In 1815, Annabella Milbanke married the notorious poet Lord Byron; within a year, she fled, taking with her their baby daughter, the future Ada Lovelace. A brilliant mathematician, Ada's visionary writings predicted the dawn of the modern computer age, yet she never received her due, while Annabella—one of the most progressive reformers of Victorian England—is recalled only as a despotic mother. Drawing on fascinating new material, Miranda Seymour reveals the ways in which Byron, long after his death, continued to shape the lives and reputations both of his wife and daughter.

"Seymour brings these two brilliant, complex women to vivid life. While remaining historically rigorous, Seymour's narrative reads like a superb, page-turning novel."—Publishers Weekly (starred)