Page 42 of Duke of Disguise (Ladies of Worth #4)

Agamemnon - was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans during the Trojan War.

Cabinet Noir / Cabinet du Secretes des Postes - a government intelligence-gathering office in France that would intercept correspondence between people, open it, copy it out or read it, and then reseal the letters and send them on to their destination. The Cabinet Noir was real, running from the time of Louis XIII onwards and the idea was to do its work without the recipient knowing their correspondence had been read or interrupting the normal running and timings of the postal service.

Café Procope - this café still exists in Paris to this day. It was originally opened in 1686 by Sicilian chef Procopio Cutò and quickly became a hub of the Parisian artistic and literary community. It attracted many famous individuals from the Enlightenment who came to discuss thoughts and ideas of the day including Rousseau, Condorcet, Voltaire, Diderot, Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones and Thomas Jefferson.

Comédie-Fran?aise - founded in 1680, the Comédie-Fran?aise was a merger of two Parisian acting troupes and became a state theatre in France.

Comte - this is the French version of the title Count.

Cravat - usually a strip of linen that was tied around a gentleman’s neck, the equivalent of a tie for the 18th century gentleman.

Caron de Beaumarchais - Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) was a French polymath, watchmaker, inventor, playwright, diplomat, spy, arms dealer and financier of the American Revolution.

Duke - the highest hereditary title in the British peerage.

Ennui - a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.

Enlightenment - a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries which relooked at traditional understandings of God, nature and humanity through the new lens of reason and rational thought. The Enlightenment was a complex and often contradictory movement of intellectual thought with some streams becoming the bedrock of modern thinking around such subjects as equality both of sex and race, freedom of speech and religious toleration.

Eau de Vie – a concoction of water and brandy sold by street sellers in Paris.

Flintlock pistol - a gun that used a flint striking ignition system.

Hérisson - French for hedgehog.

H?tel - an 18th century town house in Paris, France.

?le de la Cité - is an island in the river Seine in the centre of Paris housing legal and ecclesiastical buildings as well as the Place Dauphine.

Jardin des Tuileries - this was the gardens of the Tuileries Palace, originally built by Queen Catherine de Medici in the 16th century. It was opened to the public in 1667 and was the first royal garden to be so.

Khol - this is a traditional eye cosmetic used to outline the eye. Likely originating in Egypt, it is still used throughout the world today.

Lutin - a type of hobgoblin from French folklore, the equivalent of a brownie, elf, pixie, sprite, imp or fairy. They could be good or mischievous.

Marie-Emilie Maryon de Montanclos – a French journalist, feminist, and playwright (1736-1812). She became editor of the Journals des Dames in 1774 where she defended the rights of women to education and independence.

Masquerade – a ball where the attendees where masks and sometimes costumes.

Montmartre - a large hill in Paris home to the white domed church Sacré-Coeur.

On dit - a piece of gossip.

Patch - patches, or mouches (French for flies), were false beauty spots usually made from black taffeta or velvet and cut into shapes like hearts or crescents. They were worn on the face, neck or chest to hide imperfections and highlight the whiteness of the skin. They became fashionable in the late 18th century, particularly as a way to hide scars caused by smallpox.

Polite Society - during the 18th century, politeness became an ideology and the way of the higher social classes to distinguish themselves from the rising middle classes. The term Polite Society referred to that high social set.

Roquelaure - a heavy, knee length cloak popular in 18th century France.

Rout - a name for a social gathering or party.

Salon - a French cultural institution of the Enlightenment consisting of a weekly social gathering at the private house of an aristocratic lady, at which social, artistic, and scientific questions of the day were discussed.

Salonnière - a lady who hosted salons.

Simian - relating to an ape or monkey.

Snuffbox - a small decorative box to hold scented and powdered tobacco (snuff).

Smuggler – an individual who smuggled goods into a country illegally in order to avoid import and export taxes. There were extensive smuggling operations between Britain and France during the 18th century as different wars brought about increased excise duties. Smuggled goods weren’t limited to alcohol such as brandy but also included other high taxed items such as lace, silk, hair powder and tea.

Sou - a low denomination of French currency in the 18th century made of copper coins.

Southern Department - a department in the English and subsequent British government from 1660 until 1782 which dealt with home and foreign affairs for Southern Europe and the British colonies.

St Saviour’s Dock - is an inlet dock on the south bank of the River Thames in London.

Théatre des Tuileries – a theatre in the Tuileries Palace also known as the Salle des Machines due to its elaborate stage machinery. It was home to the Comédie-Fran?aise acting troupe.

Tête-à-tête - a private conversation between two people.

Tragedienne - an actress who specialises and is known for playing tragic roles.

Vieille chèvre – French for old goat.

Water bearer – an individual whose occupation was to fetch water from public wells and fountains in buckets and deliver it to the residences of the wealthy.