Book Review - Lauren Willig's The Masque of the Black Tulip
The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig
Published by: NAL
Publication Date: December 29th, 2005
Format: Paperback, 453 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
After her brother was revealed to be the Purple Gentian, that most elusive of spies thwarting those Frenchies, Henrietta Selwick thought her life would return to normal. Almack's, balls, being seen at all the right parties, and having her brother's faithful best friend, Miles Dorrington, at her elbow, preferably with a glass of lemonade. But while everyone else gets to engage in espionage she's been forced onto the sidelines once too often and she leaps at the chance to correspond in code with the Pink Carnation, Jane Wooliston, her cousin by marriage. Because, while her brother Richard and his new wife Amy are "technically" out of the spying game, opening a spy school in your house kind of defeats the purpose, and having something little, even if it's these letters and her contact in the ribbon shop, it makes Henrietta feel special. But she fails to realize how special she is, and not just to Miles, but to a deadly French spy with the name of the Black Tulip. Hen is that most coveted of clues, the little sister to the Purple Gentian, and perhaps a link to the Pink Carnation. But who could the Black Tulip be? That spy has been out of action for so long that when a murder is committed behind Lord Vaughn's house the War Office goes into a tizzy at the calling card left behind. Could this spy actually be Lord Vaughn? That slippery and seductive fellow with silver snakes on his waistcoat who has just returned from a long sojourn on the continent? If he isn't said spy, then why is he so fascinated with Hen? But spies are only one thing Henrietta has to deal with. Miles seems not as Miles like lately. It all started with that mysterious Marquise de Montval, she of the blue black hair and flawless beauty, despite her age. Miles has been seen once too often with her, even if he was seen through the shrubberies by a not very well concealed Hen and entourage... They thought the green clothing would help to camouflage themselves. But could Hen's irritation with Miles be more of a romantic nature? Does she stand a chance against this Marquise or should she just resign herself to being killed by the Black Tulip? Meanwhile, back in the present, Eloise is put off and turned on by a certain descendant of the Purple Gentian named Colin. Boys, no matter what time period, are such an annoying mystery, it's so much easier dealing with deadly Napoleonic Spies with flowery names.
The second book in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series sees us leaving the shores of France and venturing into that most dangerous of territories, the London ton at the height of the season. I grudgingly admit, even to my friend Marie whose favorite book in the series this is, that when I first read it it was not my favorite, despite being more like a Jane Austen story than the previous installment, dealing less with espionage and more with friendships. I felt the ending and the reveal of the Black Tulip lacked something and was on the verge of French farce. But if the reveal didn't sit well with me, as Lauren recently revealed, it didn't sit well with her either. The Marquise was too ineffectual to actually be the Black Tulip. Thankfully Lauren was able to rectify this in later installments and therefore my reservations have been removed. Because if there is one truth universally acknowledged by fans of the Pink Carnation series it's that Miles and Henrietta are everyone's favorite couple. Those ginger biscuits, that floppy lock of hair, Bunny the Bunny, they all hold a revered status among us fans that they almost verge on holy relics. But to me, the joy in this book lies within all the subtle characterizations of their friends on the periphery, friends who eventually stepped forward and got their own stories. But besides Hen's two best friends, Penelope and Charlotte, who make their first appear, there are three characters without whom this book would mean nothing to me. Those three characters are Turnip, Lord Vaughn, and the Dowager Duchess of Dovedale. Turnip is a true fop with his over the top embroidered waistcoats. A man who is not afraid to show his allegiance to the Pink Carnation and whose attire leads him into a spot of bother. Lord Vaughn, ah, you seductive, enigmatic man. You are only looking out for yourself and I love you for it and for the images of James Purefoy in Regency garb you bring to mind. You literally steal every scene you are in. Finally, last but not least, because I don't want to be harmed, The Dowager Duchess of Dovedale. Scourge of the ballrooms and impudent young men. She is a force to be reckoned with. My favorite scene? While at a fancy dress ball she confiscates Penelope's spear from her Boadicea costume and uses it to poke people with. Pure, priceless, and wonderful.
For someone who reads and writes a lot I have actually never aspired to be an author. But growing up in the publishing world I did have other aspirations that were book related. My main aspiration was to appear either in the dedication of a book or in the thanks. One does love to see one’s name in print and this, I figured, was the closest way to achieving that goal without actually writing a book. I have achieved the goal of being mentioned in an author’s bio… of course that author was my Dad and I wasn’t referred to by name, but still, I was heading in the right direction. This spring I was thanked in the afterward of Marry Robinette Kowal's 
In 2012, the most favorite of Lauren’s couples, voted on by the readers, was to get a Valentine’s Day novella. The much loved Miles and Henrietta Dorrington, stars of The Masque of the Black Tulip, trounced the competition. One day I was trolling Lauren's site, as I do, and I noticed that the time had come to name the upcoming story. Everyone was throwing out flower names, but I literally had an instant of pure clarity, and Bunny and Biscuits just came into my head. The title roles off the tongue in an alliteration that I hope Miss Gwen would approve of, and if not it can be Miles and Hen’s crime fighting aliases for when they get a 60s style Avengers TV show. Much like Henrietta I had a cute yet redundantly named duo of stuffed animals when I was little. Hen had Bunny the Bunny, I had Big Bear Bear and Little Bear Bear, the little one was obviously smaller, and the Big was added to Bear Bear so that they would both have unique names, once the little one appeared on the scene. Therefore, despite perhaps being an easily forgettable fact of Hen’s childhood to most readers, to me it made us simpatico. And that’s where the “Bunny” came from. As for “Biscuits” well, all Dorrington men past and present have a love of ginger cookies, or biscuits as the Brits would say… so the title made itself really, as all good titles do. It was there in the work waiting to be said. Though in an ironic twist, “Biscuits” is one of my most misspelt words of all time, after “Sincerely” and “Business.” 
So I submitted my entry and the long and short of it is I won! I was overjoyed! There was Numfar’s Dance of Joy (seriously if you don’t know this Whedonverse allusion, get on it) much whopping and hollering, it was a riotous time, Big Bear Bear, Little Bear Bear, and I had some wild adventures in exaltation of this honor, that’s to be sure. And by wild adventures I mean sitting in a comfy chair and reading. Yet my greatest joy to come was reading the story, because Ginger Biscuits played a part. So it felt like the story was written for me. Yeah, I know it wasn’t, but I can pretend. I have always had a deep connection to Lauren's characters, but here... here I felt like every word was for me. For a reader, there is no greater joy and it happens every time I pick up one of Lauren’s books. And I'm sure for a writer there is no greater joy then having a ravenous fan base which demands more work and has year-long re-reads in anticipation of their next book. So, in the end, it might not have gotten me my goal, but this was far better! And you know what? Goals change… and I have a new goal… to get a pull quote of a review I’ve written on the dust jacket of a book… or in those first few pages you always skip over praising the author’s previous works, I’d settle for that.
I don't remember when I finally bought The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I had seen it on the front table of Borders for so long that I eventually was worn down by sheer exposure. I might not remember when I bought it, but when I first read it is forever ingrained on my memory. Think how often a book becomes entwined with the memory of first reading that book. The two become inseparable and that is where my cat comes in. 
First Impression: So, he was in one of the lamest Doctor Who episodes ever. I've basically blocked all of "Cold War" out, so I have to take this screencap's proof he was in it. I mean seriously, you bring back the Ice Warriors and make it into The Hunt for Red October but lamer but at least mercifully shorter. Oh, and they refer to the TARDIS as male, when the TARDIS has and always will be a she!
Lasting Impression: Oliver Ashford in Belle. Seriously, if you have not seen this movie do so now. James plays the young man interested in Dido's hand. While he is overshadowed by Tom Felton as his creepy and racist brother, there is a sweetness to him that makes you think, well, he's not that bad a guy. Plus those tight trousers and knee breeches stretching and straining as he sits in a chair, hold me back. So yes, the knee breeches made him memorable.
Can't believe it's them: Again, I state for the record, Doctor Who, but that's because of my own doing. 
Bio: He grew up in Yorkshire which makes me wonder, with those cheekbones, how he never ended up as a sexy servant at Downton. Anyway, he was interested in acting at a young age but went to Cambridge to study theology which lead to him going to Nepal and studying Buddhism (at least I'm assuming that's why he went there, one does seem to lead to the other). On his return to England he enrolled in RADA and got his break in a very small role at the end of An Education... which would actually be where I probably saw him first but have totally forgotten, almost like Doctor Who, though not on purpose because I liked that movie. He started to pick up small parts in period pieces, but his breakthrough roles in the aforementioned Death Comes to Pemberley and Happy Valley led to him getting the starring role in Grantchester, which made him an insta-star after the premiere. What I'm really looking forward to though is his turn as Duncan Grant in the new drama about the Bloomsbury set, 
