'A tangled take of scandal and self-delusion in one of the great houses of England in the nineteenth century'

Sunday Times

'Brilliantly exposes the shadowy side of the Victorian aristocracy and the horrors of life on the wrong side of the blanket . . . A marvellous book – a gripping story, superbly researched and related with grace and humour in elegant, enjoyable prose'

Literary Review

'Poignant'

Daily Telegraph

'His extraordinary research uncovers a world of shadows lying within inches of his family's official history, and he enters into it with sympathy and understanding'

Economist

'Immaculately written ... A fascinating picture of a forgotten underside of English aristocratic and public life'

Observer

'Entertaining'

Evening Standard