One of the major inciting incidents of the story and several of the characters involved were inspired by an anecdote about the 9^th Duke of Marlborough and his second wife, Gladys Deacon. Marlborough had first been wed to the American heiress, Consuelo Vanderbilt. The marriage was notoriously unhappy, and after they divorced, Marlborough wed his mistress, Gladys Deacon. Unfortunately, their wedded bliss also soured, though Marlborough’s subsequent conversion to Roman Catholicism made divorce impossible. At one dinner party, Gladys is alleged to have produced a revolver and set it on the table beside her. When one of the startled guests asked, “Duchess, what are you doing to do with that?” She replied, “Oh! I don’t know. I might just shoot Marlborough.” Gladys served as the inspiration of my character Ada, Marlborough of Lord Rockham, and Consuelo of Calliope.