Death At Epsom Downs

Susan Albert writes:

I can think of only two women of our time who might be compared to Lillie Langtry: Mado

And yet, despite the words and pictures that convey Langtry’s image to our time, despite the “autobiography” that conceals far more than it reveals, the real Lillie Langtry remains a fascinating enigma. She was a brief sensation on the London social scene in the late 1870’s; she gave birth to a daughter whose paternity can only be guessed at (good guesses are Prince Louis of Battenberg and the Prince of Wales); she spent two decades as a mediocre actress whose figure, face, costumes, and jewelry excited far more attention and approval than did her acting or the plays she produced; and she relied for much of her financial support upon the generosity of a string of wealthy lovers. She married Hugo de Bathe in a private ceremony in July of 1899 (the only congratulations came from the Prince of Wales, who telegraphed to Mr. Jersey his compliments not on her marriage but on Merman’s wi

But while these facts of Lillie’s life are known, the mysteries we have portrayed in this book remain unsolved. What did happen to the jewels-worth more than two million dollars in today’s currency-that were taken from the Union Bank in 1895? How did Edward Langtry die? What was her relationship with Jea

We don’t know the answers to these questions. Nobody does. But a study of Langtry’s life certainly suggests that she was the kind of woman who might have converted her jewels to ready cash and had the paste copies stolen to cover up the substitution. To gain her freedom, she might also have co

Like Marilyn Monroe, like Mado

REFERENCES

Here are a few books that we found helpful in creating Death at Epsom Downs. Other background works may be found in the references to earlier books in this series. We hope that the next time you travel to England, you will take time to visit the National Horse Racing Museum, in the High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk, where you’ll find Lillie Langtry’s boots on display. If you can’t go to Newmarket, visit the Museum’s Web site at http://www.nhrm.co.uk/body_index.html. If you have comments or questions, you may write to Bill and Susan Albert, P.O. Box 1616, Bertram, TX 78605, or E-mail us at [email protected] /* */ You might also wish to visit our Web site, where you will find additional information about the life and times of Lillie Langtry: http://www.mysterypartners.com.

The A

Blyth, Henry. The Pocket Venus: A Victorian Scandal, New York: Walker and Company, 1966.

The British Journal Photographic Almanac & Photographer’s Daily Companion. London: Henry Greenwood, 1899.

Brough, James. The Prince and the Lily: The Story of Lillie Langtry-The Greatest International Beauty of Her

Day. New York: Coward, McCa

Ca

Dudley, Ernest. The Gilded Lily: The Life and Loves of the Fabulous Lillie Langtry. London: Odhams Press Ltd., 1958.

Fairfax-Blakeborough, J. M. C. Paddock Personalities: Being Thirty Years’ Turf Memories. London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., 1936.

Hu

Onslow, Richard. The Squire: A Life of George Alexander Baird, Gentleman Rider 1861-1893. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1980.

Plumptre, George. The Fast Set: The World of Edwardian Racing. London: André Deutsch Ltd., 1985.

Tuchman, Barbara W. The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890-1914. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1962.

Tobin, Thomas. Drugs and the Performance Horse. Springfield Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publishers, Ltd., 1981.

Welcome, John. Neck or Nothing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Bob Sievier. London: Faber and Faber, 1970.

Paige Robin