He was a debt-ridden dandy, a mid-ranking novelist armed with enormous political ambition.

She was a moneyed widow twelve years older than her new husband, always overdressed for society dinners and never one to hold her tongue.

From the outset, Mary Anne and Benjamin Disraeli made an unlikely match, yet they rose to the very pinnacle of Victorian society.

Drawing on the couple's love letters and Mary Anne's own formidable archives, Daisy Hay reveals the heady mix of romance and power that fuelled their influence - and chronicles how the Disraelis crafted their unconventional marriage into an enduring love story.