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 Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa 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 Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. 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. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. 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
