penny dreadfuls
Geheimnisse des Londoner Hofes
Catalog Note *Secrets of the London Court: A Historical Novel* by G. W. M. Reynolds, translated by J. Morris. This serial installment, "New Plans and Conspiracies," depicts intrigue among the British nobility. Lord Florimel writes to Madame Brace, a modiste, announcing his engagement to Pauline and warning her that a conspiracy involving the seduction of Octavia Clarendon by the Prince of Wales approaches crisis—Pauline is investigating to uncover the Prince's true identity. The Prince visits Brace to discuss damage control; she proposes leveraging compromising papers (relating to Hannah Lightfoot) to secure Mr. Clarendon a peerage and pension in exchange for his silence. The Prince agrees and instructs Brace to intercept the Countess of Desborough at his upcoming ball, luring her into a locked room using cryptic warnings about threats to her honor. The young Camilla Morton is introduced as the evening's dinner guest.