Want to visit Malmaison? Paris? Josephine's court?

In my new series, SCARLETT AFFAIRS, I give you the excitement of falling in love during the tumultuous time when Europe was awash in revolutions and the rise of one unknown man to power shook the Continent and the foundations of every other country.

Sweeping you from London to Paris, I am tickled to take you to Malmaison and the problems of navigating Josephine and Bonaparte’s court. The intrigues of spies, ambassadors, merchants, military men and the women who loved and aided them create a canvas of actual events that shaped the fate of millions. 

Over the years of Bonaparte’s rise and reign, espionage agents of all nationalities tried to stop him. Many failed. Like the attempt in LORD ASHLEY’S BEAUTIFUL ABLIBI to abduct Bonaparte in June 1800. A few succeeded easily, like the attempt of the British government to plant agents throughout the Continent during the peace of the Treaty of Amiens. 

Some of these events were documented, like the abduction of the duc d’Engien. Others still remain mysteries, such as the identity of the mysterious English woman who for decades sent thousands of coded secrets home to London. And the lady who stole documents from Talleyrand in Vienna during the Congress of 1814.

In SCARLETT AFFAIRS, I take you to those cities and towns that live in our history books—and palaces and streets I have walked. They are places that exude their own charm—and hold for the people of that time secrets and challenges for agents of all countries. 

You will go to the tunnels beneath Compiègne and to the palace where Napoleon met his second wife and within minutes escorted her to their bedroom. You will go to Reims, where kings were crowned, and enter the caverns of St. Denis in Paris where they were buried. You will go to the church in Varennes where gendarmes captured Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and sent to Paris to die. You will go to Baden where a greedy German margrave sold out his subjects to Bonaparte for land and money. You will track Bonaparte and his aide Caulaincourt as they race away from Moscow and are tracked by agents all the way to Paris.

 

I will also take you to other seemingly insignificant places that really existed. A public bath house, the smelly abattoir of Montmartre, then south to the huge fortress of Amboise and the vineyards of the Loire. To Verdun where the citadel becomes the prison for hundreds of British trapped inside France by the wily new emperor.

A panoply of stories, the series will be a rich discovery of the challenges of fighting an enemy while falllng in love with one irresistible person. I hope you enjoy them all, from this first search for a missing friend, to the action-adventure of saving an entire family from death, to the rewards of stealing Bonaparte’s gold and more. Through each story, one man and woman will try to save the world from a despot—and save each other and the love they treasure above all else.

BON-BONS! Josephine's court ruled Society! See how in LORD ASHLEY'S BEAUTIFUL ALIBI!

Have you ever wondered how people got on in that very rare high society?

In 1802, Bonaparte and Josephine dominated social life in Paris. They lived in the Tuileries, a palace along the Seine, given them as their abode by the constitution of the Consulate.

I did. And so I have read about it so much, I decided that the doings of Bonaparte and his wife merited my attention to them in my new series, SCARLETT AFFAIRS!

Society did revolve around Josephine and her friends. Most notable among them were Madame Tallien and Julie Recamier, a widow who was scandalous in all she did. She even went nearly naked at the opera!

Many however did not care for the man who took so much power to himself. 

And as in the first chapter of ALIBI, we see one of the attempts at the assassination of Bonaparte. In June 1800, a group of rebels who may have had funding and advice from British agents, did attempt to abduct the First Consul on the road to Malmaison, Josephine's and his home soouth of Paris.

Today that original road is well paved. Leading to the well-preserved enclave adored by Josephine are modern sidewalks adorned with the Emperor’s emblem, bees, embedded in the cement.

Bon-bon! Cover reveal for LORD ASHLEY'S BEAUTIFUL ALIBI!

 

This wonderful cover, designed by talented Dar Albert, is for the first in my new series, LORD ASHLEY'S BEAUTIFUL ALIBI!

A panoply of stories, the series will be a rich discovery of the challenges of fighting an enemy while falllng in love with one irresistible person. I hope you enjoy them all, from this first search for a missing friend, to the action-adventure of saving an entire family from death, to the rewards of stealing Bonaparte’s gold and more. Through each story, one man and woman will try to save the world from a despot—and save each other and the love they treasure above all else.

This debuts March 21. BUY LINKS TO COME!

How much would you reveal if your gowns were damp? Josephine and her pals had an idea!

I work on my new series, the first of which is LORD ASHLEY'S BEAUTIFUL ALIBI, out in March. It is 1802 and we are in the Tuileries in Josephine's court. What do those ladies wear?

Short, short hair.

Damp muslin. DAMP. NO petticoats.

A few things do show! See these to tickle your fancy!

1. 

   La Blouillotte , 1804.

   A Drawing room scene with a few bright things with certain calling cards

   

   Titus, 1802.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   

   Titus, curly, 1803.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Theresa Tallien, by Jean Bernard Duvivier. Brooklyn Museum.

Teresa Tallien was a notorious lady who had many husbands and many lovers. A friend of Josephine's who had been in Carmes prison with her, she was known as a leader of Parisian Directory society. She loved her jewels and wore them in her hair, on her fingers and her toes. She is said to have gone to the Paris Opera one evening in a white silk gown so transparent that even sanguine Talleyrand commented on her revelations. You see, she wore no undergarments.

Today's bon bon and a few tidbits about Empress Josephine! With my pictures, too!

Josephine in her later years at Malmaison

She was a woman who loved fashion and spent money like water. She was married to a man suspected of being more royalist than was prudent. She almost went to prison, too. But used her charms to persuade a few French men to keep her and her two children safe. But there is more!

Empress Josephine was a setter of style, the love of her husband Napoleon's life—and his torment. We know much of her legend, but there is much about her that was kept discreetly secret.

She had terrible teeth. Black, in fact. And you never see her in portraits smiling.

She took three hours each day to bathe and dress. Her boudoir in Malmaison was the place she took her breakfast and often, her luncheon too.

She never visited a military hospital as she claimed the humours would kill her.

Portrait of Josephine that hangs at Malmaison

She died of a throat infection on the very day Napoleon set foot in Cannes as he escaped from Elba and marched north.

Here I am outside at Malmaison!

The bee is the emblem (or logo) of Napoleon and Josephine! This emblem is cemented in the walkways leading to Malmaison!

One picture of Josephine's enormous boudoir.

Her gardens, lovingly tended by gardeners of the French National Heritage.

She loved animals and kept a menagerie at Malmaison.

She loved flowers, especially roses and Napoloen even had cuttings from England imported to her during wartime!

She had no children by Napoleon but by her first husband, she had two. Today, many of the royal houses of Europe are descended from those two children.

She died at Malmaison and is buried close by in the Ruiel. Next to her is buried her daughter, Hortense.

Cerise went to #Paris for research, discovering tidbits @ #Josephine, #Napoleon, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Fontainebleau, Grand Courtyard of Main entrance

   Travel is a wonderful way to do historical research for novels. Time-consuming, it is an intriguing way to put drama into your day...as you eat and drink you way around your chosen paths!

   My biggest kicks come from standing in the very spots that others infinitely more interesting than I have stood. Reflecting on how they must have felt at certain points in their lives—or seeing what has become of those places long after they have passed sends ripples of ennui down my spine.

   Here, hopefully tickling your need to feel the same sort of ripples, are a few from my recent trip to Paris in October. Note the dates I have put in bold. Many are poignant coincidences of time, place and people.

Closeup of front steps of Fontainebleau

   One of the places we visited was Fontainebleau. (If you wish to read more about that famous grand hunting lodge expanded to a palace, do scroll below in my blog for previous posts about my recent Paris trip.)

Napoleon signing abdication papers
in Fontainebleau, April 1814

   Here you see the grand staircase outside. Why is this an interesting view? Well! Not only was this the main entrance to the palace during the Ancien Regime, but also one used by Napoleon and his coterie. On these very steps, Napoleon emerged from the palais in April 1814. The previous night he had attempted suicide, swallowing a poison which proved ineffective. (I wish I had a picture of his bedroom where he slept and the room where he signed his abdication from imperial power. Alas, the ones I took were terribly out of focus! It's what comes of being too enraptured and soaking up the scenery instead of tending to the camera! Do see the painting which is very accurate decor.) Greeting many of his generals and troops who were gathered in the courtyard below (see next picture), he bid them farewell. He boarded a coach, escorted by a small French retinue and a few Englishmen to assure his departure, and left for Elba. He arrived there May 30, 1814.

The Golden Courtyard where Napoleon's troops would have heard his farewell in April 1814
before he departed for Elba. Here you have the view Napoleon had as he addressed his troops.

   Months later in February 1815, encouraged by news from France that the restored Bourbon king, Louis XVIII, was misusing his power, renewing high taxes and stripping the soldiers of their honors, ranks and pay, Napoleon sailed from the small island of Elba and returned to France by way of Cannes. He made his way north and in March, he returned to Fontainebleau! The palace, you see, is south of Paris. (Today, you can get there on the RER, take a local bus and arrive almost on these front steps!) In 1815, he could take up residence there and be regarded as a threat to the capital city but not in charge of it...yet. Here he waited a few days and once the Bourbons had left Paris and the French army welcomed him, Napoleon took the hour long journey into the city which was once more his.

A small portion of Josephine's gardens blooming still
in October!

  After Napoleon's departure to Elba in late April 1814, the Bourbons returned to France to rule once more. But they came with those foreign officials (and armies) who had defeated Napoleon's army and forced him to abdicate. One of those in Paris at the time was the Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Taking liberty to visit Napoleon's second wife, Marie-Louise, who remained near Paris in the old chateau of Rambouillet, he also took a coach south to visit Josephine, former empress and first wife of Napoleon. She introduced him to her family, Eugene and Hortense. She had an entertainment prepared for him in her music room. (See picture here.) They strolled in her famous rose garden and then, days later, she took a chill. Developing a high fever, she took to her bed. She developed a throat infection, could not speak, and passed away in her home within the week. She died May 29, 1814, leaving her son Eugene the house and contents of Malmaison. When Napoleon returned to France in 1815, he went to Malmaison to mourn the woman he had loved so dearly.

Front entrance to Josephine's home, Malmaison on a rainy October day.

Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette at prayer,
representations in main chapel of Saint Denis

   Finally, for this post about "tidbits" that make me shiver, I give you the picture I took of the statues of Louis XIV and his wife, Marie Antoinette. These two kneel in prayer inside the famed cathedral of Saint Denis. Located in the Paris suburbs, this gothic cathedral is the first example of gothic architectural developments. A marvel to see (and I will post in future a complete blog about our visit to this stunning church), Saint Denis was redone in gothic form beginning in the early 12th century. The other reason you want to take the Metro to view this marvelous cathedral is that it is the church where all kings of France are buried. Yes, all. Many are accompanied by their queens and children, some very young and others older.

Saint Denis, main entrance, undergoing restoration

   What is interesting about this ensemble of Louis and his wife? The statues are representations, yes. But the two are not buried here. No. What is intriguing to learn here is that, while the two were guillotined during the Terror and both were buried in the cemetery of Madeline, their bodies were exhumed in May 1814 and sent to Saint Denis to be buried alongside their ancestors. The two now rest in the lower crypt beneath a huge black granite polished stone bearing their names. Alongside them are other members of the Bourbon family—some named, others not—in a gigantic mass grave.  Sobering to regard, this mass grave bears witness to the inhumanity of man to man.

Basilica of Saint Denis in Paris suburbs, undergoing major renovations,
is burial place of all French kings.

Cerise went to #Paris and came home w. tales of Josephine from #Malmaison! Part 4

Entrance to enchanting Malmaison

Josephine's home in what is now suburban Paris truly gives the feeling of having been hers. From the decor to the flower gardens, the furniture and appointments, the house is a glorious example of Directorate and Imperial decor.

But it tells you about the feeling conveyed by what we Anglophiles call the period, the Regency. The colors are muted, pastoral, juxtaposed by splashes of vermilion, encrusted in gold filigree.

I showed you one pillar from the lobby and parts of Josephine's reception room or Music Room. Here I give you tastes of more.
(Do please note these are my pictures and while they may not be professional grade, please do cite them as my copyright, should you download and use them.)

Seating in one part of her large and inviting Music Room

Napoleon's bedroom made to look like a military tent!

Portrait of Josephine

Josephine's Boudoir with her dressing table

Josephine's Bathing room where she bathed, dressed and
occasionally ate because it was so warm in here!

One set of gold plated serving ware created for the Empress and Emperor, bequeathed to Josephine's son, Eugene.
The service, passing down through generations of Eugene's descendants, wound up in Russia prior to WWI.
Between the two world wars, the owners sold the set back to the State of France.

Josephine's gardens, famous when she was alive for their beauty, astonish visitors still today. The French government cares for the property, employing landscapers and gardeners. Here, even in mid-October, we see one of her rose bushes in beautiful bloom.

Today a trip to Rueil-Malmaison on the RER from Paris is a joy. The town retains the charm of its former smaller self and Josephine's house is tucked into a corner of it, a bit of a walk from the train station but worth it on a fine day.

What I came away with was a feeling of how much Josephine enjoyed the house, how she relished the gardens and how she lavishly entertained. It is a fine credit to her that she had the foresight to leave the house and its contents to her son and that he tried, as did the family and subsequent non-family owners, to keep the possessions in tact. Though time and wars took their toll and many of the items in the house are now "claimed" from the palace at Saint Cloud or the Tuileries, the house is a marvelous representation of the Empress's personality and taste.

Cerise went to #Paris, came home w. tales of #Josephine's #Malmaison (and ate best #frites ever!) Part 3

My pix of entrance to Malmaison, taken a few weeks ago!

Bet you didn't know that Malmaison means Bad House. Who named it that? Not Josephine Bonaparte. Not Napoleon, either.

The Vikings!

Yes. They used to raid and hunt in the forests around town of Malmaison-Rueil and the French named the area the Bad House or Bad Area because no one should be caught there.

That, my friends, is one tidbit I learned on my recent 2 week trip to France. On the day hubby and I took the RER to Rueil, the sun was gloriously shining and the temperature hovered in the mid-60s. We walked from the train station, turned down an offer of a cabbie to drive us to Josephine's house and hoofed it toward the south east part of the town. Two miles later, we looked around and said, as we often did, we're hungry. We decided on a FAB.U.LOUS cafe in the center of town and ordered two champagnes (cuz tourists get thirsty) and our luncheon.  Here, (yes, I want you to drool), I had a marvelous French onion soup and a hamburger with frites.

A pillar in the entry.

Onward!

The house is in pristine condition, saved by the French at the behest of Josephine herself. When she died in 1814, she bequeathed the house and all its contents to her son, Eugene who was to keep it in trust for the State of France. For the most part, his descendants were able to do that and the result is this truly enjoyable house.

Yes, as hubby agreed, it is a home. Comfortable and colorful and rich, the house is a marvelous representation of Josephine's taste. I have pictures galore and will share the best.

Here you see detail from a pillar in the entryway. When Josephine bought the house, as ever, she was in need of funds. She wanted to make the house look grand, especially because Napoleon had just waged his Egyptian Campaign. She wished to welcome him with symbols of that and so when she had the entryway reconstructed for his return, she asked for marble pillars. But she had not the money for marble. The pillars are therefore stucco and painted to appear as if they are marble. This decoration recalls the Egyptian influence atop the faux marble!

Here is the glory of Josephine's Music Room where she entertained and had others do so as well! More pictures
of this in Part 2 of her house.

Throughout the house, color and textures are vibrant. Most of the furniture is original to the house or was brought from other homes Josephine shared with Napoleon. The effect is dramatic and comforting. Also throughout are representations of Napoleon in various forms. In sculpture and painting, this house where he lived with Josephine from approximately 1798 until he became emperor is filled with his presence.

A marble bust of Napoleon in a side stairway!

Oil by David of Napoleon Crossing the Alps in a room with many of his swords and uniforms.

Oil of Napoleon celebrating the Italian Campaign.

Josephine's gardens, most famous for her roses, were in bloom when we visited. Though it was mid-October, the gardeners had done their work and we were treated to glorious blooms.

All of these pictures are mine, FYI, so if you take any to use, please credit me as Cerise DeLand.
Thank you and return for more of the joy of Josephine's house in a few days!