For the purpose of this story, I chose to keep Cristina's formal presentation to the queen and the court ball that followed at the same location.
Also for the purpose of this story, I chose to modify Crown Prince Rudolf's social calendar a bit. His actual visit to England in 1878 took place in January through February and he stayed in a hotel on Brook Street rather than at Marlborough House with the Prince of Wales. Otherwise, I left his agenda essentially the same.
The Ringstrasse in Vienna was begun in the year 1858 in celebration of the birth of Crown Prince Rudolf and was still under construction at the time of his death in January 1889. The Viennese citizens waited sixteen years for the grand opening of the New Court Theatre on the Ringstrasse. Begun in 1872, it opened on October 14, 1888 and was unfinished at the time this story took place.
For these historical manipulations and any mistakes or inaccuracies, I bear full responsibility and graciously beg your pardon.
--Rebecca Hagan Lee
June 1999
*Rebecca Hagan Lee*
Rebecca Hagan Lee set out to make her mark in the world of television journalism but somewhere along the way, decided she was a small-town girl at heart and settled in a town where the media consists of a weekly newspaper and an AM radio station. Seeking a creative outlet, she turned to writing romance stories far different from the world of television news, but not that far removed from the hundreds of episodes of Bonanza, Big Valley, Gunsmoke, and The Virginian she had watched growing up. She decided to create stories where good guys win, bad guys lose, prostitutes have hearts of gold, and the heroes and heroines who fall in love and persevere are richly rewarded with incredibly bright futures and happy endings. In her world, heroines don't die or get killed off to make way for the next episode's new love interest; they get their men and help them become ideal husbands, lovers, friends, and fathers.
Rebecca Hagan Lee is the author of five bestselling romances, and has won numerous awards including a Waldenbooks Award for Bestselling Original Long Historical Romance by a New Author. She lives in south Georgia with her hero husband, two miniature schnauzers, a rat terrier, a cat, and a host of imaginary heroes and heroines waiting to be introduced.
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