The Lady In Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale Of Sex, Scandal, And Divorce (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
In 1775, a shallow young baronet married an eighteen year old lady with far more money than looks or learning. They lived tolerably well together for a few years, until at last Lady Seymour Dorothy Fleming Worsley ran away with their mutual friend, Maurice Bisset. The lovers hoped Sir Richard Worsley would initiate divorce proceedings against Lady Worsley so they could marry each other, but Sir Worsley was far too angry to do so. Instead, he sued for separation and further, sued Bisset for a prodigious sum of 20,000 pounds for committing criminal conversation with his wife. Criminal conversation, or "crim con," was basically showing, not that sex necessarily took place, but that there was a possibility of it. The man who "damaged" the husband's "property" by having sex with the wife could be sued for whatever the union--and the wife--was considered an appropriate number. Unfortunately for Sir Worsley, his wife refused to let him financially ruin her lover. She gave the defense a list of her former lovers and flirtations, and had each testify on the stand that she had numerous affairs before she ever ran off with Bisset, and had even been treated for an STI. She ruined her own reputation to such an extent that although the jury found in Sir Worsley's favor, the settlement was placed not at the ruinous 20,000 pounds Sir Worsley demanded, but at a single shilling. A single shilling!Sir Worsley was understandably wrathful that he'd dragged his private life into the public eye just to get a single shilling, so he refused to let Lady Worsley have her clothing and jewels (worth nearly 10,000 pounds themselves). Her linen and adornments were her only form of wealth, as women weren't allowed to have property, so this was a serious blow to Lady Worsley. In revenge, she published a sixteen page poem attacking his honor and masculinity, claiming that she'd been forced to take lovers because he was too impotent to perform his marital duties. The pamphlet spread throughout England, was repeatedly reprinted, and caused such a scandalous outcry that Sir Worsley gave in and returned her clothes to her. Their battle was not yet done. Instead of hiding away in shame that her adultery had been discovered, Lady Worsley became even more of a social butterfly, hanging with the Prince of Wales and his fast, fashionable set. She had a brass plate affixed to the inn she'd hidden in with her lover, proclaiming that it was the place she'd gotten her freedom. She wore breeches(!) to ride horseback astride (!) and got drunk in public. She ran up large debts which, as he was technically still her husband, Sir Worsley was obliged to pay. First Sir Worsley, then Lady Worsley left England for other, more liberal climes. Sir Worsley toured the Ottoman Empire, amassing an amazing collection of art that he acquired only semi-legally. He tried to buy a pleasure slave but was thwarted by the high prices--he did manage to buy a small black boy, who he beat mercilessly (even by the standards of his contemporaries) and eventually discarded or sold. He became the ambassador to Italy, but lost his position and a fortune in artwork when Napoleon conquered the area. Meanwhile, Lady Worsley lived in France for several years, falling in with the Chevalier de Saint Georges and then barely surviving the revolution. She was perpetually in debt, but eventually Sir Worsley died of a stroke and she got back the fortune she'd brought to their unhappy marriage. Only in her 40s at this point, she immediately married her current paramour, a man in his 20s, and lived happily with him for thirteen years before expiring and leaving her fortune and estate to him and her illegitimate daughter Charlotte (born sometime after her sojourn in France).It's a fascinating tale, and Rubenhold tells it well. She provides a great deal of legal and historical context, without ever getting bogged down into pedantry. Because I never understand all the allusions and jokes in satirical cartoons of the era, I really appreciated her style of explaining and describing them without losing the humor. Overall, a readable tale that skates that delicate line between gossip and history.
The Georgian law courts have furnished history with a number of high-profile 'criminal conversation' (adultery) and divorce cases, but few could have been as scandalous and titillating as the case of Worsley v. Bisset. Brought by a minor baronet after his independent-minded and spirited young wife had eloped with her lover, determined to drag both through the courts and ruin his rival, the case engrossed all of England for months, even years. Indeed the interest and gossip spread further afield - even George Washington during the Revolutionary War is known to have purchased a pamphlet on the case.Of course there is more to the tale than mentioned here, but the full details of the case are best served in the pages of this book, and the final verdict is definitely best left to be discovered! It's a truly enthralling tale, the plot fit for a modern soap opera, and Hallie Rubenhold tells it supremely. I could hardly put this book down.As a modern woman of course I was entirely on Seymour Worsley's side! I certainly admired her determination to fight back against her neglectful and vengeful husband with all the weapons at her disposal, and one gets the sense Rubenhold does too.
What do You think about The Lady In Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale Of Sex, Scandal, And Divorce (2009)?
Loved it! Ever since I saw Reynold’s amazing portrait of Lady Worsley at Harewood House in Yorkshire and got fed a few tales about her from the room guide, I’ve been waiting for this story to be told. Seymour Dorothy Fleming was an heiress in Georgian England who made a promising marriage to Richard Worsley at an early age. Quickly they tired of one another and (with her husband's encouragement) Seymour set off on a series of affairs with various gentlemen of the ton, one of whom she eloped with. The affair ended in a very public divorce (of body) and suit for criminal conversion - every fact of which was detailed in the court transcripts which were read by all. What happened after that is incredibly tragic to read. I mean we all know women weren’t equal at this time but seeing it illustrated with an actual woman’s experience really brings it to life. While Worsley was able to galavant around Europe and see the sights of Italy, Seymour was pretty much ostracized from society and basically forced to prostitute herself from one man to the next over the subsequent years in order to make ends meet. Even her own mother and sister (who had good positions in society) weren't able to receive her (or chose to retain their positions by not receiving her and they weren’t considered cruel for doing so). Yes Seymour was an heiress but her *husband* kept her fortune until he died as he was still its trustee since a divorce of body was basically only a legal separation. Worsley specifically chose this type of divorce rather than a full on Parliamentary divorce to make her life miserable. And he did. Really fascinating read. Absolutely keeping it.
—Indiana
I'm a sucker for some good gossip, never mind if it's a few centuries old.This is a great train/vacation read, packed with interesting historical details but mostly centered around the lurid history of the Worsleys in the eighteenth century. It's not all superficial; the author gives great context so that a modern-day reader better understands the societal constraints in which men/women and nobility operated during the time, and the cultural setting that impacted these two people's lives so drastically. Always fun to read a well-written book about interesting people..no matter how poor their life choices.
—Diana
I thought this was a good non-fiction book. Not as great as Trudy swimming the channel, or the Queen Victoria, but still good. After reading this and Moll Flanders, I'm just so shocked at how easily children were cast aside and put away. However, this book had a really good quote that said something to the effect of "there's no use getting attached to someone that might die and could be taken away from you at a moment's notice" talking about how women were considered property and their children weren't really theirs but were their husband's. Very sad for me as a mother to think about this.And be warned, it's about divorce and SCANDAL, so there's a bit of sex talk. Not graphic, not "play by play" not even PG-13 rated. But it is about a woman running away with her lover and trying to divorce her husband, so there is a bit of "bedroom" talk. It the sheer mention of "the bedroom" makes you blush, this book might make you blush a lot.
—Alicia
