you are a mystery

Look, it is exceedingly unwise to engage in a battle of pedantry with me. I will even engage those who don’t know they’re playing!

Spoilers for the end of Lamplighter, kind of.

Page 394, US hardcover edition: “Her Grace, the Branden Rose, Europa of Fontrevault, Duchess-in-waiting of Naimes; the Lady Threnody of Herbroulesse and a guest!” Aside from the obvious and terrible error of the oxford comma being missing, what’s up with this “Europa of Fontrevault” business?

At the end of the book when Europe gives her own list of titles: “You are addressing Europa, Duchess-in-waiting of Naimes, Peer of the Hacobin Empire, Marchess of the Vewe, shareward of the Southland states, descendant of Eurodice–speardame of the immortal Idaho, and of Eutychë, her granddaughter–spurn to Dido, and the Branden Rose, terror to man and nicker alike, and I will dare, sir, and I do!”

First of all, “the Vewe” is not on the zoomable map as far as I can find (I may be overlooking it, having given up in frustration–it’s elegant and gorgeous and well designed and I wish it was about 200 pixels bigger each way). Second, Fontrevault is a noteable location. It is mentioned by Threnody by name as the place where her mother and Europe were in sequestury together.

I have come up with two explanations for why Europe omits Fontrevault from her list of titles when claiming quo gratia.

1. The august of the calendars of a region is given the reigning power because she holds some of the highest ranking nobility (if not the highest ranking) of the group, as I understand the appendices (further clarification on this point would be most welcome). Syntychë is the Lady Vey, a Marchess, and the august of her clave, with Threnody Marchess-in-waiting although possibly not august-in-waiting (it hasn’t been clarified how the title is passed).

If Europe’s family holds Fontrevault and we are agreeing to the geography posed by the map, then it is quite possible that her mother (who remains nameless except as the Duchess of Naimes) may have been august at the time Europe and Syntychë were in sequestury. Threnody notes that Europe was kicked out of the sequestury; if her mother was august, this would have caused great shame. She could likely not disinherit her only child from all of her titles, but removing her from that title would provide quite a lot of appropriate remonstration.

2. It’s a simple continuity error.

I lean towards explanation 2.