The Indiscretion of the Duchess: Being a Story Concerning Two Ladies, a Nobleman, and a Necklace
1894
The Indiscretion of the Duchess: Being a Story Concerning Two Ladies, a Nobleman, and a Necklace
1894
A witty, elegantly plotted Victorian romance that unfolds in the shadowed drawing rooms of Normandy. Gilbert Aycon, a seemingly ordinary Englishman, is drawn into the orbit of the Duchess of Saint-Maclou, a woman of sharp intelligence and dangerous charm, exiled by her own husband to the provinces. What begins as an invitation from a diplomatic friend becomes a sophisticated dance of attraction, deception, and societal constraint. The necklace of the title is more than mere jewelry: it is a symbol of power, possession, and the precarious position of women bound to titles they did not choose. Anthony Hope, better known for The Prisoner of Zenda, crafts a tale that balances romantic suspense with sharp commentary on the double standards of aristocratic marriage. The prose glitters with period precision, and the central relationship crackles with a tension that feels remarkably modern despite its Victorian trappings. For readers who crave romance with brains, who enjoy watching clever people navigate foolish laws.
Editions
X-Ray
“Everything depends on the point of view and is rich in varying aspects. A picture is sublime from one corner of the room, a daub from another; a woman's full face may be perfect, her profile a disappointment; above all, what you admire in yourself becomes highly distasteful in your neighbor. The moral is, I suppose, Tolerance; or if not that, something else which has escaped me.””
— Anthony Hope
