The governess and the revolutionary
In 1847, with Europe on the verge of revolution, Katie Kettles travels to Hungary as governess to the family of Count Istvan Szelenyi. On the journey, she first encounters peasant-born radical Lajos Lazar making incendiary speeches from a table-top in Vienna.
Lajos is young, idealistic, and ruthless in his cause. She has never met anyone like him. But he is not her only distraction from her duties, for Katie has her own vengeful agenda which begins to stutter as she reluctantly becomes involved with the Szelenyis' lives and loves.
Hungary's revolution sweeps all before it. But it is only the beginning of a heroic and doomed struggle, embroiling Katie and Lajos in a passionate love affair and dangerous adventures, and culminating, surely, in inevitable tragedy...
Autorentext
Mary Lancaster was born in Glasgow and now lives on the Fife coast with her husband and three young children. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a degree in history, the subject which remains the chief inspiration for her writing.
Despite earning a living over the years as Editorial Assistant, Researcher and Librarian, Mary Lancaster has managed to retain her love of books, particularly old and dusty ones. Her interest has always extended to writing - though, for many years, only for her own amusement. Her first published novel was An Endless Exile.
Klappentext
In 1847, with Europe on the verge of revolution, Katie Kettles travels to Hungary as governess to the family of Count Istvan Szelenyi. On the journey, she first encounters Lajos Lazar making incendiary speeches from a table-top in Vienna.
Though instantly drawn to him, he is not her only distraction from her duties, for Katie has her own vengeful agenda which begins to stutter as she reluctantly becomes involved with the Szelenyis' lives and loves. While Hungary plunges into political upheaval, Katie faces a personal revolution to resolve both her family issues and her passionate relationship with Lajos.
Through Katie's eyes, we see the euphoria of a bloodless revolution victorious over an unjust and stagnant regime, and the tragedy of a lost war that was so very nearly won.