And thanks, Marg. I would love to know your opinion once you finish the book!

Her first husband is a philosopher, forward thinker, and alchemist who runs afoul of young Louis XIV. He’s arrested and tried then condemned to death. The trial is horrifying to read when compared to modern ones. The odds were obviously stacked against him and the conclusion a forgone thing. Poor Angelique does everything she can to aid him yet ends up losing everything as their estates are confiscated by the king. Her final act is to try and buy him a quick death at the hands of the executioner rather than let him be burned to death.

Her upbringing was slightly better than Gabrielle’s in that her parents loved her but they also let her run wild through the countryside and she had a young peasant love who ends up playing a part in her life once she’s lost everything. In book two, we see lots of the nastiness of Louis’ court. In all, there were lots of things about “Mistress” that reminded me of the novels.

I’m glad to hear that your male ancestors didn’t leave your female ancestors as destitute as poor Gabrielle. [G] I would suppose that her brother just assumed she would produce a male heir for him to have agreed to those terms.

True, the time of the “sweetness of living” was not always so sweet, even for the aristocracy. And the Revolutionaries meant well, even as the Revolution itself descended into chaos and bloodshed.

I was intrigued by your comparison with the Angelique, Marquise des Anges series. I have not read those novels, but someone else told me the same thing a few days ago. If Mistress of the Revolution could have half of Angelique’s success, I would be a very happy woman!

As for the habit of sending children away at birth to a wet nurse, that was indeed standard at the time, and even much later. That was still practiced in my family in the early 20th century. What sets Gabrielle apart, though, is that her mother does not seek to see her for eleven years. Attitudes were beginning to change in the late 18th century. Some noblewomen were breastfeeding their children, as Gabrielle herself does.

For the will of Gabrielle’s husband, I did use real documents as models in terms of the style and legalese. But no, as far as I know, no widow in my family was left so destitute as my heroine.

As you note, the use of a first-person point of view prevented me from describing all of the events of the Revolution. Gabrielle obviously could not be everywhere and attend every demonstration, celebration, riot and execution. That was a deliberate choice on my part. I felt that including all of the turns and twists of the Revolution (and, as you know, there were so many!) would overwhelm the reader.

And to answer your final question, yes, the terrible beast described by the maids early in the story is indeed the Beast of Gevaudan. An amazing story in its own right.

It remains to thank you for reviewing my book, for your insightful analysis and for all the nice things you say about Mistress of the Revolution.

Best,

Catherine