Nelson’s Daughter

She was his other great obsession . . .

Vivacious, strong-minded and passionate, Emma Hamilton was the secret mistress of Lord Nelson.

This intimate portrait of their affair, shown through the eyes of their young daughter, Horatia, goes to the heart of his captivation with the glamourous Emma – a woman who began life in poverty but rose to marry an aristocrat and to consort with kings.

But it is the complex relationship between Emma and her daughter that forms the heart of this unique and brilliant narrative.

Shifting between Horatia’s idyllic childhood before her father’s death at Trafalgar and, nine years later, the debt-ridden despair of the ageing Emma, Hearn renders the family in all their human frailty.

Poignant, absorbing and teeming with life, Nelson’s Daughter offers a vivid and beguiling vision of Nelson’s most personal legacy.

Praise for Miranda Hearn

‘Her writing is characterful, witty and wise’ – Daily Telegraph

‘A mesmerising and exhilarating novel’ – Guardian

‘The wealth of detail – of the smells and tastes, of food and fashions – which runs through her account brings the Napoleonic era pungently to life . . .’ – Times

‘A fine novel . . . Recommended.’ – Daily Mail

‘A touching tale, steeped in Nelsonian history and desperately honest’ – Oxford Times