There is always more to the story than just what
ends up between the pages. This page takes a behind the scenes look
at Once Tempted including
research I did while writing the book, character tidbits, and more.
Happy reading! ~Elizabeth
avon books
ISBN: 0-38081-535-4
July 3, 2001
This
story came out of my desire to write a "treasure hunt" book. I've
always found the idea of hidden treasure enthralling, so as I mulled over
the various types of hidden treasure my characters could go hunting for,
I happened upon this quote from Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington:
All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavor to find out what you don't know by what you do: that's what I called 'guessing what was at the other side of the hill.
That line led to the birth of my hero, Major Robert Danvers, an exploring officer in Wellington's army. As often goes with inspiration, as I started to see my hero fighting in far away Spain, I then recalled an exhibit of Spanish treasure I'd seen years earlier. Spanish treasure! Those words enticed me. So I decided I wanted my treasure to be legendary and very, very old, and thus was born El Rescate del Rey, The King's Ransom.
With that decided, I didn't think much about my Spanish treasure until I was literally stuck on the tarmac of O'Hare Airport during a lightning storm. Suddenly the story of Caliopa and Alváro unfolded in my imagination. I scrambled in my carry-on to find paper and pen and wrote the entire legend in the time it took the storm to pass. Once it was completed I knew I must include it in Once Tempted. Sometimes it's really amazing the treasures you uncover as a writer when you dig into writing a book or find yourself stuck on a tarmac.
On an interesting side note, this story had several working titles before it was finally christened Once Tempted. The first title was A Marriage of Deception, which didn't seem to fit the book once I started writing it. Then I changed it to Once Ruined, which I thought worked better with Olivia's "ruined" state. But that title didn't last for long. After the completed manuscript arrived at my publishers in New York, they tweaked it one more time and Once Tempted finally had its title.
- Olivia Sutton -- the daughter of celebrated linguist, Sir John Sutton,
and his best protégée. However, after her language skills
are exploited by the Marquis of Bradstone and she is implicated in the
murder of a young man, she hides in the countryside by posing as a widow
and taking a job as a companion to Lady Finch. She unwittingly holds the
key to finding El Rescate del Rey, and vows to see the secret
carried safely to Wellington.
- Major Robert Danvers -- an exploring officer in Wellington's Peninsular army, he is sent home to London to find Olivia Sutton and uncover the mystery behind the legendary Spanish treasure, El Rescate del Rey.
- Lady Finch -- a gossipy old woman who keeps her thumb on London society while living staying put on her estate in Kent. Her correspondence, in which she sends out unsolicited advice, is legendary. Lady Finch has a small role in One Night of Passion, though it is entirely "off stage."
James "Jemmy" Reyburn
-- the
Finch heir, and an affable and honorable young man who wants
nothing more than to buy a commission in the Army.
Unfortunately for Jemmy, his mother holds another
opinion as well as the purse strings. Jemmy’s story
is told in the anthology, Hero,
Come Back.- Mr. Pymm -- the infamous and shady spymaster who works covertly for the Foreign Office managing their rogue spies and taking on the British government's less honorable tasks. Learn more about Mr. Pymm's past and how far he has gone in the past to protect England in One Night of Passion.
Colin Danvers -- Robert's oldest brother and the captain of the Sybaris,
a ship with a hold full of secrets. Colin and Robert have never agreed
how their brother's murder should be investigated. Colin's story is told
in One Night of Passion.- Rafe Danvers -- Robert's youngest brother and a guerilla in the Spanish resistance movement. Rafe is a hotheaded and dangerous fellow, but has a soft spot in his heart for a beautiful woman. To understand Rafe better, meet him as a mischievous twelve-year old in One Night of Passion. Rafe’s story is told in It Takes A Hero.
General books on the Peninsular War:
- The Armies of Wellington, by Phillip Haythornthwaite. This book is a comprehensive and extremely detailed look at the British army under Wellington's command. An invaluable source, I used this book to craft Robert Danvers' fictional military career and the sense of honor and duty that is so much a part of his character.
- Wellington's Peninsular War: Battles and Battlefields by Julian Paget. Summaries, maps and a general outline of all the battles in the Peninsular War. Here again, I walked with Wellington's armies through their various battles so I could imagine where Robert might have gone and what he had seen.
- The British Army, by Jock Haswell. Another good overall primer on the British Army.
Information on Exploring Officers:
- The First Respectable Spy: The Life and Times of Colquhoun Grant, Wellington's Head of Intelligence, by Jock Haswell. This is a fascinating biography about the man who revolutionized military intelligence. The author has several other titles on this subject including: British Military Intelligence.
Specific books on the Siege of Badajoz:
- In Hell Before Daylight, The Siege and Storming of the Fortress of Badajoz, 1812, and Badajoz 1812: Wellington's Bloodiest Siege, both by Ian Fletcher. These books provided detailed accounts of the horrendous Siege of Badajoz, both the grim and deadly battle fought by the English and the horrors of their wrath as the soldiers pillaged their way through the defeated town.
- Olivia was out for revenge seven years after the fact. Was this justified? Reasonable? If she was able to get her revenge, how would her life change?
- How were the two Roberts similar? How were they different?
- What were the signs that Robert and Olivia were attracted to one another?
- How was the character of Jemmy important to the story?
- Robert's "mother" wanted him to promise not to marry for love. Why was this? How are things different today than they were in the early 19th century?
- How did Lady Bradstone know that this Robert was her nephew and not her son? Why did she keep the knowledge to herself?
- Historical fact and events are interwoven into this story. How did your knowledge of the era add to your enjoyment of this book? If you know nothing about this era, did that affect you ability to enjoy it?
- How difficult would it be for someone to step into another's life? What would be some of the difficulties one might encounter? Would this be easier today than it was 200 years ago?
- What was Olivia so enamored of the mysterious Hobbe?
- How difficult would it be for someone to step into another's life? What would be some of the difficulties one might encounter? Would this be easier today than it was 200 years ago?Why or why not?
- There were many surprising turn of events in this story. Name some of them and discuss why these events caught the reader off-guard. Discuss why surprises like this add to a readers overall enjoyment of a story. What revelation surprised you the most? Why?
- Why was Olivia afraid to let Robert know her true feelings for him?
- Discuss the story of Caliopa and Alvaro and its connection to El Rescate del Rey.
Far left: Juan Baptist in Badajoz, Spain
Left: Wellington
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Once tempted
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