Olivia's adventures [ 'Scandalous Lady' excerpt ]

 Fired by a wish to travel and visit exotic lands, Olivia and her former governess reach Constantinople in April 1811   

                        

Dusk on the Golden Horn, by Ivan Aivasovsky

Two days later Olivia stood at the ship’s rail, her excitement growing as Constantinople came into view. The greatest city of the ancient world, capital of the mighty Ottoman Empire, gateway between east and west, and she was actually here!

            ‘I feel awed,’ she told Miss Neston in a voice that was not quite steady, ‘it’s magnificent.’ She shook her head and breathed out a long sigh of wonder. ‘The pictures really are true. I recognise the skyline; all those towers and domes and the tall minarets everywhere – and how green it is, Nessie. The whole city is full of trees.’ She danced across the deck to peer at the Asian shore, but rushed back when Miss Neston called to say they were approaching the Golden Horn. At this point, where the Horn opened, there was a busy floating market along the edge of the shore, noisy with men calling their wares. A savoury smell of frying fish wafted up from some boats. Olivia laughed and waved. ‘I wish we could taste that. My mouth is watering.’

            They both stared at the many huge buildings lining the shores, and the picturesque wooden houses whose upper storeys jutted out over the water. It was all so different and fascinating. Olivia’s eyes misted. I did it. I’m really here. 

    

The sea was crowded with boats of all shapes and sizes. A forest of masts swayed where large merchant ships were moored at the docks. Boats out on the open water had sails that flapped wildly in the stiff wind blowing down from the Black Sea. Small fishing boats and gondola-like rowing boats full of passengers wove their way among the larger ships. It seemed everyone was on the move, crossing from Europe to Asia and between north to south of the city. The sound of men shouting mingled with the raucous screaming of the gulls wheeling overhead.

Scandalous Lady

My girls and where they go

 When the author likes travelling, she takes her girls along

London

Kitty travels from Cheshire down to London most unwillingly. Who wants to stay with a great-aunt they've never met? But London turns out to be exciting and dangerous. And the great-aunt has a trick or two up her sleeve. And Grosvenor Square is an impressive place to stay in.

The Wild Card

Bath

Sarah stays in Bath with her friend Lizzie, whose uncle has gout. In fact most of the people in this story are invalids of various sorts, but all miraculously cured by the end of it [except for the evil villain, of course.]

                                                    

In All Honour

Brighton

Anna ends up in Brighton, finds a group of friends and enjoys all the pleasures of a seaside holiday. There are some rather unsavoury undercurrents but in the end all turns out splendidly. 

           The Rake's Challenge

SOME OF THE GIRLS GO FURTHER AFIELD

Constantinople [now Istanbul]

Olivia, too scandalous to remain in polite society, joins her brother in Constantinople. She falls in love with the place and the way of life there, but, as always, where Olivia goes, trouble soon follows.

    

Scandalous Lady

[There are similarities between Prinny's Brighton Pavilion and the Sultan's summer palace...]

   

   

Ax-les-Thermes - London - Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire

Louise gets drawn into a quest that takes her from London to the Pyrenees, back home then to the French King in exile at Hartwell House, and back to France, pursued all the way by Napoleon's ruthless agents.

The Rake and His Honour 

                                             

                                     Thermal Baths, Ax-les-Thermes

   London - Constantinople [now Istanbul]

Rose is NOT really keen on travel and adventure, but she makes the best of matters. Getting drawn into a highly dangerous plot is hard enough, but when the Sultan's powerful chief minister falls for her, however will she extricate herself from this oh so delicate situation....?

April and May         

                                           

                                            Toilette in the harem by Osman Hamdi Bey

Travelling abroad for work or pleasure in the early 1800s

The fascination of travel and of The East

In the early years of the 19th Century Britain was isolated by land due to the wide-ranging wars with Napoleon's armies. This did not deter adventurous travellers, and as Britain was mistress of the seas from Portsmouth to Constantinople, they set off on their expeditions. Some were purely tourists, burning to see ancient civilisations for themselves, others were diplomats, military advisers and traders. 

  In 1810, Lord Byron and his friend John Cam Hobhouse arrived in Constantinople. During their stay, they accompanied the British Ambassador on a formal visit to the Sultan, Mahmud II. Hobhouse later wrote that the Sultan, dressed in yellow satin, his milk-white hands ‘glittering with diamond rings’, had an ‘air of indescribable majesty’. 

This was confirmed by the wife of the retiring British Ambassador, Robert Adair. She had attended the ceremony, disguised as a man.

When Ambassador Robert Adair left in 1810, he promoted 24 year-old Stratford Canning, [ later Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe ], as Minister Plenipotentiary.  He was an energetic young man with robust ideas on protecting British interests. He had a wide intelligence network and corresponded with all his counterparts across Europe and the Levant.  Consequently, news of events in Paris, Vienna, St Petersburg and Berlin often came to London in the dispatches which Canning sent from Constantinople. 

In 1811, Lady Hester Stanhope arrived in Constantinople. The Sultan ordered that she was to be treated with great honour, as befitted a close relative of a former British Prime Minister. Lady Hester soon found a delightful place to live - a short distance north of the main city, in the seaside village of Tarabya. That is the Turkish form of the older Greek name of Therapia. The climate was mild and healthy here.                           

Tarabya 

Travel from your armchair

 As the days grow longer, the birds are chirping and a few early bees buzzing among the newly opened flowers, and we also feel the stirrings of Springtime. After the long period of lockdowns, we want to escape, see different places and get away from our local limited area. But we can't risk undoing the progress made so far in quelling the Covid plague, so patience is still necessary.

However, armchair travel is unlimited. And through a book, we can slip away to anywhere in the world, even to any time that appeals. 

In the period when war with Napoleon closed off much of Europe to the British, the sea was the route to lands where allies, trade and culture could be found. So, in 1811, Sir Richard Hartford fulfills his dream of studying ancient Greek civilisations, sailing as far as Constantinople. 

His sister, Olivia, disgusted by Society and the Marriage Mart, persuades her former governess to accompany her on a sea voyage.    

They set off to join Richard, and at the same time to follow the example of Olivia's role model, Lady Hester Stanhope, who is also in Constantinople. 

Olivia's adventures begin at Troy, where she meets a dashing mystery man. Unfortunately, he suspects her of being a spy.

 Once she arrives in Constantinople, Olivia is keen to explore. Doing as the locals do, she takes a caique trip up the Bosphorus. 

But... being Olivia, trouble is never far away...

The mystery man has her kidnapped for interrogation...and more, maybe... When Olivia won't cooperate, he threatens to have her tied in a sack and thrown in the Bosphorus. After such a cordial start, which way will their relationship go?

                                                    Scandalous Lady

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               Prequel to   SCANDALOUS  LADY         

                                                      Akhal Teke horse, [picture courtesy of Wikipedia]

 The story begins when Olivia has nearly reached Constantinople.   But how did she manage to escape from the strictly  chaperoned life of a debutante and set off to travel abroad, like her role model, Lady Hester Stanhope?

 

London, November 1810

Olivia was admiring her new hat in the pier glass, when the drawing room door opened and two middle-aged ladies sailed into the elegant entrance hall. The look they cast her warned Olivia that Aunt Sophie was about to hurl more reproaches at her. Aware of their scrutiny, she stroked the curled ostrich plumes and adjusted the saucy bow under her left ear until Crowbold, the butler, had bowed the ladies out. Then she grimaced at her reflection and whisked herself into the drawing room to brave the storm.

            'You may take that hat off,' snapped Lady Hollis. 'We are not going to drive in Hyde Park today.'

            'Why ever not?' Olivia enquired. 'Surely you're not upset by anything your friends may have told you? It’s all gossip.'

            'It is all shocking!' Lady Hollis wrung her hands. 'As if you had not caused enough scandal by your all-night escapade with Lord Craybrook.'

            'There was no escapade,' Olivia stated scornfully. 'He claimed his curricle had a loose wheel and we must stop at an inn while it was repaired - but it was all a plot to compromise me. Nothing happened, Aunt…except that I gave him a black eye,' she added with a gleam of satisfaction.

            'It was in all the scandalsheets.' Lady Hollis dabbed at her eyes with a lace-edged handkerchief. 'I warned you then that you would have to accept him.'

            'Never.' declared Olivia, swirling away to stare out of the window at the passers-by in Clarges Street. 'It was he who told his version to the reporters, Aunt Sophie.'

            'If he will still have you after this…this latest episode. Wretched girl. You were seen riding astride! Galloping in Hyde Park! And with Captain Lucas, of all possible companions!'

            'He rides so well,' murmured Olivia. She gave a wicked grin when her aunt covered her eyes with one trembling hand. 

            'Your reputation is fatally damaged. My dearest friends have just hinted that you are no longer welcome at their tea parties -'

            'How uncharitable,' Olivia swiped at the potted ferns on the window ledge.

            Lady Hollis waved a delicate hand towards the marble mantelpiece with its row of tasteful ornaments, 'We have not received a single invitation this week. Your only chance is to accept Lord Craybrook's offer.'

            'So that he may gamble my fortune away on cards and horses. No, I thank you.' Had she pushed her aunt to the limit? She clasped her hands behind her back and managed to hold back a cry of triumph when Lady Hollis announced, in failing accents, 'If no one will receive you, you cannot stay in London. You have even replaced Lady Hester Stanhope as the chief subject of gossip in society.'

            'Well, she’s left the country,' said Olivia. 'I envy her.'

            'And your brother gone off to those savage eastern lands.'

            'Just so,' Olivia agreed, smothering another grin. 'And the poor lamb will be in such a muddle without me to look after him. In fact…'

 [c]Beth Elliott

      Several months later, Olivia reaches Constantinople and is reunited with her brother.

As an artist, she's busy capturing the sights of this ancient city.

But it doesn't take many days before she's in trouble again.

Ice cool Lord Berannes is the chief diplomat negotiating peace between the Ottoman Sultan and Russia. Then he encounters fiery, rebellious artist Olivia Hartford. And after that, nothing goes to plan – for either of them.

Read their story in

Scandalous Lady