London 1887, a stew of social unrest exacerbated by the massive wealth of the few and the massive exploitation of the many, political corruption and repression, and the exhaustion of an empire besieged by revolutionary ideas and the muckraking zeal of the new tabloid press.
Maribel and Edward Campbell Lowe look like the kind of dashing young couple who have it all: an old family estate in Scotland, a flat in London, a Parliamentary career for Edward, a busy social life for Maribel. She is an exotic heiress from South America, he is erudite, charming, and well-connected; she delights in the Bohemian society of artists and poets, he champions social reform and justice for the poor.
But underneath all this brilliance there are dark secrets and ghosts from the past that haunt them both, waiting to be discovered, waiting to catch them unawares, waiting to pull them down. When Maribel incurs the wrath of a vindictive tabloid editor, she fears he will not stop until he has smashed the carefully constructed facade of her life, destroying her reputation and Edward's career. Clark's novel was inspired by true story of a British politician's wife who succeeded in carrying off a double life for many years, and recreates many historical events from that turbulent time.
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