 Chauvelin is an old friend of the Pimpernel's wife, Lady Marguerite Blakeney (and is often depicted in film treatments as Marguerite's suitor or lover before her marriage to Sir Percy).Orczy's depiction is loosely based on Bernard-François, marquis de Chauvelin, a notable political figure in revolutionary France.Although there are some similarities between the real and fictional Chauvelins, Orczy's depiction of Chauvelin's career, personality and history is highly distorted.