Scarlet (Scarlet Revolution, 1) - Softcover

Buch 1 von 3: The Scarlet Revolution

Cogman, Genevieve

 
9780593638286: Scarlet (Scarlet Revolution, 1)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 059363828X ISBN 13: 9780593638286
Verlag: Ace Books, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

Revolution is a bloodthirsty business . . . especially when vampires are involved.

It is 1793 and the French Revolution is in full swing. Vampires—usually rich and aristocratic—have slaked the guillotine’s thirst in large numbers. The mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel, a disguised British noble, and his League are heroically rescuing dozens of aristocrats from execution, both human and vampire. And soon they will have an ace up their sleeve: Eleanor Dalton.

Eleanor is working as a housemaid on the estate of a vampire Baroness. Her highest aspiration is to one day become a modiste. But when the Baroness hosts a mysterious noble and his wife, they tell Eleanor she is the spitting image of a French aristocrat, and they convince her to journey to France to aid them in a daring scheme. Soon, Eleanor finds herself in Paris, swept up in magic and intrigue—and chaos—beyond her wildest dreams. But there’s more to fear than ardent Revolutionaries. For Eleanor stumbles across a centuries-old war between vampires and their fiercest enemy. And they’re out for blood. . . . 

Scarlet is the first book in a wildly engaging new series from Genevieve Cogman, which reinvents the beloved tale of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Genevieve Cogman is a freelance author, who has written for several role-playing game companies. She currently works for the National Health Service in England as a clinical classifications specialist. She is also the author of the Invisible Library series.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

1

"You mean they don't even wear no trousers?" Sarah asked, shocked.

"They don't wear any breeches," Melanie corrected her. "All the aristos-that's what they call the nobs over there when they're being rude about it-called the ordinary people sans-culottes because of how they weren't wearing nice knee-breeches. But frilly clothes don't do them much good now they're all getting their heads cut off. Ain't-isn't that so, Nellie?"

Eleanor didn't look up from drying the china. Slacking at one's job in the Baroness of Basing's household was a bad idea, even among her fellow servants in the kitchen downstairs. She'd spent enough time working her way up to an indoors maid position, and the possibility of serving as an actual lady's maid was almost within her grasp. She wasn't going to ruin her chances now.

"That's pretty much it," she agreed, picking up another fancy plate, one of the set with pink designs and gilt edging. "Though the papers say the citizens are all in rags mostly anyhow, except for the ones in their Assembly."

"It tears my heart," Mrs. Dommings said, kneading the dough with powerful hands, "to hear you talking about what they're all wearing and not about what those evil Frenchies are doing. A nation what kills their own king is cursed by God and man alike." She punched the dough again. "If it weren't for that heroic Scarlet Pimpernel saving the poor persecuted nobility from the guillotine, hundreds more of them'd be dead. Dead for good, if you count the vampire ones. I don't know how he does it."

Eleanor and Melanie rolled their eyes at each other, suppressing sighs. Mrs. Dommings was the world's worst bore when she got onto the subject of the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel and how he rescued innocent aristocrats from having their heads cut off. What was the point of discussing the man when the only thing anyone knew about him was that he was mysterious? Even rescued French aristocrats knew nothing about him-or claimed to know nothing.

Sarah began to peel carrots for the servants' supper. She and Melanie were part of the mansion's day service; the night service would come on duty later. Lady Sophie rarely ate . . . regular meals, but servants needed sustenance, like any other human. Still, when you had a vampire for your mistress, you worked by night and you didn't complain. "I wish we didn't have to learn French. It doesn't make no . . ." She paused and corrected her grammar at a glare from Mrs. Dommings. "That is, it doesn't make any sense."

"The Baroness likes having the household able to speak French for when she has French visitors," Eleanor said, conscious of her position as the senior maid of the three. "Besides, with all the aristocrats leaving France, maybe we'll end up working for one of them." More importantly, if one couldn't speak French, then one had no hope of rising in the household to work abovestairs. Eleanor had no intention of spending her entire life in the kitchen.

"That's a proper attitude, Nellie," Mrs. Dommings said. "Not that her ladyship ever likes to have staff leave, but who knows? We all said that what happened in France couldn't happen, and it did. Just goes to show. Their king dead, their poor queen and prince and all their friends prisoners. Shocking."

Eleanor nodded and kept a tight grip on her thoughts. I just need to keep working. If I can learn French like her ladyship wants, if I can be good enough at embroidery, good enough at serving, then perhaps someday I can get out of this kitchen . . .

Her ladyship the Baroness of Basing might be a good mistress-but it was true that she didn't like staff to leave. And Eleanor wanted more than life in Basing. A lady's maid might travel to London with her ladyship, and might even be able to find a situation there with one of her ladyship's friends or-in Eleanor's wildest dreams-employment as a modiste and embroiderer. Nobody could accuse her ladyship of not having friends, both living and vampire. There were two of them visiting at this very moment, and the gentleman was definitely wearing breeches. Embroidered satin ones too.

"How're you getting along with young William, Nellie?" Mrs. Dommings asked. She tried to make it sound casual, but her beady eyes were sharp and alert. "Haven't heard much from you about him lately."

"Haven't been seeing him much lately, miss," Eleanor said.

"Well, you know what her ladyship says," Mrs. Dommings pressed. "It's better to marry than to burn."

"That may be so, but it wasn't me who was burning," Eleanor said. She put down the last of the dishes, aware of Melanie and Sarah trading glances and suppressing sniggers. She wished she could direct the conversation back to the mysterious Pimpernel. "Honest, miss, he was the one as did all the running, and I've been doing nothing but telling him no."

"That's as may be, but no man ever went running after a woman without her leading him on," Mrs. Dommings said firmly. "If it wasn't for your mother being so far away in her ladyship's country estate, I'm sure that his mother would already have been talking to her."

A chill ran down Eleanor's spine. She'd thought that she'd been clear with William the last time they spoke. All it had been was a couple of strolls together. He wasn't a bad man-but if their parents, or worse, her ladyship, wanted them married, then she wouldn't have a choice. She was already twenty-two. A lot of the maids were married by that age. The walls of the old house seemed to close around her like the sides of a tomb.

Of course she could say no; marriage in church needed both man and wife to say yes to the vicar, after all. But her life wouldn't be worth living, with her mother against her, all the older servants saying she'd led him on, her ladyship frowning on her behavior-small chance of Eleanor ever getting a higher position or going to London if that happened. It was easy for people to say you just had to stand up for yourself, but harder actually to do it when you had to live with the consequences. Maybe rich ladies could write pamphlets about the rights of women-but Eleanor would lay money they didn't have to spend their time cleaning the grates, drying the dishes or peeling the carrots . . .

Her black mood was broken by the creak of the kitchen door swinging open. She hastily grabbed for the final plate to give it an unnecessary polish, not wanting to look idle, before glancing over to see who it was.

Mr. Barker, the butler, surveyed the kitchen like a general looking over his regiment of soldiers, thumbs lodged in his waistcoat pockets. His nose was red; he must have been at the gin again and still thinking nobody noticed. "Her ladyship has called for wine, ratafia and biscuits for her guests," he announced, "and the usual for herself."

"It's your turn, Sarah," Melanie said, her tone somewhere between glee and malice. "Go fetch the lancet and cup. I showed you where they were."

White around the lips, Sarah scuttled over to the cupboard which held her ladyship's private cups. Eleanor didn't really want to watch, but there was a perverse fascination to the whole process. Charitably she fetched a clean linen rag as Sarah quickly cleaned the long, thin knife with water from the boiling kettle on the hob. The new maid might still be coming to terms with French and proper grammar, but she'd grasped this part of her job fast enough. After all, her ladyship was a vampire-and vampires needed more than biscuits to sustain themselves.

"Get a move on," Mr. Barker scolded. "Do you think she's going to wait all day? And you, Nellie, mind that you don't get any of the blood on your clothing. You'll be taking it up to her."

"Me, sir?" Eleanor was delighted-this was a chance to prove she could manage the work-but also surprised. Waiting on her ladyship with guests present was usually...

„Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Verlag
Ace Books
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
059363828X
ISBN 13 
9780593638286
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
345
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
Bear Family Records GmbH
49474882160
info@bear-family.de

Grenzweg 1
Holste
27729
Deutschland

Weitere beliebte Ausgaben desselben Titels

9781529083729: Scarlet: The Sunday Times bestselling historical romp and vampire-themed retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel (The Scarlet Revolution, 1)

Vorgestellte Ausgabe

ISBN 10:  1529083729 ISBN 13:  9781529083729
Verlag: Tor, 2023
Hardcover