PRAISE FORTOO GREAT A LADY
“A thoughtful retelling of the life of a common-born beauty and her infamous love affair with Admiral Lord Nelson.”
—Susan Holloway Scott, author of Royal Harlot
“An energetic portrait of a unique historical figure.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[A] sweeping, emotionally intense portrait of…one of the most famous romantic couples from history…. Emma Hamilton is a historical novelist’s dream subject, and her fictional voice is as entertaining as it is convincing. Elyot is a rising star in the realm of biographical fiction.”
—The Historical Novels Review
“The author is seemingly a master at anything! Too Great a Lady is a truly an exceptional novel. Emma is bold, courageous, and yet her innocence is also well portrayed. The characters are sublime and the plot is delightful. Amanda Elyot turns out historicals that are unlike anything you have experienced—they’re that good!”
—Round Table Reviews
“An interesting historical ‘autobiography’ of Lady Emma Hamilton…the most notorious kept woman of the era.”
—The Best Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE OTHER NOVELS OFAMANDA ELYOT
“Divinely conceived…white-hot passion…engrossing.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Blending mythology with history…[an] unforgettable journey.”
—Booklist
“Elyot keeps the action moving with lots of exciting drama…[a] fresh take on a legendary woman.”
—Library Journal
“Teeming with period detail…a sly peek into Austen’s England.”
—Lauren Willig, author of The Masque of the Black Tulip and
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
“Richly textured…[a] fresh and wickedly clever tale.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Mary Jo Putney
All FOR Love
THE SCANDALOUS LIFE AND TIMES OF ROYAL MISTRESS MARY ROBINSONAMANDA ELYOT
New American Library
Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Leslie Sara Carroll, 2008
Readers Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA), Inc., 2008
All rights reserved
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:
Elyot, Amanda.
All for love: the scandalous life and times of royal mistress Mary Robinson/Amanda Elyot.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-1012-1150-2
1. Robinson, Mary, 1758–1800—Fiction. 2. George IV, King of Great Britain, 1762–1830—Relations with women—Fiction. 3. Actresses—Fiction. 4. Mistresses—Fiction. 5. Authors, English—18th century—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3603.A77458A79 2007
813'.6—dc22 2007024752
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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For my aunt, Gloria Goldsmith,
a redheaded writer who has allowed
neither adversity nor infirmity
to silence her pen
THERE IS NOT A WOMAN IN ENGLAND SO MUCH TALKED OF AND SO LITTLE KNOWN AS MRS. ROBINSON.
—MORNING HERALD, APRIL 23, 1784
I HAVE EVER BEEN DISPOSED TO SPEAK MY SENTIMENTS TOO FREELY. WHAT I DISLIKE, I CONDEMN; WHAT I LOVE, I IDOLIZE…I WRITE WHAT MY HEART PROMPTS. PERHAPS IMPRUDENTLY; CERTAINLY UNARTIFICIALLY.
—MARY ROBINSON
LETTER TO WILLIAM GODWIN, 1800
Contents
Act OneMy Father Had a Daughter…
Prologue
OneMore Sensibility Than Sense
TwoThe Mistress and the Mentor
ThreeA First Proposal and a Last Good-Bye
FourPapa Returns
FiveEnter Garrick
SixBig Plans
SevenMr. Robinson
Act TwoMarriage Vows as False as Dicers’ Oaths
EightCaught Out
NineTregunter
TenMaking an Entrance
ElevenTwo Startling Confrontations
TwelveFlight!
ThirteenThe Fleet!
Act ThreeAll the World’s a Stage
FourteenA Second Chance
FifteenMarked Attentions
SixteenEnter Prince Florizel, Stage Left
SeventeenRoyal Flush
EighteenThe Prince’s Mistress
NineteenRiding High
TwentyDashed from My Lofty Perch
Act FourPassion’s Slave
Twenty-oneLeader of the Cyprian Corps
Twenty-twoMy Heart Dragooned
Twenty-threeMisfortune’s Mistress
Twenty-fourVotes for Kisses
Twenty-fiveA Woman Made of Words
Twenty-sixCourting Trouble
Twenty-sevenNobody
Act FiveIn Polish’d Form of Well-Ref ined Pen
Twenty-eightMightier Than the Sword
Twenty-nineBrandishing the Banner of Women’s Rights
Afterword
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Act One
My Father Had a Daughter…
Prologue
Imagine a meteor. Perhaps it will work better if you close your eyes. From the soft darkness that lies behind your shuttered lids you can picture it more clearly. You cannot hear its progress as it whooshes through the sky. The only aural proof of its passing is your own voice exclaiming “Aah!” in wonderment, if you can discern your expression of astonishment from the chorus of equally infatuated voices beside you. But you can see the meteor, can’t you? Blazing through the night? Is it any wonder that we never think of meteors illuminating our days, daring to compete with the sun?
No, in our minds
