Historical Mysteries
Follow Claude and Pierre Hapsburg as they defend the Hapsburg wealth and name. Join them as they traverse Europe -missing Champagne, diamonds, Faberge Eggs, Catherine the Greats amber room and Leonardo's fountains.
The Missing Champagne
Circa 1750
Rome, Vatican
She didn’t come to the Vatican very often. Her father, was never happy to see her. No one lit up when she walked into a room. She noticed these things. Daphne longed to be seen for who she really was, beyond the shadow of her father’s sins. Her purpose for being in the Vatican was selfish, she kept looking for clues about her mother, she needed to find where the secrets were kept, she needed to dive into the Vatican’s secrets, her quest for the truth led her deeper into the Vatican.
She was enjoying wandering the humongous rooms full of empty space, the gilded woodwork and hand painted ceilings and Italian marble floors. She knew there were hidden doors in each room, but never knew where they were. She started pushing and pulling on the walls. Never expecting to find a real hidden door.
Alas!
She felt one give!!
She kept pushing, this was easier than she thought. It opened to a hallway. Quite different from where she came. Stone walls, stone floors, no decorations anywhere, no paintings, no tile, so cold and drafty, hardly any light adorned the hallway. She went through, she wound through a few empty halls. She never heard the sound of royal robes coming her way.
She rounded a sharp stone corner and came face to face with a royal man! A British royal! A bit older than her, but a kind face. He looked at her as if he could see all the good in her, all the kind intentions, as well as all the loneliness.
Even though liking a Brit was looked down on, she never cared much for social norms. What she saw was a kind face, strong hands and she could feel a force that comes from blood lines, not a power hungry force, but a power that comes from heredity. Calm and sure of himself, he walked past her. She couldn’t let this moment pass her by. Although she didn’t know what to say either.
Finally, after a few awkward seconds, he said, “Excuse, mademoiselle, I am terribly late, perhaps….?” He didn’t know how to finish his sentence, so he smiled and took her hand in his to kiss.
The universe was unfolding.
Review from @thewritersday:
There is something entirely mesmerizing about historical fiction that strips away the textbook stiffness and immerses you straight into the sensory heartbeat of an era. That was precisely my experience turning the pages of Claude & Pierre: The Missing Champagne by Elizabeth Trester.
Set during the waning, volatile days of the Ancien Regime, the story unfolds against the glittering backdrop of Versailles and the bubbling ferment of a chamging France. We follow Marie Antoinette finding secret solace in the cool cellars of Champagne alongside a devout vintner, whose clandestine sanctuary is accidentally upended when her cousin, Pierre stumbles upon their hidden alliance. As a rare bottle of sparkling wine vanishes into the care of Pierre and his strategist brother Claude, a fierce pursuit begins involving Daphne, the Pope's illegitimate daughter, and historical luminaries like Jacques-Louis David in revolutionary Paris.
Trester's writing style is lush, atmospheric and deeply immersive. What makes this book unique is how it weaves the delicate, meticulous craft of early champagne-making with the sweeping political intrigue and revolutionary tension, grounding grand historical moments with in intimate, quiet human choices.
Reading this felt like stepping into an oil painting brought entirely to life. I found myself slow-sipping my tea by the window late at night, completely enchanted by the sensory details of damp cellar stones and quiet Parisian cafe culture.
Thank you!!
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