Lady Susan is the title of one of Jane Austen’s early pieces, written about 1794. The sophisticated anti-heroine Lady Susan Vernon boasts of her skills in flirting, adultery, and general scheming. It’s thought Jane may have based the character on the notorious Lady Elizabeth. She must have at least known her reputation and maybe her works as she was a published author. Lady Elizabeth Berkeley was born in December 1750 and in 1767 she married William, 6th Baron Craven, becoming known as Lady Betty Craven. Both Elizabeth and her husband indulged in affairs, notably Elizabeth’s scandalous liaison with the French ambassador, the Count of Guines, in 1773.