Mark Arbour

Me too.

We will see. In any event, it helps to have a handy model for an obnoxious teenager.

Darling, boring is something you could never be.

I meant that it would be harder for them to rise to the peerage... a much greater leap. I read an interesting book (of course I can't remember the title) about the aristocracy of the Georgian era, and while they could vie for power and influence, if their class as a whole was threatened, they would band together and fight like banshees. That makes sense, a normal reaction, but the implication was that their position at the top of the social heap was pre-ordained and indisputable, something that modern American Moguls can relate to. So my point was poorly made, but it was that since Granger is already part of that caste, if only because it's his milieu, then having him rise to the peerage would be less of a leap as someone who came from a more humble background, such as Nelson or Jervis.

No. You're confusing orders of chivalry (Knighthood) with the peerage. I think it's important to remember that while titles are important, the family was much more important. Consider this. For Granger to achieve what he has ( a knighthood and promotion to post captain at such a young age) would be unthinkable if he did not have influence. If Granger receives his own peerage, it will probably raise few eyebrow, because he's already an aristocrat. For someone who isn't to achieve that goal (such as Nelson, Jervis, etc), it's a stunning achievement.

I think Stefan is balancing the hassle of doing it with his general love of drama and gossip. This would be a test of that balance, though. Self-absorbed? Teenagers? Yeah! I must be getting it right!

I think that's reasonable leeway in a fictional story.

I love you too.

You know me....there has to be a dead body somewhere. ;-)

Thanks. It's interesting, because Wiki gives me a great reference for when events happen, but there's usually a lot more research to do after that.

Only when they're about to crash.

It's not easy to create a cool girlfriend.

I should have known you'd have a well-thought-out plan and a good rationale. Good luck.

Not for me. I think women are hot too! :-)

I'm not sure that Caroline of Brunswick was subjected to terrible treatment. It seems that there are different schools of thought on that. I thought the Wiki article on her was interesting. Here's an excerpt: What I found most interesting about that whole thing, though, was that the dashing "Swedish Knight", Sir William Sydney Smith was one of her lovers. We met him at the Siege of Toulon.

A review from Canuck: Muhahahaha.

You see, the beauty of writing a story like this is that if you are vague, should you encounter a pedantic Brit, you can go back in and backfill. I did mention Caroline of Brunswick, but only briefly, as the Prince of Wales certainly wouldn't have wanted to talk about her. That seems to be a nastier replay of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves.

July 25, 2000 Paris, France Will I woke up early, well, early for me anyway: It was almost 10:30. Actually, to say I woke up early wasn’t accurate either, since I hadn’t slept much at all. John’s big announcement last night had hit me a lot harder than I’d let him see. After he’d fallen asleep, I’d rolled over on my side with my back to him and softly cried until I was damn near dehydrated. I figured that regardless of what was going to happen today, this would be my last day

It's fun when you have a series like this with a lot of peripheral characters.

Nonsense...I love all reviews. Besides, lengthy doesn't mean "better"..well, at least not all the time. ;-)

The body count is high in this story...just like it was back then. You're not allowed to hate me after you read "1968"

That's what I thought when I was researching it, and why I left some of the politically incorrect terms in. It's a pretty happy thing, the progress we've made.

Ah yes, the ancient art of marrying well. What I have said in the stories is that the Lammert's are descendants of royal bastards, and this line in particular came from a younger son of a duke. I think the lineage would be acceptable, despite the lack of a title. I also noted that the dowry was quite large, so that would have brushed off many concerns regarding lineage. That's a time-honored trait for the aristocracy...marrying into a more bourgeois family to replenish the family coffers. Having said that, the Lammerts certainly aren't bourgeois.

Good luck. I've had jobs where I made shitloads of money and had asshole bosses, and jobs where I make much less and have great bosses. I'll take the latter any day. Work is about so much more than money, but if the boss is a jerk, the job's going to suck, and not in a good way. Think about how much time you spend at work on a weekly basis, compared to all your other activities besides sleep. I'll bet it's substantial, probably much bigger than anything else (I'll avoid tossing masturbation into that equation). Do you really want to spend that much of your life being miserable?

Ah, neighbors. My neighbor wants me to spend $1000 to remove a tree that fell down in my yard. My tree, fallen in my yard. I'm thinking "f**k it" because I can't even see the damn thing (it's hidden by other trees). He's upset because it ruins his view. When I get home and ask him to pony up half the cost, we'll see how important the view is.