The Intriguing Secrets Jane Austen Knew

Now you can fill in one of the gaps in her history

Did you know Jane Austen was involved in a real double murder?

Cassandra Austen famously burned the ‘interesting’ letters to protect her sister’s reputation posthumously. She had to be sweet Aunt Jane, not the outrageous and sharp-tongued wit that we suspect she was from her books. Only a little of that caustic personality is left, but mostly the letters are the minutiae of family business, buying cloth, arranging visits, exchanging news about friends and neighbours. There’s not much in the way of insight as to secrets and passions of Jane and the Austen family.

Signposts

What we are left with is a few intriguing traces, some signposts pointing off into areas that must’ve been written about between sisters. They didn’t want us to know. Murder was definitely a proscribed topic.

One of these signposts to more intriguing material is a mention in 1811 of Jane going to an evening entertainment in London at the house of the Comte D’Antraigues and his wife. She was staying with her brother Henry while correcting proofs of Sense and Sensibility.

The next year, in July 1812, the comte and comtesse were brutally murdered.

Now, if an acquaintance of yours comes to a grisly end, you would discuss it with other members of the family who knew them, wouldn’t you?

I think it is fair to say the gap in Jane’s letters for this period is significant. One for the bonfire, perhaps, as sweet Jane doesn’t really fit with a bloody murder involving a French spy and an international crisis.

The Austen Intrigue

Finding a brief mention of the comte in the biography by Claire Tomalin sent me on the trail to unpack what happened - or what might’ve happened. Unlike the previous books in the Regency Secrets series, I didn’t have to make up the crime. I did however have to investigate the murder as far as I could and work out what might’ve been going on. Suffice to say that the inquest held the day after the murder was cursory and didn’t ask the questions that should’ve been asked. My detectives, with Jane Austen along with them, get to do so in the weeks that follow.

There is also a lot in this book about the attractions of London at the time - the eating places, shops, illuminations and the pleasure gardens. I wanted to give a sense of how much fun it would be for Jane coming up from Chawton and staying with her brother. And I hope you as the reader have fun imagining it too!

You can buy the book as a paperback, ebook or audiobook. You can find all those options on this link but don’t forget your local bookshop if you want the paperback.