Another improbable romance that works my muse into a tizzy!

The year: 1792
The hero: Sir Henry Crewe, 7th Baronet
The heroine: Ann (or “Nanette” or “Nanny”) Hawkins, lady’s maid (Hey, she shares a last name with the House of Trent!)
Their happily ever after: Sir Henry was one of the richest landowners in Derbyshire, but he was also a rather shy and eccentric man who earned the nickname “the reclusive baronet.” (Aside: I love writing about eccentric nobles–if you’ve read any of my books, that’s probably obvious!) He took Nanette Hawkins as his mistress in his 20s (she was 2-3 years younger than him), and lived openly “in sin” with her, fathering two children. He married her a couple of years later. Nanette bore Sir Henry nine children, and their oldest surviving son became the 8th Baronet on his father’s death in a carriage accident in 1819.

Evidently, Nanette was very beautiful, and Sir Henry didn’t want anyone but himself to lay eyes on her exquisite beauty. The legend says that he built a tunnel from their house (Calke Abbey) through the garden in order to hide her away.

For more about Sir Henry and Nanette:
The National Trust

Sir Henry and Nanette’s Home, Calke House (later renamed Calke Abbey)