Travel to Paris was common for wealthy Britons, many of whom would come in January after they'd tired of country house life and before the start of the Season in London. Carriage rides in the Bois de Boulogne, strolls through the Jardin des Tuileries, trips to the Opéra, parties, and balls filled the days and nights of Englishmen abroad.
The Hôtel Meurice still offers some of the most luxurious accommodations to be found, although extensive renovations completed in 1907 have altered it since the time of Emily's visit. The Café Anglais closed in 1913. As with the British Museum, everything Emily sees in the Louvre would have been found there at the time the book was set.
It is impossible to overstate the glow that comes from hours spent walking through the lovely streets of the French capital. Emily's solitary wanderings in the city come at a difficult and sad time for her, but even in such circumstances, the solace one could find in Notre Dame or Sainte-Chapelle is unparalled. If one must be miserable, it might as well be in beautiful surroundings.
Although Emily did not make it all the way to Africa, it was not unheard of for women in the period to travel extensively. Some went on tours, some traveled with male guardians, but a not insignificant number traveled with female companions, letting their own interests guide their itineraries. There are a number of fascinating travel memoirs written by Victorian women, including Amelia Edward's Thousand Miles Up the Nile, Gertrude Bell's Persian Pictures, and Mary Kingsley's Travels in West Africa, Congo Français, Corisco, and Cameroons.
A widow in Emily's situation would find herself in a very different London from the one she occupied while her husband was still alive. Wealthy women had social schedules that could exhaust even the heartiest of souls: rides in the park, luncheons, garden parties, afternoons making calls, tea parties, dinners, soirées, balls, the opera, theater. The death of one's spouse brought an immediate stop to such activities.
When Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria entered a period of mourning that would last the remainder of her life. No one was expected to emulate the queen's devotion to the memory of her dear departed, but at least a year of deep mourning was required of widows, a time during which they would dress in unrelenting black and wear jewelry fashioned either from jet or from the hair of the deceased. Thank heavens that Colin Hargreaves did not have the presence of mind to snip some of Philip's hair to return to Emily!
An article that appeared in Harper's Bazaar on April 17, 1886, comments on women who were not devastated to lose their spouses:
A heartless wife who, instead of being grieved at the death of her husband, is rejoiced at it, should be taught that society will not respect her unless she pays to the memory of the man whose name she bears that "homage which vice pays to virtue," a commendable respect to the usages of society in the matter of mourning and of retirement from the world.
Once she entered the period of half-mourning, the widow would start her gradual return to society. Black gowns gave way to grey, mauve, and lavender, and could now be made from silk instead of crape or bombazine. To alert the members of her circle that she was ready to face society, a widow would leave calling cards at the houses of her acquaintances. She would begin to accept more invitations, always being careful only to attend events that were not too joyful and to behave in ways respectful of the memory of her husband.
It is during this phase of Emily's life that the action of And Only to Deceive takes place. I wanted her to be somewhat isolated from society so that she would come to see that she did not, in fact, miss it as much as she might have thought. Because she, like the heartless wife of Harper's Bazaar, is not truly grieving Philip; it's an awkward and uncomfortable period for her, and a perfect time for her to look for intellectual stimulation.
Suggestions for further reading
Private Palaces: Life in the Great London Houses, Christopher Simon Sykes
The Bourgeois Experience: Victoria to Freud (five volumes), Peter Gay
The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, David Cannadine
Victorian and Edwardian Fashion, Alison Gernsheim
Age of Opulence: The Belle Epoque in the Paris Herald, 1890–1914, Hebe Dorsey
Fake? The Art of Deception, Mark Jones (editor)
Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages, Phyllis Rose
Acknowledgments
This book could never have been started, let alone completed, without the enduring support of my parents, Gary and Anastasia Gutting, who have encouraged me to write for as long as I can remember. They were also kind enough to provide me with two brothers whose assistance was invaluable: Edward, for his expertise in classics, and Tom, who is an excellent writing partner and novelist in his own right.
I am grateful for my friends in New Haven, Connecticut: Kristen Fairey, who discussed Emily over more pots of tea than I can count (when will Fortnum & Mason start supplying us directly?), and Rebecca Weiner, whose skills as both an editor and a writer helped this book beyond measure.
Myriad thanks to my agent, Anne Hawkins, who is simply fabulous and loads of fun, and to my wonderful team at HarperCollins. I can't imagine a better editor than Carolyn Marino. Jennifer Civiletto provided insightful suggestions and was always available to help me. Thanks also to Maureen Sugden for her careful copyediting of my manuscript.
My husband and son, Matt and Alexander, are the best family anyone could hope for. They made it possible for me to do what I love, and I couldn't be more appreciative. I am also indebted to my grandmother, Anastasia Sertl, for her constant inspiration and support.
Finally, special thanks to Kristy Kiernan, a brilliant writer without whom this book would still be untitled.
About the Author
Tasha Alexander is a graduate of Notre Dame, where she signed on as an English major in order to have a legitimate excuse for spending all her time reading. Following graduation, she played nomad for several years, eventually settling with her family in Tennessee. When not reading, she can be found hard at work on her next book featuring Lady Emily Ashton.