Emily, Countess Cowper was stubborn, beautiful and intensely ambitious. She took Regency society by storm, captivating famous statesmen and the young Queen Victoria.
Emily's life resembled real life Bridgerton - she even inspired the character Cressida Cowper. But her petticoats and parties belied a steely determination. Yearning for power beyond the ballroom, she used her political genius to engineer the premierships of her brother, Lord Melbourne, and her lover, Lord Palmerston. Once in Downing Street, she was a tireless schemer for the Whig cause - from women's rights to the eradication of slavery. By proxy she became one of the most powerful people in England and changed the course of history. But her story has never been told - until now.
PRAISE for THE COUNTESS
The resurrection of a remarkable woman erased from history', Katy Hessel, author of The Story of Art Without Men
'A triumph: not only a richly sympathetic portrait of a fascinating aristocratic woman, but also a revealing window into a whole scandal-riven world in which the political and the personal were inextricably entwined', David Knyaston, author of Tales of a New Jerusalem
'A lively and informative book about Emily Cowper, whose interesting life certainly justifies a biography', Miranda Seymour, author of In the Wake of Byron
''Emily Cowper's life is one of history's great untold stories....
A marvellous achievement, and a knockout read', Peter Jones, author of Self-Help From the Middle Ages
*Vividly and clearly told, this is essential reading, illuminating not just the life of this powerful figure, but also a career that was almost unprecedented' Elizabeth Norton, author of Women Who Ruled The World
'Jehanne and Katie Wake illuminate British high society from the Regency to the middle decades of Victoria's reign in this excellent and insightful biography of one its brightest stars, Emily Cowper. The story of her life- forgotten for far too long - is vividly and entertainingly told' Rory Muir, author of Love and Marriage in the Age of Jane Austen
For THE COUNTESS Sources and Bibliography