Emma Orczy

Lord Tony's Wife, by Baroness Orczy is a sequel book to the classic adventure tale, The Scarlet Pimpernel. Has three sections -- Prologue: Nantes, 1789; Book I: Bath, 1793; and Book II: Nantes, December, 1793. The prologue establishes the characters of Pierre Adet, M. le duc de Kernogan, and his daughter Yvonne de Kernogan. Book I is a lot of fun. We get Sir Percy / the Scarlet Pimpernel in both iterations and we have Marguerite and various members of the League. Book II is rather dreary. Mostly, it consists of descriptions of the various cruelties and cruel personalities of The Terror as practiced in Nantes.

The enigmatic smile of The Laughing Cavalier of Franz Hals' famous painting invites you to wonder just what mischievousness hides behind that face. In this novel, inspired by the painting, Baroness Orczy recounts the adventures of an ancestor of her famous character, the Scarlet Pimpernel. Set in Holland during the turbulent times of 1623/1624, this is the story of a swashbuckling romanticist, whose desire for wealth and success always seems to be eclipsed by his sense of what is right and gentlemanly. The same combination of savoir-faire, insouciance, deep feeling, and humor that make the Scarlet Pimpernel such an intriguing character are already present in the DNA of the Blakeney family more than 150 years before the French Revolution. Enjoy this delightful romp through the "pages" of an historical fiction that will have you laughing right along with The Laughing Cavalier.

A nameless old man sits in the corner of a cozy London tea shop, and without leaving his seat, solves baffling crimes reported to him by an admiring lady journalist. Using only methods of pure deduction, the eccentric, self-assured sleuth unravels the mysteries behind a wide range of criminal acts - from gruesome murders (The Lisson Grove Mystery) and daring thefts (The Affair at the Novelty Theatre) to brilliant deceptions (The Liverpool Mystery) and deadly blackmail schemes (The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh). Set in the fog-shrouded streets of London, where gas lamps flicker in the gloom and details of lurid crimes splash across the pages of the daily papers, these ingenious, well-crafted stories by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel are among the first and great collections of detective fiction. They will delight devotees of Sherlock Holmes and other mystery-loving fans. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

A nameless old man sits in the corner of a cozy London tea shop, and without leaving his seat, solves baffling crimes reported to him by an admiring lady journalist. Using only methods of pure deduction, the eccentric, self-assured sleuth unravels the mysteries behind a wide range of criminal acts - from gruesome murders (The Lisson Grove Mystery) and daring thefts (The Affair at the Novelty Theatre) to brilliant deceptions (The Liverpool Mystery) and deadly blackmail schemes (The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh). Set in the fog-shrouded streets of London, where gas lamps flicker in the gloom and details of lurid crimes splash across the pages of the daily papers, these ingenious, well-crafted stories by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel are among the first and great collections of detective fiction. They will delight devotees of Sherlock Holmes and other mystery-loving fans.

Timothy O'Clerigh is cheated out of his inheritance by an unscrupulous woman. His efforts to ragain his lost fortune leads him to the South American continent and into the midsts a mysterious cult leader. There he meets and falls in love with the cultist's daughter, for which he is taken prisoner... We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

Orczy tells of those three-the woman, and the two men-playmates, enemies, lovers in turn. It seemed well-nigh impossible to attempt the isolation of the one sentimental thread from the tangled skein of passions and of hate which seventeenth century England hath flung to us out of the whirlpool of civil war and of bitter strife. In the midst of the modernisms and aggressive realism of to-day the life and doings of James Fiennes appear intangible, ununderstandable, a mere creation of fancy. But at Broughton Castle where he lived, it is different. There between the splendid grey walls in the stately halls, and along the labyrinthine passages, We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience

A dastardly deception Lady Sue was young, lovely, fresh - and due to inherit a vast fortune when she came of age. Sir Marmaduke was a Roundhead - and supporter of Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War. It is 1657. King Charles I's head is long gone and Cromwell rules as Protector. From his manor in Kent, Sir Marmaduke proclaims allegiance to the Puritanical way of the Protectorate. But Sir Marmaduke's noble words hide wicked plans. For Sir Marmaduke is none other than the ward of Lady Sue. And he means to have the tender lady for his wife ... and her fortune for his own. How? Why, by masquerading as the exiled Prince of Orleans, of course. And by murdering or at least disgracing Lady Sue's other suitors, like handsome young Richard Lambert. Historical fiction at its richest and most fascinating by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title enjoyed a long run in London, having opened in Nottingham in 1903. The novel is set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The title is the nom de guerre of its hero and protagonist, a chivalrous Englishman who rescues aristocrats before they are sent to the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently nothing more than a wealthy fop, but in reality a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know of his secret identity. He is known by his symbol, a simple flower, the scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis). Marguerite Blakeney, his French wife, does not share his secret. She is approached by the new French envoy to England with a threat to her brother's life if she does not aid in the search for the Pimpernel. She aids him, and then discovers that the Pimpernel is also very dear to her. She sails to France to stop the envoy. Opening at the New Theatre in London's West End on January 5, 1905, the play became a favourite of British audiences, eventually playing more than 2,000 performances and becoming one of the most popular shows staged in Britain. Orczy's premise of a daring hero who cultivates a secret identity disguised by a meek or ineffectual manner proved enduring. Zorro, The Shadow, Superman and Batman followed within a few decades, and the trope remains a popular one in serial fiction today...... PLOT: The Scarlet Pimpernel is set in 1792, during the early stages of the French Revolution. Marguerite St. Just, a beautiful French actress, is the wife of wealthy English fop Sir Percy Blakeney, a baronet. Before their marriage, Marguerite took revenge upon the Marquis de St. Cyr, who had ordered her brother to be beaten for his romantic interest in the Marquis' daughter, with the unintended consequence of the Marquis and his sons being sent to the guillotine. ...... Baroness Emma Magdolna Roz lia M ria Jozefa Borb la "Emmuska" Orczy de Orci (23 September 1865 - 12 November 1947) was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright. She is best known for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel, the alter ego of Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who transforms into a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist, establishing the "hero with a secret identity" into popular culture. Opening in London's West End on 5 January 1905, The Scarlet Pimpernel became a favourite of British audiences. Some of her paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. During World War I, Orczy formed the Women of England's Active Service League, an unofficial organisation aimed at encouraging women to persuade men to volunteer for active service in the armed forces. Early life: Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarna rs, Heves County, Hungary, and was the daughter of composer Baron F lix Orczy de Orci (1835-1892) and Countess Emma Wass de Szentegyed et Cege (1839-1892). Her grandfather, Baron L szl Orczy (1787-1880) was a royal councillor, and also knight of the Sicilian order of Saint George, her grandmother was the Baroness Magdolna M ller (1811-1879). Her maternal grandparents were the Count S muel Wass de Szentegyed et Cege (1815-1879), member of the Hungarian parliament, and Roz lia Eperjessy de K rolyfej rv r (1814-1884). Emma's parents left their estate for Budapest in 1868, fearful of the threat of a peasant revolution. They lived in Budapest, Brussels, and Paris, where Emma studied music unsuccessfully. Finally, in 1880, the 14-year-old Emma and her family moved to London, England where they lodged with their countryman, Francis Pichler, at 162 Great Portland Street. Orczy attended West London School of Art and then Heatherley's School of Fine Art.....

Lord Antony Dewhurst is 'a splendid fellow - a fine sportsman, a loyal gentleman'. The young gallant is also Percy's close friend and a lieutenant in the League. The year is 1793 and in Nantes, France, the hunting of aristocrats goes on. And over in England, the enemy has kidnapped Lord Tony's wife, Yvonne. It falls to the Scarlet Pimpernel to rescue her-.

It is the early days of the French Republic, and Robespierre's revolutionaries find their wicked schemes repeatedly being thwarted. It appears that Sir Percy Blakeney--the cunning and heroic Pimpernel--is more than a match for them all. But Sir Percy's spy-catching archenemy, Chauvelin, has devised a plan. In this swashbuckling sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy attempts to smuggle French aristocrats out of the country to safety, while Chauvelin plays out a vile plot to eliminate the Pimpernel and his beautiful wife, once and for all. Lighting up movie and television screens and leaping off the pages of books, the adventures of Baroness Orczy's rebel Pimpernel have ignited imaginations the world over for generations. Fans of the classic original, as well as those who enjoy rich historical novels, will thrill to this tale of intrigue set in the days following the French Revolution.

The Nest of the Sparrowhawk By Emma Orczy

The year is 1623, the place Haarlem in the Netherlands. Diogenes - the first Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel's ancestor - and his friends Pythagoras and Socrates defend justice and the royalist cause. The famous artist Frans Hals also makes an appearance in this historical adventure. Orczy maintains that Hal's celebrated portrait of The Laughing Cavalier is actually a portrayal of the Scarlet Pimpernel's ancestor.

A story of the French aristocracy, the book concerns Madame de Pompadour's influence over the King and France.

The elusive Pimpernel returns for another swashbuckling adventure in El Dorado. The still-raging French Revolution continues to claim lives, and the shadow of the guillotine draws ever nearer to the young Dauphin, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. No one dares to attempt to liberate the little prince - no one, that is, but the mysterious Sir Percy Blakeney, also known as the Scarlet Pimpernel. Sir Percy takes on one of Robespierre's agents, the scheming Citizen Chauvelin, in a suspenseful blend of action and political intrigue, recounted with captivating period detail. Unabridged republication of the classic 1913 edition.

A nameless old man sits in the corner of a cozy London tea shop, and without leaving his seat, solves baffling crimes reported to him by an admiring lady journalist. Using only methods of pure deduction, the eccentric, self-assured sleuth unravels the mysteries behind a wide range of criminal acts - from gruesome murders (The Lisson Grove Mystery) and daring thefts (The Affair at the Novelty Theatre) to brilliant deceptions (The Liverpool Mystery) and deadly blackmail schemes (The Murder of Miss Pebmarsh). Set in the fog-shrouded streets of London, where gas lamps flicker in the gloom and details of lurid crimes splash across the pages of the daily papers, these ingenious, well-crafted stories by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel are among the first and great collections of detective fiction. They will delight devotees of Sherlock Holmes and other mystery-loving fans.

An Episode in the Life of Mr. Thomas Betteron as told by His Friend John. "After that memorable Day, Mistress, we were like naughty Children who were being punished for playing truant out of School. For Weeks and Months our Lives went on with dreary monotony, with never a chance of seeing Something of that outside World of which we had caught a glimpse. You continued to sew and to scrub and to be at the beck and call of a Scold. I went on copying legal Documents till my very Brain appeared atrophied, incapable of a single happy Thought or of a joyous Hope."

The story is set in Hungary and the scene is laid in a village close to the Maros. On this particular fourteenth of September it is Andor's turn to go unwillingly into the army for three years. On the eve preceding it, at the village merrymaking, as the whole population spends its last happy hours trying to forget the hideous events that will occur in the morning, he tokens himself to Elsa the village beauty. When Andor returns from Bosnia, his village has changed, but so has he.

The Tangled Skein was Baroness Orczy's second novel. First published under the title In Mary's Reign in 1901, it was re-released under the title The Tangled Skein in 1907, following the success of The Scarlet Pimpernel.The book is a period romance and is dedicated to "my little son Jack" (who was born in 1899).In The Tangled Skein, Queen Mary is characterized as a loving woman with a strong sense of justice.The tangled skein arises from Mary's love for the fictional character Robert d'Esclade, fifth Duke of Wessex, said in this book to be the people's choice as King Consort. Wessex is chivalrous and charming, but semi-betrothed to Lady Ursula Glynde, whom he has not seen since her infancy. Wessex is repelled by the idea of having his wife thrust upon him and purposely avoids Lady Ursula.

'Who is this man, this Scarlet Pimpernel' Each day this question grew more pressing to the rulers of the French Revolution. Only this man and his band of followers threatened their total power. Only this maddeningly elusive figure defied the vast network of fanatics, informers, and secret agents that the Revolution spread out to catch its enemies. Some said this man of many disguises, endless ruses, and infinite daring was an exiled French nobleman, returned to wreak vengeance. Others said he was an English lord, seeking sheer adventure and supreme sport in playing the most dangerous game of all. But of only one thing could those who sought him be sure. They knew all too well the symbol of his presence, the blood-red flower known as the Scarlet Pimpernel.