The Scarlet Pimpernel
Baroness Emma Orczy
Historical/Romance Adventure
Published 1905
Synopsis
Set in France during the height of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror (1792–1793), The Scarlet Pimpernel centers on Sir Percy Blakeney, a seemingly ineffectual English aristocrat who secretly leads a daring band of English allies known as the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Outwardly a foppish socialite, Sir Percy is, in truth, a master of disguise and cunning, orchestrating bold rescue missions to rescue condemned French nobles from execution at the guillotine. The story weaves together perilous escape plans, political tension, and the complex relationship between Sir Percy and his French wife, Marguerite St. Just, whose own loyalties and past involvement with French revolutionaries create ethical conflicts. Opposed by the relentless French agent Citizen Chauvelin, Percy’s double life contrasts the brutality of revolutionary France with the refined exterior of English high society, while demonstrating courage under tyranny and the bonds of love tested by ideological divides.
Novel Excerpt
Feeling in every part of England certainly ran very high at this time against the French and their doings. Smugglers and legitimate traders between the French and English coasts brought snatches of news from over the water, which made every honest Englishman’s blood boil, and made him long to have “a good go” at those murderers, who had imprisoned their king and all his family, subjected the queen and the royal children to every species of indignity, and were even now loudly demanding the blood of the whole Bourbon family and of every one of its adherents.
The execution of the Princesse de Lamballe, Marie Antoinette’s young and charming friend, had filled everyone in England with unspeakable horror, the daily execution of scores of royalists of good family, whose only sin was their aristocratic name, seemed to cry for vengeance to the whole of civilised Europe.
Yet, with all that, no one dared to interfere. Burke had exhausted all his eloquence in trying to induce the British Government to fight the revolutionary government of France, but Mr. Pitt, with characteristic prudence, did not feel that this country was fit yet to embark on another arduous and costly war. It was for Austria to take the initiative; Austria, whose fairest daughter was even now a dethroned queen, imprisoned and insulted by a howling mob; and surely ’twas not—so argued Mr. Fox—for the whole of England to take up arms, because one set of Frenchmen chose to murder another.
As for Mr. Jellyband and his fellow John Bulls, though they looked upon all foreigners with withering contempt, they were royalist and anti-revolutionists to a man, and at this present moment were furious with Pitt for his caution and moderation, although they naturally understood nothing of the diplomatic reasons which guided that great man’s policy.
But now Sally came running back, very excited and very eager. The joyous company in the coffee-room had heard nothing of the noise outside, but she had spied a dripping horse and rider who had stopped at the door of “The Fisherman’s Rest,” and while the stable boy ran forward to take charge of the horse, pretty Miss Sally went to the front door to greet the welcome visitor.
“I think I see’d my Lord Antony’s horse out in the yard, father,” she said, as she ran across the coffee-room.