The two leading ladies of this delightful narrative could hardly have been more unlike, except for the fact that both were beauties and incorrigible flirts, Lady Georgiana Spencer, who married the exalted Duke of Devonshire in 1775, when she was seventeen, was much the more beautiful and by far the more generous, all heart and -- in practical matters -- no head. Lady Elizabeth Foster, who married the same Duke in 1809, when she was fifty-two, having been his mistress for twenty-five years, was all head and very, very little heart. Yet each was the other's closest friend and confidante. To be fair to Lady Elizabeth, which isn't altogether easy, she was calculating not only by inclination but of necessity. An imprudent marriage had left her penniless, and when the compassionate Georgiana offered to shelter her, and the lethargic Duke found her appealing, "poor, dear Bess" saw the role she could play. Unhappily, the Duke was the only man Georgiana was ever to meet who did not find her sexually enticing, and for the next eight years, until in 1790 Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, gave birth after almost sixteen years of marriage, Lady Elizabeth's function in the Devonshire household was to stimulate the Duke's sexual ardor sufficiently to get him to bed with his wife. Her efforts for the common good resulted in her own being twice impregnated by the Duke and having to conceal these pregnancies by European travel, but her experience in secretly bearing children abroad stood her friend in good stead when Georgiana herself -- her duty to the Devonshires accomplished -- fell in love and conceived an out-of-wedlock child. To our solemn and righteous eyes the affairs of this triangle-by-consent may seem shocking, but to spend a few irresponsible hours with the adorable Georgiana, the dopey Duke and the seductive Bess, to move in their swinging company from London mansion to splendid country house, from Bath to Naples to Versailles, is wonderful fun indeed.

The Two Duchesses: The Sexual and Dynastic Intrigues of Two Bewitching English Aristocrats in a Time of Unbridled Extravagance and License

History

Calder-Marshall, Arthur

Europe

Harper Row Publishers

The Two Duchesses

Hutchinson

The Way to Santiago

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

Faber&Faber

The grand century of the lady

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Gordon and Cremonesi

A Comprehensive And Revealing Biography On The Man Who Has Had Such Enormous Influence On The Sexual Attitudes Of Society In The Twentieth Century.

The Sage of Sex: A Life of Havelock Ellis

Literature & Fiction

Literary

Literary Licensing, LLC

George Grantley has fond memories of his boyhood days spent at Anglesey House with his childhood playmate Charles Scarlet, happy times that came to an end with the Scarlet boy's tragic death in an accident. Now Anglesey House stands empty, and George thinks it might be just the property his old friend Kit Everness is looking for. Scoffing at rumors that the house is haunted, Kit and his family buy the place and move in. But Charles Scarlet's death might not have been so accidental after all, and an evil presence that lingers in the house may now have set its sights on Kit's young daughter Rosa.... Arthur Calder-Marshall's unusual haunted house story The Scarlet Boy (1961) is a rediscovered supernatural classic whose slow-building dread mounts inexorably until the chilling finale. "A variation on the theme of Turn of the Screw in the manner of Graham Greene with an olive from The Cocktail Party and a dash of Dashiell Hammett." - Cyril Connolly, The Sunday Times "A fine, moody novel ... filled with surprises and much excitement . . It has an intellectual quality that is quite reminiscent of The Turn of the Screw." - Nashville Banner "Entirely worth the reading. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Calder-Marshall has concocted so convincing a one you will willingly suspend your disbelief." - Boston Globe

The Scarlet Boy

Genre Fiction

Valancourt Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Calder-Marshall, Arthur. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Calder-Marshall, Arthur