I didn’t understand, Luke. Until I saw the papers, I didn’t understand.” She tried to see him, but he had chosen his hiding place well. “How can we get the proof you want without throwing you to the wolves as well?”
“Ah, we can’t.” She could almost see him shake his head. “I got the pig to squeal a little before I cut his throat. There are only five of them. Five nobs. The rest of their little army are all merchants.” He gave a bitter laugh. “I should have realized. Who else has access to guineas? Who rakes it in, day in and day out, but the merchants and bankers of the city? So there goes my big plan to bring the nobs down. All that work, all that gold gone out … for nothing.”
He stepped out at last. “Maybe you’ll use those papers I gave you, maybe you won’t. But Lord Nob will no doubt find this interesting.” He held something out to her, and she took hold of it, felt the smooth, cool touch of a brass cylinder beneath her fingertips. He kept his hold on it, too, and it linked them, the brass gleaming in the moonlight.
“What is it?”
“Hawthorne’s list of co-conspirators. The paperwork that came before those papers I gave you. Who they are, how many guineas they gave him, how much he paid them in return. It was hidden underneath that footstool of his. He was fishing it out when I first got there. I was interested enough to wait until he’d taken it out before I let him know I was there.”
“Why? Why are you giving it to me?”
“Because I don’t care no more—whether they cop it or not for what they done. Maybe it’s time I took a holiday. I don’t think I ever took a holiday, Charlie. Ever. Bill and Sammy can look after the patch for me while I’m gone. Do me good.”
“Yes.” She let the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes fall. She saw there was blood on his collar and on his sleeve. Hawthorne’s blood. “It will do you the world of good.”
“Well, ’bye. See you when I get back?” He kept his voice casual, bright.
She nodded, and he kissed her again as he had done in the withdrawing room, gently on the brow. Then he let go of the cylinder and stepped back into the shadows.
She never heard him walk away, but after a moment, she realized he was gone.
There was a shout from an intersecting street a little way down from where she stood and three men ran toward the house.
One of them was Edward. She would never be able to mistake him.
He disappeared into the house, walking now that he could see the fire was out, and after a moment’s indecision, she turned away from him.
Started back home.
It wasn’t the time to give him the cylinder she had in her hand, and she would have to think about whether she would give him the first set of papers that damned Luke.
She thought not.
She would not put a barrier to Luke’s return to London when he wanted. He wouldn’t try to box her in any longer. Not anymore.
A cool breeze had risen, and it tugged and twirled the hair that had fallen loose from her pins during her run. She lifted her face to it and enjoyed the play of air over her cheeks.
And was happy.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The plot by Napoleon to cause an economic collapse in England by smuggling out all of its gold was true. There are several letters by him to his brother and his officials, outlining the plan, and Gravelines did exist—a small port set up by the French for accepting the smuggled guineas.
For those readers interested in learning more about the economics of Napoleon’s plan you can read Eli F. Heckscher’s The Continental System: An Economic Interpretation, which was published in 1918. For more details on the actual smuggling, and information on Gravelines, I found a lot of useful information in The Historical Journal 50, 2 (2007) article “Napoleon and the ‘City of Smugglers,’ 1810–1814” by Gavin Daly. To learn more about the darker side of Regency London, I highly recommend The Regency Underworld by Donald A. Low.
Regards,
Michelle Diener
A GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE
The Emperor’s
Conspiracy
MICHELLE DIENER
INTRODUCTION
Charlotte Raven hasn’t always been a proper lady. Beneath her prim and proper gloves lie the scars of her former life: Charlotte used to be “Charlie,” a girl of the streets who dressed as a boy to work as a chimney sweep. After Lady Catherine Howe took her in, Charlotte gained access to the cream of the crop of London society. But Charlotte keeps a foot in her old world—she still visits the “rookeries,” London’s seamy side, to see her childhood friend Luke, who has worked his way to the top of London’s organized crime system.
With her unique access to the rookeries, Charlotte is indispensable to a top-secret investigation: England’s gold is slowly disappearing, and the Crown is desperate to stop the smugglers. A handsome secret agent, Edward Durnham, needs Charlotte’s help to untangle this vast conspiracy of society lords and crime lords. But when Charlotte finds herself falling for Edward, Luke’s jealousy threatens to boil over. Charlotte soon discovers that Luke is a linchpin in the gold conspiracy, which is Napoleon’s scheme to ruin England’s economy.
In the end, Charlotte realizes that as much as she longs to begin a new life with Edward, she will always be faithful to herself, from chimney sweep to proper lady.
TOPICS & QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. The Emperor’s Conspiracy opens in 1799, with a frightened child stuck in Lady Catherine Howe’s chimney. What is the effect of this brief flashback, before the novel switches to Charlotte’s adventures in 1811? What do we learn about Charlotte and Catherine’s bond through their unusual first meeting?
2. Discuss the risk that Charlotte takes in warning Emma Holliday about Lord Frethers. Why does Charlotte choose to trust Emma with the secrets of her past? How does Emma react to Charlotte’s unusual tale?
3. Recall your first impression of Lord Edward Durnham. What kind of welcome does he give Emma when she and her sons show up at his door? What does Charlotte observe about Edward on their first meeting? How do her impressions of him change throughout the rest of the novel?
4. When Charlotte considers her dual life, “She smiled at the idea of being a captive princess in the rookeries, or a restrained mouse in the glitter of the ton”. In what ways is this image of Charlotte’s life an exaggeration? What kernel of truth does the statement contain—what kind of “captive” or “mouse” is Charlotte within these two worlds?
5. By living in the gin house on Tothill Road, Luke has made “a new jail for himself, all of his own making. He could escape whenever he wanted, and yet he chose to remain”. Discuss how the gin house r
esembles the Hulks, the jail where Luke was confined as a youth. Why has Luke recreated the horrors of the Hulks on Tothill Road?
6. Peter, an informant from the rookeries, calls Charlotte “a hope-killer… . But kindness? Luck like that—it’s a million-to-one chance, and you already took the one chance going”. Explain what Peter means by a “hope-killer.” Why does he believe that Charlotte’s fate is unique? Is her success due to luck, effort, or a combination? Explain your answer.
7. Discuss the smuggling operation that Edward and Charlotte discover in The Emperor’s Conspiracy. Which part of their investigation did you find the most surprising? At which point do Edward and Charlotte begin to understand the enormity of this conspiracy?
8. Consider the two villains in The Emperor’s Conspiracy: Lord Frethers and Lord Hawthorne. What kinds of harm did each inflict on Charlotte or Edward in the past? What scars do Charlotte and Edward still bear? Which villain did you find more menacing in the end, and why?
9. Discuss the levels of surveillance on Charlotte and Edward. Why are they followed by “watchers” at every turn? How does the threat of gossip affect their budding relationship?
10. At Lady Crowder’s ball, Charlotte wonders about Edward, “Could she both want to see him, and wish she never saw him again, at the same time?”. Discuss Charlotte’s conflicted feelings for Edward. Why does she have trouble pinpointing how she feels about him? How does Lady Crowder’s ball serve as a turning point in their relationship?
11. Consider which characters in The Emperor’s Conspiracy are the most loyal and disloyal to England. Which lords of the ton and crooks of the rookeries seem most willing to betray their country? Which high-class and low-class characters try to defend the Crown, and why?
12. According to Charlotte, “we are what we make ourselves”. Discuss how this statement applies to each of the main characters of the novel: Charlotte, Edward, Luke, and Emma. How have they made their own fates? What forces are beyond their control, and how do they attempt to remake themselves within those limitations?
13. Discuss Charlotte’s relationship with members of her staff: Gary, Kit, and Betsy. Why has Charlotte brought them to Lady Catherine’s house? How does she earn their loyalty? Why does Kit agree to stop spying on Charlotte for Luke?
14. Discuss the novel’s ending, when Charlotte wonders if she will share evidence that implicates Luke in the smuggling conspiracy. Why would Charlotte choose to hide the proof from Edward? Do you think this represents a rift between Charlotte and Edward? Explain your answer.
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Learn all about London’s dynamic street language by tuning in to an NPR radio program about “Cockney rhyming slang.” Listen here: http://www.npr.org/2012/03/14/148574426/olympics-letter-from-london.
2. It’s not just in the “stews” of old London that people are homeless and hungry. Visit www.volunteermatch.org to find a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless in your area. Consider volunteering or donating to a local shelter.
3. Come to your book club meeting dressed in the styles of Regency England! Whether you choose to be a chimney sweep of the rookeries or a lady of the ton, wear some accessories that represent early-nineteenth-century England. For some inspiration on the fashions of the era, visit http://www.fashion-era.com/regency_fashion.htm.
4. The Emperor’s Conspiracy is inspired by a true story: France’s secret smuggling operation during the Napoleonic Wars! Read about England’s struggle to suppress smuggling before, during, and after the wars at this informative site: http://www.smuggling.co.uk/history_expansion.html.
5. Learn about the Hulks and other jails in British history through this illustrated BBC News timeline: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4887704.stm.
AUTHOR PHOTO BY DANIEL NAVARATNAM
MICHELLE DIENER is also the author of two Tudor novels, In a Treacherous Court and Keeper of the King’s Secrets. Born in London and raised in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, she now lives on the west coast of Australia with her family. Visit www.michellediener.com.
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Also by Michelle Diener
Keeper of the King’s Secrets
In a Treacherous Court
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Michelle Diener All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition November 2012
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Diener, Michelle.
The emperor’s conspiracy / Michelle Diener. — 1st Gallery Books paperback ed.
p. cm.
1. Great Britain—History—Regency, 1799–1811—Fiction. 2. Courts and courtiers—Fiction. I. Title. PR9619.4.D54K44 2012 2011028892
823’.92—dc23
Designed by Jaime Putorti
ISBN 978-1-4516-8443-8
ISBN 978-1-45168444-5 (ebook)
The Emperor's Conspiracy Page 22