An Imperial Victim; Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, Empress of the French, Duchess of Parma

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 edition. Excerpt: ...if strong enough, and to Florence for a fortnight in September. I still hope to go to Vienna next spring, and I shall go with more courage as I am quite determined to repulse any attack they may wish to make against my liberty. I am too happy in the state in which I find 11--12 myself, and I no longer dread the journey to Vienna, which I would not have undertaken now for all the world. Forgive me all these details, but I am sure you are always still interested in me, and therefore I love to talk to you, sure that you always retain the same affection. Many kind things to all of yours, adieu, believe all my true affection, which neither time nor circumstances can ever change. Your very attached friend, Louise. The Kaiser was well content with his daughter's conduct. He himself and his Court did not don mourning. Marie Louise, writes Madame de Montet, evinced her displeasure at this in a letter full of bitterness; she says, amongst other things, that it casts a great slur on the legitimacy of her marriage.... The day after the arrival of the courier bearing the important news of the death of Napoleon, I was awoke early by a great noise of horses and carriages; it was a gay hunting-party--the Kaiser, the Kaiserinn, and all the Court. The death of Napoleon cancelled at Parma the projected visit of Carlo Felice of Sardinia and his Queen, who were at Modena for the baptism of their grandson. Nice people, writes Marie Louise. She had met them in 1800 at Vienna, at her grandmother's. This postponement was as well, for, immediately after the funeral service for Napoleon, his widow retired again to Sala, where, on August 9, she gave birth to a son, who received the name of Wilhelm Albrecht. The...