Scandalous Facts About Lady Caroline Lamb, The High Society Outcast
Before there was Bridgerton, there was Lady Caroline Lamb. Beautiful and envied in her early society career, Caroline went from belle of the Ton to total outcast in the blink of an eye—all thanks to one of the most disastrous affairs in history.
1. She Had A Disgusting Brush With Death
As the only daughter of the Earl and Countess of Bessborough, Lady Caroline should have had a charmed childhood, if nothing else. Instead, it was a nightmare from the very beginning.
Caroline had an extremely frail disposition, and almost perished from—disgustingly enough—an illness involving worms. Even more unfortunately, the ordeal had a chilling effect on the young girl.
2. She Had A Scandalous Habit
Growing up, Caroline spent idyllic days running around with her scads of equally well-heeled cousins, but this brief period of innocence came to an abrupt halt.
Soon the sickly Caroline, perhaps tired of the painful realities of her ailing life, began taking downers like the opiate laudanum with fierce abandon.
Her parents were aghast at the habit, even hiring a special governess just to keep an eye on their naughty little girl. Maybe that’s why they rushed her into the next phase of her life.
3. She Was A Famous Beauty
As she entered her teenage years, Caroline blossomed into an extremely beautiful young woman.
With her enormous family connections and her million-dollar face, no one had any doubt that Caroline would land herself an excellent marriage—provided they could keep her wild side under wraps, of course.
In 1805, destiny came knocking. It just wasn’t the good kind.
4. She Had A Bizarre Wedding
Just before Caroline’s 20th birthday, she married the Honorable William Lamb, an almost equally well-to-do noble with political ambitions. Even better, it was something of a love match, with the pair sharing a mutual crush. But this was no fairy tale.
William’s mother Elizabeth, despite pushing for the advantageous match for her son, actually despised both Caroline and her mother. That’s right, Caroline’s new monster-in-law wasn’t above using the young girl for her own ends…and this was a trend that would only continue.
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