Publisher's Synopsis
A compelling historical novel set in Georgian London! Perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier, Maggie O'Farrell, Hilary Mantel, and Margaret George.
A shocking secret is the talk of London society... London, 1744 As maid of honour to the Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Chudleigh knows it doesn't take much to set tongues wagging among London's elite. But her own honour is soon called into question as she finds herself at the centre of a scandal. Heartbroken when she believes herself abandoned by her first love, Scottish peer James Hamilton, Elizabeth rashly accepts a proposal from Augustus John Hervey, a virtual stranger. But their clandestine marriage turns sour on their wedding night when her new husband reveals an unexpected side to his nature. Keeping her marriage a secret to retain her position at Court, Elizabeth devotes herself to her new baby son. But when tragedy strikes out of the blue, she throws herself into wild partying to drown her sorrows, and her abandoned behaviour scandalises London. Shunned by fashionable society and spurned a second time by Hamilton, Elizabeth finds solace in the arms of Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston. But there's just one problem - she's still married. Ridiculed by playwrights and the target of vicious gossip, the newly titled Duchess of Kingston becomes a casualty of the media as a scandal sweeps the nation. Branded a bigamist, can Elizabeth clear her name? Or, as one skeleton after another emerges from the closet, is her happy ending about to come crashing down around her ears? THE INCREDIBLE DUCHESS paints a sympathetic portrait of Elizabeth Chudleigh, a woman in Georgian England who defied social norms to forge her own destiny.
