A NOVEL set partly in Henley combines political intrigue, Regency-era romance and a dash of real figures and events from history.
Sabrina Lund wrote Consequence of Power: Isabella’s Season when she learned about the Hellfire Club, a mysterious secret society founded in the 18th century by politician Sir Francis Dashwood, a director of the Old East India Company.
It tells the story of Isabella Thornbury, a debutante in high society London at the end of the Seven Years War. Amid lavish balls, she becomes embroiled between the Duke of Winterbourne and her childhood friend, Lord Augustus.
When she hears hidden secrets, she has to choose between social hierarchies and staying true to her conscience.
Sabrina, 38, says: “It was actually my partner who mentioned that there was this secret society and the more I looked into it, the more intrigued I became.
“They were some of the most influential figures in our history. Dashwood is fascinating in himself and he’s very charismatic and a great host, but he brings together a lot of the political elite. That sparked off going down a path of exploration of these characters and what was going on at the time.”
After gaining a BA (honours) degree in English literature, Sabrina studied for a master’s in Shakespeare in history at University College London and an MSc in finance from the London School of Economics.
“I’m on a sabbatical from my finance career, so it meant that I could immerse myself and fully invest myself in the novel.
“It’s an immersive historical novel and it’s set in 1763, with the background of the Seven Years War and the East India Company continuing its control and territorial expansion.
“At that moment, Isabella Thornbury, a young debutante, steps out into high society for her first London season. She’s a Henley girl and she’s quite innocent.
It was very typical of the time in that part of society to have a London season in search of a marriage match. Isabella steps out, hoping for love or romance and to make a marriage match but beneath the veneer of the society’s elite, she discovers this world of power plays, political corruption and secrets. So there’s what’s going on on the surface and what’s happening underneath.
“It’s a very typical trope of romance novels to have a lady stepping out into society to find romance, but I thought I would flip that premise on its head and then immerse my readers in the history, with a bit of suspense.
“I think a lot of the themes are universal, so these were real people, but we also have similar feelings today. We want romance or love potentially but there’s also power and there’s the discussion of power in those days.
“There’s a lot of universal themes that can transcend time which I thought would be interesting and that we can relate to today.” Sabrina and her partner live in Hampshire, but they tried to move to Henley. “I’ve got close family connections in Henley, I was going to move around about covid time.
“Half of the novel is based in Henley and the other half is in London so I juxtaposed the two environments.
“Visiting family, I immersed myself in the countryside. It’s so beautiful around Henley so it’s really inspired and there’s a lot of nature in my novel.
“We actually made quite a number of offers, we were going to be living almost on the same road as my family, but then it fell through and then we had to just call it a day. House prices were going up quite a lot, it was so competitive.
“You have your very iconic red kites in Henley. When visiting family, they look out on to this beautiful nature reserve and they love animals and feeding the birds.
“I lived in London for many years, so when I visit them, I get to just look out into this beautiful expanse of countryside.
“There’s the quiet solitude of nature, which connects you to your true self. You feel much more grounded. I didn’t realise how observing birds is very calming.
“I felt that I needed to bring that out in my novel so my characters feel what I feel and when they’re in Henley, they’re more themselves.”
Sir Francis Dashwood (1708-1781), the founder of the Hellfire Club, built the Hellfire Caves at West Wycombe in the mid-18th century. The club became notorious for rumoured acts of depravity, some of which are depicted in Sabrina’s novel.
“Legend has it that John Wilkes, who was part of Dashwood’s society and quite a radical of the day, thought he would play a practical joke.
“He was an MP and a journalist and he waved the flag for liberty and free speech really. I understand that Dashwood was partial to a joke himself, but Wilkes took it a bit far.
“He allowed a baboon to spring out from a chest and it was actually the Earl of Sandwich who got a major fright from this and it did cause a ruckus.
“Sandwich and Wilkes had a bit of a feud for years to come afterwards.
“I thought it was interesting to use that motif to spark the idea of guilt, so I have a fictional character who’s carrying a lot of weight of guilt of what he’s done and it spirals out of control.”
A video trailer has been made to go with the book.
“The trailer really portrays the vibes of the book in a succinct manner.
“I’m hoping to create a film one day.
“We would love to work with someone to actually bring it on screen but that’s a dream. I’m now writing the next book.”
l Consequence of Power: Isabella’s Season is out now, priced at £12.99. For more information, visit www.sabrinalundauthor.com