: Carla2: Why? It could be a great storyline, but why would her german parents want to get rid of her?

Faust2: Not such a great story line. I think it was Janet that corrected me on this point. Marguerite was an orphan. Her parents didn't send her anywhere. Her guardians might have sent her to British schools because of the political situation in Europe, or, she was an Austrian ex - patriot living in England whose family fortune included interests both in England and on the mainland.

: : Carla :And I think Liz raises a rather interesting point: if she passed herself as german, they would've felt betrayed anyway.
I mean, if they found out she lied to them. Given that the germans lost WWI, I think that even if they recognized that Marguerite was a soldier to her country, they would still be mad.

Faust2 : You might be interested in reading my latest posts reguarding the real spy Rachel B's character might have been based upon, and the post dealing with the likihood that Marguerite had anything to do with the outcome of the naval engagement at Jutland. Irma, the real spy, was considered the most dangerous German agent of her time with the possible exception of one or two others ( eg., Miss Doktor ). Every allied agent was out to capture this beauty. They Called her the Demon and the Black Shadow, but they admired and respected her. After the war, the allies would never have sought to assassinate her. You could see that in the way they wrote about her.

It is unlikely that any spy had any influence on the outcome of Jutland. Since the LW writers would have us believe that Marguerite is running because of something she did at Jutland, they have a problem. Excuse me, but I'm a firm believer in the axiom that the best fiction is founded upon good research.

: : Carla: Her being a spy for England may just be an act of convenience (which is her usual motivation) given the time she lived in.

: : Faust: I think the British forced her to comply, or she had to spy to save her fortune, or both.

: Carla2: Now you've really picked my curiosity, why would the british force her? Supossely she was just another british lady, why would them sent her as an spy without further information?

Faust2: I don't think Marguerite was a patriot like the famous Black Shadow. Nutrality might also have been the best policy because she had both English and German financial interests. Can you see Marguerite leaving England, having all her assets and property there confiscated ( to deceive the Germans ), entering the German spy academy during the early part of the war, and then exposing herself to considerable danger for nothing? It's entirely possible that her former, particularly German, contacts on the mainland made her an ideal candidate. Rich, beautiful, and intelligent, she would have access to people in high places. The British might have made her a simple proposition: spy for us or we will kick you out of the country and confiscate all you own. They could do that if Marguerite was an Austrian ex - patriot in time of war. The British could ruin her by simply setting her up as a German sympathizer. She would have to do their bidding.

: : Carla: She is a character that cares about herself above anything else (at least that was the way in her early days), so it makes sense that she bacame a spy because she knew she had the abilities for it and because it suit her at the time.

Faust2: Becoming a spy is exceedingly dangerous. Most spies are caught and shot. Marguerite would not entertain the notion unless there was something to gain ... a lot to gain... or ... conversely....a lot to lose.

: Carla2: I never said she was self-centered because she was spoiled, I think she's self-centered because she's a survivor, and she needed to be self-centered.

Faust2: I have discovered that people are self - centered for a reason.

Steve Faust