The Duchess Countess
Book Feature - The Duchess Countess by Catherine Ostler
HBL Note: If you’re anxiously awaiting season two of Bridgerton (scheduled to release March 25!) but can’t wait another month for more of that glamour and scandal, then you need to pick up a copy of THE DUCHESS COUNTESS by Catherine Ostler, the biography of Elizabeth Chudleigh. Elizabeth was glamorous, cunning, wealthy, and powerful. She was also scandalous. But what lied beneath all that bravado? Catherine Ostler digs into her complex story of tragedy and loss. Scroll down to read more about THE DUCHESS COUNTESS.
From the publisher:
As maid of honor to the Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Chudleigh enjoyed a luxurious life in the inner circle of the Hanoverian court. With her extraordinary style and engaging wit, she both delighted and scandalized the press and public. She would later even inspire William Thackeray when he was writing his classic Vanity Fair, providing the inspiration for the alluring social climber Becky Sharp. But Elizabeth’s real story is more complex and surprising than anything out of fiction.
A clandestine, candlelit wedding to the young heir to an earldom, a second marriage to a duke, a lust for diamonds, and an electrifying appearance at a masquerade ball in a gossamer dress—it’s no wonder that Elizabeth’s eventual trial was a sensation. Charged with bigamy, an accusation she vehemently fought against, Elizabeth refused to submit to public humiliation and retire quietly.
