The fourth novel in the venerable adventure series, The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, was first released in 1908.French Agent Chauvelin visits England in 1793 as an authorized agent of the French government. His true objective is to deceive Sir Percy Blakeney into going back to France so that he can be apprehended and executed there. At a gala on Richmond Green, a young French actress named Désirée Candielle helps devise the plot.To raise money for the underprivileged in Paris, Désirée is operating a tent with a mock guillotine. Marguerite Blakeney walks into her stall and is immediately moved by the young girl's tragic tale. Then, in front of the Prince of Wales, she extends an invitation for her to perform at her Richmond home. Sir Percy insists that they both visit him at his house as scheduled.Sir Percy Blakeney's Scarlet Pimpernel is set up by Désirée Candielle as part of a plot to get rid of him by his arch-rival Chauvelin. Marguerite is arrested for attempting to enter France on a false passport, and the citizens of Boulogne are threatened with death if she escapes. But as always Percy is more than a match for his nemesis and proves his mettle in every battle.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaors, Hungary in 1865. She was a notable artist, playwright and author. Her father Baron Felix Orczy was a composer and mother Countess Emma Orczy. Due to a peasant revolt her family fled to Brussels then Paris and lastly to London. With her sister Emma studied in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. She learned music and paintings but gained success in paintings at the West London School of Art and at Heartherley. In collaboration with her husband Montague Barstow, Baroness Hungarian fairy tales and began writing romance and fiction. She was appreciated for the translation of Old Hungarian Fairy Tales. Her first novel, The Emperor's Candlesticks faced rejection for being too short. But her second novel 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' proved a boon for him, she earned name and fame. As a prominent author she wrote dozens of romantic novels, plays and detective stories. Her memorable works-The Man in Grey, The Laughing Cavalier, Skin O' My Tooth, Eldorado- a sequel to the Scarlet Pimpernel, The Old Man in the Corner, The Divine Folly, The Old Scare Crow, Lady Molly of Scotland Yard etc. She was died in London in 1947.
