Author Description

Lady Susan Vernon, a beautiful and charming recent widow, visits herbrother- and sister-in-law, Charles and Catherine Vernon, with littleadvance notice at Churchill, their country residence. Catherine is farfrom pleased, as Lady Susan had tried to prevent her marriage toCharles and her unwanted guest has been described to her as "the mostaccomplished coquette in England". Among Lady Susan's conquests inLondon is the married Mr. Mainwaring.Catherine's brother Reginald arrives a week later, and despiteCatherine's strong warnings about Lady Susan's character, soon fallsunder her spell. Lady Susan toys with the younger man's affections forher own amusement and later because she perceives it makes hersister-in-law uneasy. Her confidante, Mrs. Johnson, to whom she writesfrequently, recommends she marry the very eligible Reginald, but LadySusan considers him to be greatly inferior to Mainwaring.