Memorie Di Emma Lyonna, Vol. 7/8

A historical novel written in the mid-19th century. Told in the first person by Emma Hamilton, it dramatizes the Neapolitan court’s crisis during the revolutionary wars, intertwining state intrigue with her bond to Lord Nelson. The story centers on Queen Maria Carolina, King Ferdinand, Nelson, Sir William Hamilton, Cardinal Ruffo, and Admiral Caracciolo as monarchy, revolution, and counter-revolution collide. Expect a blend of intimate confession, political maneuvering, and sea-and-court drama. The opening of the book follows Emma as she helps the queen secretly prepare the royal family’s flight from Naples, while Nelson organizes covert boat lifts and even a rediscovered sea tunnel to move treasure. After a tense, chaotic escape to HMS Vanguard and Nelson’s harsh orders to deny ships to the enemy, deputations beg the king to return in vain, and a brutal storm at sea claims the life of young Prince Alberto in Emma’s arms before the party reaches Palermo. There, amid the prince’s funeral, Dumas contrasts the gravity of events with Ferdinand’s trivial passions for hunting and cards, including comic scenes with the fiery President Cardillo. A grand council empowers Cardinal Ruffo as vicario generale with sweeping authority, and he raises a Sanfedista force in Calabria while Emma’s life in Palermo mixes fêtes, gambling, and a near-scandalous masquerade with Nelson. Reports of Ruffo’s advance—along with royal letters endorsing severe reprisals—and news from Troubridge’s naval operations close this initial section.