Victorian-era English popular novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Her best-known work is the sensational novel she wrote in 1862, Lady Audley's Secret, which has been many times dramatized and staged. Mary Elizabeth Braddon, who was raised in Soho, London, attended private schools. When Mary was five years old in 1840, her mother Fanny filed for divorce from her father Henry due to his adultery. Edward Braddon, Mary's brother, departed for India at the age of twelve and then moved to Australia, where he rose to the position of Premier of Tasmania. After three years of working as an actress, Adelaide Biddle and Clara became her friends. Braddon was able to provide for her mother and herself despite their little responsibilities. In 1861, Mary moved in with publisher John Maxwell after they first met in April. But Maxwell had already tied the knot with Mary Ann Crowley, with whom he shared five kids. Crowley was living with her family, while Braddon and Maxwell were living together as husband and wife. When Braddon's "wife" status was revealed as a façade, Maxwell attempted to justify their relationship in 1864 by telling the newspapers that they were lawfully married. However, Richard Brinsley Knowles wrote to these papers, letting them know that his sister-in-law and Maxwell's real wife was still alive. Up until Maxwell's wife passed away in 1874, Mary raised his children as a stepmother. After that, they were able to tie the knot at St. Bride's Church on Fleet Street.
