Pimpernel and Rosemary
Baroness Emma Orczy
Adventure FIction
Published 1924
Synopsis
Pimpernel and Rosemary takes place largely among the disenfranchised Hungarian nobility in Transylvania after the First World War. The story centers on Peter Blakeney, a descendant of the Scarlet Pimpernel, who navigates postwar political instability, social unrest, and the lingering effects of war on aristocratic identity. It portrays a world grappling with the collapse of old empires and the rise of new political orders, as Peter becomes embroiled in local conflicts, and attempts to uphold the traditions and sense of honor in a rapidly changing society. Set in the gloomy landscapes, decaying estates, and fractious nobility of Transylvania, Peter must reconcile the tensions between old values and modern realities in the early 20th century.
Novel Excerpt
The next two or three weeks were like a dream for Rosemary Fowkes. She left herself no time to think. The future beckoned to her with enticing arms, holding prospects of activities, of work that would fill the mind to the exclusion of memory. That evening, when she rose from her knees, she rose with a resolve, and never for one moment after that did she allow herself an instant of regret. She wrote a line to Jasper to tell him that she would do as he wished; she was prepared to marry him as soon as his own arrangements were completed.
She also wrote to General Naniescu, agreeing to his proposal. She reserved to herself complete freedom of action to send any articles or reports she chose to English or foreign Press; all that she desired from him was a confirmatory letter, promising that nothing she ever wrote would pass through the censor’s hands. This he at once sent her. Nothing could be more fair, more straightforward. Rosemary’s chivalrous mind responded whole-heartedly to Naniescu’s generosity, and the feeling that it would probably be in her power to do real good, not only to individuals but to peoples, acted as a soothing balm upon her bruised heart.
On the other hand, nothing could have exceeded Jasper’s kindness and consideration during the days immediately preceding her marriage. It almost seemed as if his super-sensitive soul had received a faint inkling of what was going on in Rosemary’s mind. Nothing appeared too onerous, no sacrifice too great where Rosemary’s comfort and desires were at stake, and at times—such are the contradictions of a woman’s nature—she felt almost impatient with him for his magnanimity, almost obsessed by the unselfishness of his love.