Trust: The Anatomy of a Marriage

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Dorothy Osborne, the daughter of a staunch Royalist, met William Temple, whose father favoured Oliver Cromwell, towards the end of the English Civil War. Despite strong opposition from both families, the couple embarked on a seven-year courtship, mostly through letters - many now found in the British Library. When they eventually married, William went on to achieve a place in history as a diplomat and gifted essayist. But along with worldly success there was private tragedy.

Told from two female perspectives, “Trust’ explores the complicated relationships within the Temple household. Despite being a diplomat of integrity and honour, Temple was a man of his times. There were rumours that he was the father of Esther Johnson, his housekeeper’s daughter (and Jonathan Swift’s "Stella’).

The marriage of Dorothy Osborne and William Temple has gone down through history as a celebrated love story. Rita Dallas’s research suggests there may have been darker aspects.

In a blend of fact and fiction, "Trust’ poses the question: What if?