Anne Mallory
Masquerading The Marquess
The first book in the Spies and Secrets series, 2004
The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born, the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation.
– RODIN
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Although there were Dalys that worked at the Adelphi Theatre during this time, I have taken liberty with their characters and names.
Also Robert Cruikshank was a real caricaturist. He was overshadowed by his brother George, but was a well-regarded individual and artist. I have taken liberties with his character as well.
Chapter 1
London , 1823
What was a caricaturist to do when she ran out of material?
Calliope Minton observed the pitch and sway of an aging duke and a newly launched debutante as the two waltzed across the terrazzo floor. She could cast the duke as a tortoise and the young girl as a fresh minnow. No, what about the duke as a long-toothed wolf and the girl as a sheep? Calliope grimaced. The duke and debutante were about as appealing as the ideas floating through her brain.
Calliope was prepared to do something drastic. Even if she had to strip to her shift in the middle of the Killroys' lavish ballroom, at least the ton could discuss something besides the weather.
"Spring certainly has kept its grip on winter. Is it going to be warmer anytime soon?" Miss Sarah Jones asked the small group gathered on the fringe of the Killroys' crowded ballroom.
Clasping her hands to keep from shaking the pretty debutante, Calliope focused on a leafy philodendron in the corner. She had long since decided the foliage was the most interesting thing in attendance.