False Colours
Probably the first literary treatment of one twin impersonating
another was Plautus' play 'Menaechmi' in about 200 BC. Shakespeare
borrowed from this comedy for his 'Comedy of Errors, 'with its
farcical treatment of the twin servants who confuse their twin
masters. In 'Twelfth Night' the fraternal twins Viola and
Sebastian are also hard to tell apart -- at least when Viola is
dressed as a boy.
Until this century, identical twins must have seemed much more
remarkable, almost preternatural. Now that modern medicine has
made it possible for very small or premature babies to thrive,
and they can be nourished even if their mother hasn't enough milk
for two, we often take them for granted. The Fancot twins would
have been something of a phenomenon.
At the end of the Congress, Castlereagh returned to his role as Leader of the Commons,
leaving his half-brother, Sir Charles Stewart, later Baron Sewart, as ambassador to the
Hapsburg Emperor at Vienna. Stewart was the fairly indulgent boss who gave Kit leave to
go home and settle his affairs after his inheritance.
Kit's diplomatic talents, of which we have seen so much evidence,
his personal charm and his good connections will doubtless lead
to a successful career as a diplomat, perhaps an ambassadorship
or a Cabinet post.
(also see The Quadruple Alliance)
In its heyday, the taking of snuff became highly ritualized, as
witness Evelyn's trick of opening his snuffbox with a flick of
one finger. The design and manufacture of snuff boxes became an
art, making use of every kind of metal, porcelain and ivory.
Snuff boxes were elegant and expensive gifts, and soon became
collectors' items; rich and fashionable men would have a large
number of them. The recipes of the snuff-makers, whose names
were attached to the "brand," were elaborate and secret; the
process could take several days. Kit's faux pas in letting the
snuff get dry showed that he was not the man-about-town that his
twin was.
In 19th-century England the fashion for snuff declined sharply as
tobacco pipes evolved and came into wider use. By 1850 90% of
tobacco users smoked rather than sniffed their nicotine.
Poetical efforts dating from
Eighteenth century to the present day on snuff and snuff taking.
Beaver -
A low-crowned hat made of beaver fur or cloth that resembled
it -- out of fashion in 1817, as Fimber points out to Kit.
Canterbury trick -
This term derives from the Puritan distrust of the concept
of the Archbishopric of Canterbury. A "Canterbury tale" is a
fantastic fiction, reminiscent of Chaucer's collection.
Chapeau-bras - : a flat three-cornered silk hat that was
carried under the arm, worn by gentlemen in full-dress, from the
French, chpeau, hat, and bras, arm.
Cicisbeo -
The lover or companion of a married woman. The OED says the
origin of the word is unknown.
Dun territory -
In debt, that is, liable to be dunned, or besieged with
demands for payment.
Fourpence to a groat -
No difference, as they have the same value.
Give him snuff -
To deal sharply with or punish.
Go home by beggar's bush -
To be ruined.
Half-boot -
Outdoor shoes made of kid, buttoned on the side and coming
just above the ankle.
In the basket - Destitute, derived from basket, in which food was distributed in almhouses.
Jaconnet muslin -
Fabric named from its origin in Jagannath, India.
Job-chaise -
A chaise was a light open carriage for one or two
passengers; a job-chaise was one hired for the trip, as we would
rent a car. It denoted lack of status, as well-to-do people
owned their own carriages.
Jointure -
The portion of money designated by a marriage settlement to
sustain a widow. It was hers only for her lifetime, which is
probably what Lady Denville meant when she said it was all a hum.
Linkmen -
A hired man who lighted the way in dark streets at night,
carrying a torch made of burning pitch.
Malacca cane -
A walking cane of a rich brown color, often clouded or
mottled, made from the stem of the palm Calamus scipionis, which
grows wild in Indonesia and Malaysia (where Malacca is.) The
first mention in the OED is from 1844, in "Ainsworth's Magazine."
Negus - a drink made of wine, usually port or sherry, mixed with hot water and sugar, considered
suitable for women and young persons.
Portmanteau - a travel case for carrying clothes, especially one that is of stiff leather hinged
in the middle. From the French "porter", to carry, and "manteau", coat.
Sedan chair - a chair in which a lady or an invalid was carried through the streets, with poles
that rested on the shoulders of the bearers. It might be open or closed.
Half dress was between "undress" and "full dress". Undress would have been
what a woman wore at home at breakfast or while she was lounging around
ordering the evening's dinner menu and chatting with her lady's maid. Half
dress would have been suitable for wearing to a dinner with the family,
dinner at a friend's house in a small party, or a less formal gather. Full
dress would have been the starchiest, suitable for Almack's, a formal ball,
or other large party. Court dress was the ne plus ultra, and had its own
very archaic, formal requirements (three feathers in the hair, hoops until
late in the regency, all white, etc.). Court dress was worn only to formal
presentations and the like at St. James palace or for the Queen's Drawing
Room.
Thanks to Louisa Pineault - check out her site Le Garderobe
for more details.
TWINS
Twins, of course, have been born throughout history, though in
earlier centuries not so many lived to adulthood. Mythology
abounds in twins: Castor and Pollux, Apollo and Diana, Romulus
and Remus, who were brought up by a wolf and founded Rome. In
some cultures they have been considered unlucky, or an indication
that the mother has committed adultery. Among some Native
American tribes the first-born twin is destined to be a hero (not
the case with Evelyn and Kit!)KIT'S CAREER
FC is unusual among Heyer's books in that the date is stated on
the first page: June 1817. This helps us to follow Kit's
activities in Europe. Kit has entered the Diplomatic Service, as
was then customary, on the strength of his family background and
a good word from Uncle Henry. No exams to take or language
qualifications! He was first posted to the Constantinople. As
the Ottoman Empire was not at that time a major player, Kit was
bored, and glad to be sent next to the court of Czar Alexander I
at St. Petersburg, where he caught the eye of the ambassador,General Lord Cathcart. William Cathcart, 10th Baron Cathcart in
Scotland, later 1st Earl Cathcart in England, was really a career
soldier, who fought bravely at several engagements in the
American Revolution and later against Napoleon, and was
considered one of the major architects of Napoleon's defeat. (It
was Cathcart, by the way, who urged the government to put Sir
Arthur Wellesley, not yet the Duke of Wellington, in command of
the Peninsular Army.) He was the nephew of Sir William Hamilton,
the ill-fated envoy to Naples. It was during a break in his
active service that Cathcart was named Ambassador to Russia, but
he at once became a military advisor to the Czar and accompanied
the Russian armies into battle against Napoleon. According to
GH, is was through friendship with Cathcart's son George that Kit
went to Vienna after Napoleon's defeat and became "so much
interested in the tangled policies of the peace."The Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was the meeting of the major European powers in 1814 and 1815 to
design a settlement after the upheavals of the Napoleonic period. The leading figures were
Clemens Prince von Metternich, principal minister of Emperor Francis II of Austria, and the
British Foreign Secretary, Robert Stewart,Viscount Castlereagh (later Marquess of Londonderry,
but always known by his prior title).SNUFF
A key twist in the plot involves snuff: Kit evidently does not
use snuff, but his brother is a connoisseur. The snuff box to the left is a silver model from 1809, to the right is an enamel model from the
1780'sSnuff is tobacco
ground or grated to a powder fermented and moistened with attar
of roses, lavendar, cloves, mint, jasmine, or many other
substances, and sniffed (or sometimes rubbed inside the mouth,
but this was a lower-class taste.) 
It became known in Europe
very early after the first discovery of tobacco in the New World
-- first in Spain, naturally enough, then in Italy and France,
where it became the rage in aristocratic circles. The word itself
is Dutch. Snuff was known in England in 1600 but at first
smoking tobacco in a pipe was more common, perhaps because of the
example of Sir Walter Raleigh. The oldest English silver
snuffbox we have is dated 1655, but the use of snuff did not become really
popular until the 18th century, and was already fading a bit by
1817. 
POSSIBLY UNFAMILIAR TERMS
Banbury story -
A "whopper," not to be believedDress
Half dress is more of a style or tone of garment than an actual item of
clothing. (Think: semi-formal, formal, informal, casual...)
Duchess of Devonshire |
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The narrator says that Lady Denville had been compared to the wife of the fifth Duke of Devonshire. This is a high compliment, as Georgiana Spencer (1757-1806) was renowned for her charm, " her irresistible manners, and the seduction of her society." (DNB) However, in other ways she was most unlike Lady Denville, as she was admired for her intellect and extremely interested in politics. She actually took an active role in political campaigning, especially on behalf of Charles James Fox. You will also find a biography of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire here.
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He was the pre-eminent British diplomat of his time and architect of much of postwar
Europe, working with Metternich to achieve an acceptable balance of power among Britain,
France, Austria, Prussia and Russia. Castlereagh decided on the island of St. Helena for the
arch-enemy's place of exile, and set the terms of his confinement. 48 years old at the
time of our story, he had been born into the Irish landowning aristocracy, and was prominent
in English and Irish politics both before and after becoming Foreign Secretary. His great
achievements regarding the European settlement were not well known or appreciated at home,
where he took the blame for the government's domestic policies and for his role in promoting
George IV's divorce from Queen Caroline. Worn out by work and responsibilities, he committed
suicide in 1822.
Read more on Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh.
Castlereagh
Lord Stewart was the son of a second marriage and half brother to Viscount Castlereagh. He ultimately
succeeded his father and his childless brother as Marquess of Londonderry. Harold Nicolson,
in his book on the Congress, says that Stewart was "vain, quarrelsome, and ostentatious," but
that even Wellington, who did not like him, considered him an efficient diplomat.
Robert Stewart,Viscount Castlereagh
British Foreign Secretary, Robert Stewart,Viscount Castlereagh (later Marquess of Londonderry,
but always known by his prior title) .Sir Charles Stewart
Sir Charles Stewart, later Baron Sewart, was ambassador to the
Hapsburg Emperor at Vienna. Colonel Dan Mackinnon
Kit thinks of Mackinnon when he climbs through the
window of his mother's house in the first chapter. Daniel Mackinnon was a
colonel in the Coldstream Guards, active througout the Napoleonic Wars,
serving 4 years in the Peninsula and severely wounded at Waterloo. Handsome
and popular, he was remarkable for his agility and daring in climbing. In
later years he wrote a 2-volume history of the Coldstream Guards, which was
doubtless known to GH.