"Lady Susan"
by Jane Austen.
Lady Susan is a novella comprising of a series of letters between the recently widowed Lady Susan Vernon and her friend Mrs Johnson and her sister in law Mrs Vernon to her mother Lady de Courcy.
Lady Susan is seeking to go and stay with Mrs Vernon as she has fallen out of favour with the friends she is currently residing with.
She has beguiled her hostess's husband and prevented the engagement of their daughter to Sir James Martin.
Her sister in law is not happy to receive her as she tried to prevent her own marriage to Mr Vernon.
As accurately described, Lady Susan is the 'most accomplished coquette in England'.
It's a tale for our modern times where self-interest rules, no matter what the cost.
It runs at quite a pace and it's hard to imagine that it was written in 1794 although not published until 1871.
Anne.
November 2025
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