The Lady and the Thief (The Duke’s Men #1)

Prologue

F rom the archives of London’s newspapers, an account of the destruction of the Houses of Parliament by fire on October 16, 1834.

We mentioned in our last the alarming fire which between the hours of six and seven on Thursday evening, burst out from one of the apartments connected with the House of Lords, and spreading with fearful rapidity, soon consumed the houses both of lords and commons….

In future tables of chronological events, the terrible destruction occasioned by the fire which broke out last evening, will stand out in startling effect… The interior of the House of Lords was filled with one vast flame, casting its lurid glare far over the horizon—lighting up the broken clouds above, which were driven on before a strong westerly gale—spreading over the silent Thames a vast sheet of crimson, that seemed to smother the feeble rays of the rising moon—bringing out the stately and majestic towers of the abbey in strong relief against the deep blue western sky… The gable end of the former, the last relic of the chapel of St. Stephen, with its beautiful Gothic window, stood up between us and the glowing furnace of fire in strong and beautiful outline. Whilst at intervals, as the smoke varied in its motion, other port ions of Gothic architecture, oriel windows, turrets, and towers, broke on the view; all within them was feeding the devouring element.

By half-past seven o’clock the engines were brought to play upon the building both from the river and the land side, but the flames had by this time acquired such a predominance, that the quantity of water thrown upon them produced no visible effect, and in less than an hour from the time at which the flames first appeared the entire roof of the House of Lords had fallen in.

The firemen now abandoned all hopes of saving any part of this portion of the building, and their attention and efforts were from this time wholly directed towards the House of Commons, and to the preservation of that venerable structure, Westminster Hall. It was unfortunate that the tide was out, and the water in the river very low. A floating engine from Woolwich played from the river with much effect, but arrived late in the night.

The pickpockets were busy; but the mighty multitude behaved well, and even decorously.

Westminster Hall is saved.