This biography investigates the life and social influence of Horatia Nelson, the illegitimate daughter of Admiral Horatio Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. Winifred Gérin, a noted biographer of the Brontë family, utilizes archival correspondence and historical records to reconstruct the private life of a woman whose existence was long obscured by the political and social scandals surrounding her parents. The text examines how Horatia navigated the complexities of her parentage within the rigid structures of 19th-century British society.

Scholars and historians recognize this work as a meticulous effort to provide a factual account of a figure often relegated to footnotes in naval history. Readers frequently note the author's commitment to archival accuracy and her ability to humanize a subject caught in the crossfire of public scandal.