"The emerald plot has been haunting my dreams all night and if I don't share this villainy with someone, I think I might burst."
Inspiration
Fingal's Cave. Photo by Markus Keller.
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The inspiration for this story came from a portrait I came across of a maharani called Victoria Gowramma who came to England in 1852 aged eleven with her father. She spent a good deal of time at Buckingham Palace and she was Queen Victoria’s God daughter. I wanted to write a historical story which would shine a light on what was happening in India and Britain during the 19th Century. My challenge was to use my imagination to create my own maharani who is feisty, adventurous and had a strong sense of justice. I also wanted to have an exciting mystery threaded through.
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History
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Because this story is based on real facts I had to do a lot of research. Some of these facts were fascinating and it surprised me that I didn’t know these things. The story is set at a time when Britain began to build its empire. I’m really excited to include them in the story – but I’ve given them all a twist.
EG did you know the East India Company sailed to India in 1608 on a ship called the Red Dragon? They were a private company. They started by trading in spices but soon had an army of over 200,000 and began to take over and rule parts of India. |
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Meet the Characters
NUSH - "Hi! My name is Anushka but my family and friends call me Nush. I am the maharani of the kingdom of Jaisalmer in India. I am eleven years old and I am a twin with my brother Arian. I love riding horses, I can shoot arrows and I also like teasing my brother. I’m really excited that my papa, the maharaja of Jaisalmer is going to England to visit Queen Victoria. I want to sneak on board the steam ship and see if I can bring back the incredible emerald that the East India Company took from our kingdom."
ARIAN - "Hi I’m Arian – Nush’s twin brother. I am going to be the next maharaja of Jaisalmer, but I don’t really want to be. Nush would make a much better ruler. She has some wild ideas but she’s far braver than me."
JOHN - "I am one of the grooms who look after Queen Victoria’s horses. There’s a beautiful horse called Beauty and I’ve been told to get her ready for Nush to ride when she arrives in Buckingham Palace. I’m also Prince Bertie’s best friend."
THE MAHARAJA OF JAISALMER - "I’m Anushka’s father. My family have ruled our kingdom for many many hundreds of years. I’m furious that the East India Company attacked our palace in the middle of the night and took our most precious emerald. This emerald belongs to the goddess Lakshmi. We were only its guardians. My plan is to go to England and ask Queen Victoria to help us get our kingdom back."
PRINCESS VICKY - "Hi I’m Princess Vicky. I’m the eldest of Queen Victoria’s children. I’m very cross because even though I’m the eldest, my younger brother Prince Bertie will be king after Mama."
PRINCE BERTIE - "Hi I’m Prince Edward – but you can call me Bertie. I can’t wait to be king. I can boss Vicky around then and make up for all the times that she’s been horrible to me. I like gardening, climbing trees and being at our seaside house on the Isle of Wight, Osbourne House. I don’t like school work."
ARIAN - "Hi I’m Arian – Nush’s twin brother. I am going to be the next maharaja of Jaisalmer, but I don’t really want to be. Nush would make a much better ruler. She has some wild ideas but she’s far braver than me."
JOHN - "I am one of the grooms who look after Queen Victoria’s horses. There’s a beautiful horse called Beauty and I’ve been told to get her ready for Nush to ride when she arrives in Buckingham Palace. I’m also Prince Bertie’s best friend."
THE MAHARAJA OF JAISALMER - "I’m Anushka’s father. My family have ruled our kingdom for many many hundreds of years. I’m furious that the East India Company attacked our palace in the middle of the night and took our most precious emerald. This emerald belongs to the goddess Lakshmi. We were only its guardians. My plan is to go to England and ask Queen Victoria to help us get our kingdom back."
PRINCESS VICKY - "Hi I’m Princess Vicky. I’m the eldest of Queen Victoria’s children. I’m very cross because even though I’m the eldest, my younger brother Prince Bertie will be king after Mama."
PRINCE BERTIE - "Hi I’m Prince Edward – but you can call me Bertie. I can’t wait to be king. I can boss Vicky around then and make up for all the times that she’s been horrible to me. I like gardening, climbing trees and being at our seaside house on the Isle of Wight, Osbourne House. I don’t like school work."
