Leopard in Exile
Book Jacket
Carolus Rex [2]
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Under King Charles II, England's New World colonies are flourishing, as is France's colony Louisianne. Napolean is the dreaded Master of the European continent . . . And Sarah Cunningham, a woman from our own world, knows all too well what a difference this makes, for not long ago she was ripped from her life as a United States citizen in our history. Sarah, now the Duchess of Wessex, journeys to North America with her new husband, the Duke—but this is no pleasure trip. The fate of the world—New and Old—rests on her saving her friend Meriel, rescuing Louis, rightful King of France, from the clutches of the Marquis de Sade, and finding the Holy Grail. But she and her beloved Duke are beset by perils that will test their strength and spirit to the utmost.
Color--
-1-
-2-
-3-
-4-
-5-
-6-
-7-
-8-
-9-
Text Size--10
--
11
--
12
--
13
--
14
--
15
--
16
--
17
--
18
--
19
--
20
--
21
--
22
--
23
--
24
Leopard in Exile
By
Andre Norton & Rosemary Edghill
Contents
TOR BOOKS BY ANDRE NORTON
The Crystal Gryphon
Dare to Go A-Hunting
Flight in Yiktor
Forerunner
Forerunner: The Second Venture
Here Abide Monsters
Moon Called
Moon Mirror
The Prince Commands
Ralestone Luck
Stand and Deliver
Wheel of Stars
Wizards' Worlds
Wraiths of Time
Grandmasters' Choice
(Editor)
The Jekyll Legacy
(with Robert Bloch)
Gryphon's Eyrie
(with A. C. Crispin)
Songsmith
(with A. C. Crispin)
Caroline
(with Enid Cushing)
Firehand
(with P. M. Griffin)
Redline the Stars
(with P. M. Griffin)
Sneeze on Sunday
(with Grace Allen Hogarth)
House of Shadows
(with Phyllis Miller)
Empire of the Eagle
(with Susan Shwartz)
Imperial Lady
(with Susan Shwartz)
THE SOLAR QUEEN (with Sherwood Smith)
Derelict for Trade
A Mind for Trade
THE WITCH WORLD (Editor)
Four from the Witch World
Tales from the Witch World 1
Tales from the Witch World 2
Tales from the Witch World 3
WITCH WORLD:
I
Storms of Victory
(with P. M. Griffin)
II
Flight of Vengeance
(with P. M. Griffin and Mary Schaub)
III
On Wings of Magic
(with Patricia Mathews and Sasha Miller)
(Editor, with Robert Adams)
Magic in Ithkar 1
Magic in Ithkar 2
Magic in Ithkar 3
Magic in Ithkar 4
THE HALFBLOOD CHRONICLES
(with Mercedes Lackey)
The Elvenbane
Elvenblood
CAROLUS REX (with Rosemary Edghill)
The Shadow of Albion
Leopard in Exile
TIME TRADERS (with Sherwood Smith)
Echoes in Time
Bell, Book, and Murder
comprising:
Speak Daggers to Her
,
Book of Moons, The Bowl of Night
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the
author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2001 by Andre Norton, Ltd. & Rosemary Edghill
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Edited by James Frenkel
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN: 0-812-54540-0
First edition: April 2001
First mass market edition: February 2002
Printed in the United States of America
To Teresa Nielsen Hoyden and Jennara Wenk for industrial-strength eleventh-hour hand-holding.
And to Harry and Bandit, for Cavalier Attitude and being Very Patient.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the SFF.NET Contra-historians (and various otters) for their help:
Constance Ash (for Washington's toast and other matters)
John C. Bunnell (for straightening out all my theories about where the Cree should be)
India Edghill (for the third Countess of Monticello, nyahh!)
Zette Gifford
Sharon Lee
Thomas J. Lewis (for the Ferguson rifle and general New World military advice)
Anne McCaffrey (for advice and input on an earlier draft)
Steve Miller
Adam Pacio
Beth Nachison
Allen Hazen
Laura J. Underwood
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Rose Wolf
Most of you for hand-holding and reference-pointing at short notice in my SFF.NET newsgroup, and
some for other things. My apologies to all those I've omitted here, who listened to my ideas,
commiserated with me about my research sources, and generally provided emotional support during the
writing of this book.
And most of all my coauthor, the Lady herself, Andre Norton, without whom neither this book nor this
world would exist at all.
—ree
NOTE
In writing an historical novel these days, even a contra-historical novel, the writer walks a fine line
between the political correctness of modern enlightened usage and the way people actually spoke and
thought at the time. In referring to tribal and slave populations of the New World, I've done my best to
be clear and reasonably naturalistic while still trying to avoid terms that make me wince (complicating
matters is the fact that nearly every Native American tribal name used in the East and South translates as
"the People.") Only you can be the judge of how well I've succeeded at this delicate—and sometimes
ticklish—task.
—ree
May this nation always be a lesson and an example to princes.
—George Washington
AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:
An Empire That Never Was
The "If Theory" of history is that oftentimes in world history distinct and radical changes rest upon a single
event or person. From that particular point two worlds then come into existence, one in which the matter
goes one way and one wherein it goes the other.
The point of divergence here is the affair of the Duke of Monmouth in the days of Charles II. The
majority of the English people at the time of Charles' death were bitterly opposed to the return of a
Catholic ruler. Unfortunately, Charles II had not been able to produce a living heir by his Portuguese
wife, Catherine of Braganza, though he had a number of illegitimate children by various mistresses, upon
whom he settled dukedoms and other major honors.
There has always been a rumor that James, Duke of Monmouth, the eldest known of Charles' by-blows,
is actually legitimate—that Charles, while in exile, did marry Mistress Waters, the Duke's mother.