Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore
Mar 2009 · Crown
4.5star
6 reviewsreport
Ebook
400
Pages
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About this ebook
A cinematic and thrilling true story exploring the life and catastrophic marriage of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore—“a tale of wealth, status, and privilege, laced with lust, greed, [and] pride” (The Times)
“Spectacular . . . Serious, perceptive, thoughtful and—by no means least—compulsively readable.”—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
With the death of her fabulously wealthy coal magnate father, Mary Eleanor Bowes became the richest heiress in Britain. An ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II, Mary grew to be a highly educated young woman, winning acclaim as a playwright and botanist. At eighteen, she married the handsome but aloof ninth Earl of Strathmore in a celebrated, if ultimately troubled, match that forged the Bowes Lyon name. Freed from this unhappy marriage by her husband’s early death, she stumbled headlong into scandal when a charming Irish soldier, Captain Andrew Robinson Stoney, flattered his way into the merry widow’s bed.
When Mary heard that her gallant hero was mortally wounded in a duel defending her honor, she could hardly refuse his dying wish; four days later they were married. Yet the “captain” was not what he seemed. Staging a sudden and remarkable recovery, Stoney was revealed as a debt-ridden lieutenant, a fraudster, and a bully.
Immediately taking control of Mary’s vast fortune, he squandered her wealth and embarked on a campaign of appalling violence and cruelty against his new bride. Finally, fearing for her life, Mary dared to plan an audacious escape and an even more courageous battle to reclaim her liberty and her fortune.
Based on meticulous archival research, Wedlock is a gripping, addictive biography, ripped from the headlines of eighteenth-century England.
“Spectacular . . . Serious, perceptive, thoughtful and—by no means least—compulsively readable.”—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
With the death of her fabulously wealthy coal magnate father, Mary Eleanor Bowes became the richest heiress in Britain. An ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II, Mary grew to be a highly educated young woman, winning acclaim as a playwright and botanist. At eighteen, she married the handsome but aloof ninth Earl of Strathmore in a celebrated, if ultimately troubled, match that forged the Bowes Lyon name. Freed from this unhappy marriage by her husband’s early death, she stumbled headlong into scandal when a charming Irish soldier, Captain Andrew Robinson Stoney, flattered his way into the merry widow’s bed.
When Mary heard that her gallant hero was mortally wounded in a duel defending her honor, she could hardly refuse his dying wish; four days later they were married. Yet the “captain” was not what he seemed. Staging a sudden and remarkable recovery, Stoney was revealed as a debt-ridden lieutenant, a fraudster, and a bully.
Immediately taking control of Mary’s vast fortune, he squandered her wealth and embarked on a campaign of appalling violence and cruelty against his new bride. Finally, fearing for her life, Mary dared to plan an audacious escape and an even more courageous battle to reclaim her liberty and her fortune.
Based on meticulous archival research, Wedlock is a gripping, addictive biography, ripped from the headlines of eighteenth-century England.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
6 reviews
kelly blackwood
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April 12, 2020
Complex story of a horrendously abused lady of the aristocracy. Interweaves society, psychology and expectations into a fabulous read.
william bullard
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July 11, 2013
About the author
WENDY MOORE is the author of The Knife Man. A journalist and writer specializing in health and medicine, she lives in London with her husband and two children.
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