Book Title: MY LADY MELISENDE
Character Name: Her Noble Highness, The Lady Melisende of Merania
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
My father was one in a long line of Grand Dukes of Merania, and my mother was a princess of Sardinia. She was so beautiful, so graceful, and I remember so little about her, save that she was worried and tired when the fevers came. My sister was the eldest, ten years older than I. There were three boys between us and one more girl, all of them lost to the fevers. That was a terrible season for Merania—so many new graves on the mountainside. Our lives changed after that. Magret and I, as girls, were allowed a great deal of freedom, until we became heirs. Then we were treated like princesses. Townsfolk gathered in the street to watch us ride in our carriage. They gathered in the squares to see us wave from palace windows on feast days. Magret has always been practical and did what must be done. I’m afraid all that attention might have gone a bit to my head. It was splendid to be so admired, for a while.
Have you seen Merania? You ought to. The green valleys with their vineyards, the blue rivers, the Alps towering on all sides like sleeping giants, the castles and vineyards curving along their hills. There is no place more beautiful in all the world. I long to return.
What were you known for, as a child?
Ha! Being the bossy one. “Just do it Melisende’s way,” my family would say with a sigh of defeat when I dug in my heels about something. You’d think Magret would hold that honor, but no, it came to me. Papa said I have a talent for diplomacy and languages. He told me I would have made a fine grand duchess. I also have an outsized fondness for cranberries.
What do you mean, would have made a fine grand duchess?
Look about. Do you see me in the palace, receiving visitors of state in the gilded drawing rooms piled with art from Italy and Austria and Spain? Do you see me walking royal guests through Meinhardin Castle, showing them centuries of my family’s treasures, or the tower where Meran the First saw the armies approaching and sacrificed herself to a son of Charlemagne in order to hold her lands? For centuries the Meinhardins have been vassals to the Holy Roman Emperor. There’s a family legend that a previous grand duke was granted Merania as his own sovereign territory by Ferdinand I, though when the armies marched into Merania to quell a rebellion in a nearby territory, the imperial edict disappeared and was never discovered. Still, my father would be grand duke, and I his designated heir, if my Uncle Emmerich, God rot his soul, had not taken the country from us.
What happened?
A coup. My father and I returned from visiting Sardinia to take some of my mother’s things to her family. When we returned, my uncle had barred the gates and turned the royal guard against us. My father won’t shed blood to gain back his country, so we are reduced to begging for support. Magret’s husband refuses to help us unless my father makes him the heir. We’ve appealed to the emperor and his council for justice, with no success.
What did you do after the coup?
Traveled, seeking allies to help reinstate my father. Vienna, first, to plead our case before the emperor, who refused to hear us. After that, Pozsony, in the kingdom of Hungary. Beautiful town. So have they all been. Varna, then St. Petersburg, where I took tea with the Empress Catherine. Prague, Dresden, Rome—how I loved Roma—then Barcelona. I loved living by the sea once again. After that, Lyon in France, and then here to London.
That is a great deal of travel.
Indeed. A great many new friends. An uncountable number of sumptuous meals, balls, and waltzes. Strolls in pleasure gardens, galleries and museums, art exhibitions. I’ve worn through any number of silk slippers.
What brought you to London?
In truth? (She leans closer, glancing about the parlor to ensure we are not overheard.) That edict. The imperial patent making the grand dukes the sovereign rulers of Merania. I believe it exists. It was hidden among a set of books and sent away during the rebellion, so the emperor’s troops could not discover it. I have been across the Continent hunting for those books, and I have only three remaining to find. I am convinced I can find the patent, and that will restore my father to his rightful place as grand duke.
What stands in your way?
(A most unladylike snort.) Do you know Philip Devlin?
Of the Roscollen Devlins of Castle Bhaldraithe? I believe the father is a baronet. An Irish title, but still.
Yes, and whatever name the family does hold, this Devlin does his best to disgrace it. He’s a complete and dedicated roué, hard set on the road to ruin. I hear he spends his days raking from club to coffeehouse to the bed of his latest mistress, and spends his nights gambling, drinking, and pursuing the woman he means for his next mistress, having already tired of the one earlier that day.
It doesn’t sound as if such a man has the power to upset your quest.
Oh, but he does. I believe the scoundrel has one of my books. He may even have the one that holds the patent. If I don’t get my hands on that document, then all is lost. My father has no place in the world; I have no future. We’ll wander the world as exiles, bare to the cold wind. I must get that book.
Then what do you mean to do, your highness?
(She sips her drinks, sets it down. Smiles the smile an empress might give right before she calls for the head of her favorite.) He is calling at Fauconberg House today. I mean to challenge him to a duel to obtain the book. And if I don’t obtain it by fair means, then I’ll run him through.
You’ll go that far?
If it comes to the fate of my family and my country, then yes. I will collect all the books. I will find that patent. My father will return in triumph to Merania, and I will let nothing—and no one—stand in my way. (rises.) I hear him at the door. Thank you for visiting, Lady Cranbury. I wish you a good day. Please visit again, and I will tell you how I have fared in my quest.
Ladies Least Likely #6
Eight years ago, a usurping uncle drove Melisende and her father from their beautiful mountain home. Since then, Melisende has had one goal: find the document proving her father the rightful Grand Duke of Merania. The last step of her search brings her to London, where one unexpected obstacle stands between her and her birthright—Philip Devlin.
Devlin will never advance in government through the usual means; he’s Irish, Catholic, and a lesser son. But he’s very good at gathering information, especially sensitive information, especially from women. Melisende of Merania has secrets, and he’s determined to learn them. Even if that means offering her protection against an unknown enemy set on stopping her by any means.
Through ballrooms and alleys, intrigues and surprise attacks, Philip finds Melisende unlike any woman he’s known—a woman worth fighting for. But as her quest leads them to a mountaintop castle to confront a ruthless assassin, Melisende must choose which she loves more: Merania, or Philip.
Romance Historical [Oliver-Heber Books, On Sale: February 11, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781648398049 / ]
Misty Urban is a medieval scholar, freelance editor, and college professor who likes to write stories about misbehaving women who find adventure and romance. She holds an MFA and Ph.D. from Cornell University and lives in the Midwest in a little town on a big river.
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