Maria and the Admiral — Rachel Billington

A sweeping historical drama, based on the true and enduring love of Thomas Cochrane and Maria Graham.

'Touching and dashing in equal measure' SPECTATOR

'Intense and moving' THE LADY

'Rachel Billington imagines their intense relationship in this engrossing novel' CHOICE

Chile, June 1822. Maria Graham, a young British widow, watches as her compatriot Admiral Lord Cochrane sails triumphantly into the Valparaiso Bay, fresh from leading the Chilean fleet to victory over the country's Spanish rulers.

Cochrane, a popular yet outspoken hero of the Napoleonic wars, is drawn to Maria, a woman whose intelligence and spirit of adventure rival his own. Yet their intense and extraordinary relationship must contend with a climate of uncertainty, political turmoil and civil war.

Inspired by Maria Graham's own journals, MARIA AND THE ADMIRAL vividly brings to life the story of one woman who tested the limits of society, and of her enduring love for one of the most colourful figures of her age.