Many of the characters in this Arsenic at Ascot were inspired by real people. Emilie Augusta Louise Lind af Hageby, known as Lizzy Lind, was a Swedish-born animal activist who founded the Purple Cross for horses and started the first veterinary field hospitals for military animals. She did enter medical school at the University of London to expose their vivisectionist cruelties. And she co-founded—with Lady Nina Douglas, Duchess of Hamilton—the Animal Defense Society with an office on Piccadilly. Nina used her estate at Ferne as a sanctuary for animals abandoned during the war, especially World War II when food was in such short supply that many pet owners could no longer afford to feed themselves and their pets.
The character of Sergei Vorknoy is inspired by Dr. Serge Voronoff, known as the “monkey gland expert” and the “monkey gland doctor.” Dr. Voronoff grafted tissue from chimpanzee testicles onto wealthy men and their horses. He claimed the operation would restore youth and vitality and boost intelligence. He performed his operations mostly in France, but also in England.
Lady Sybil is very loosely based on Lady Sybil Grant, daughter of Lord Archibald Primrose, Earl of Rosebery, who served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom in 1894–1895. He did close the gates to one of his estates, The Durdans, when his son left to fight and never again reopened them. And after his wife, Hannah de Rothschild, died, he wore mourning for the rest of his life. He was also an avid horse lover and owned several stables and racehorses. He did not, however, hide horses from the War Office and neither did his groom. Lady Sybil was known for her unconventional ways, including climbing trees and issuing orders with a bullhorn and traveling with the caravan of Romani she allowed to camp on the estate.
My recurring baddie, Fredrick Fredricks, is inspired by real-life spy Fredrick “Fritz” Joubert Duquesne, the South African huntsman who escaped from prison several times in outrageous ways, adopted several personae, and generally charmed his way through high society posing as a journalist, a British army officer, and a duke. One of his aliases was Fredrick Fredricks. He was also the leader of an infamous spy ring in World War II until his capture in one of the largest espionage convictions in United States history.
I love historical mysteries because I can learn things about history while enjoying a rip-roaring good story. What do you love about historical mysteries?