Novel Setting: Chatsworth

It all started with Chatsworth. I met Adele while watching the BBC documentary Secrets of Chatsworth, so I knew the house itself would have to play some sort of role in the book. While most of the book takes places in New York City and London, Adele's time at Chatsworth is defining for her character and essential to the story.
​ 
If you're wondering why this house might look familiar though you don't recognize its name, it's likely because you've seen it portrayed as Pemberley in film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice or Death Comes to Pemberley. It is widely believed that Jane Austen used Chatsworth House as her inspiration for Darcy's iconic estate, and the house itself is mentioned in Pride and Prejudice as one of the estates Elizabeth and the Gardiners visit before their tour of Pemberley.

Having never been to Chatsworth myself, I reread the chapter where Lizzy first sees Pemberley and used it as inspiration for Adele's fist visit. I also relied heavily on Chatsworth: The House, a book written by the former Duchess of Devonshire, wife to the eleventh Duke of Devonshire. She details the history of the house, including maps and pictures, allowing me to create vivid descriptions that are true to time and place.
​
​Naturally, I plan to visit someday, but after all of my research and writing, part of me does feel as if I've already been there with Adele. Hopefully that will come across in those pages of the story.