Mary Archer

Married to a philanderer, fabulist, and convicted criminal, Mary Archer's marriage has consistently been the stuff of front page news. But how much do we really know about the woman who has—to general astonishment—stood by her man? Is she the loving wife who so impressed Justice Caulfield in Jeffrey's controversial 1987 libel trial, or is she as ruthlessly ambitious as her publicity-hungry husband? Tracing Mary's path through the tabloid scandal and courtroom dramas that have dogged her marriage, Margaret Crick examines the role Mary has played in supporting her notoriously crooked spouse, and asks what makes this woman of intriguing contrasts tick.