<b>Lady Susan by Jane Austen</b>&nbsp;<i><b>Lady Susan</b></i>&nbsp;is a short&nbsp;epistolary novel&nbsp;by&nbsp;Jane Austen, possibly written in 1794 but not published until 1871. This early complete work, which the author never submitted for publication, describes the schemes of the title character.<br /><br />Lady Susan Vernon, a beautiful and charming recent widow, visits her brother-in-law (late husband&#39;s brother) and sister-in-law, Charles and Catherine Vernon, with little advance notice at Churchill, their country residence.<br /><br />Catherine is far from pleased, as Lady Susan had tried to prevent her marriage to Charles and her unwanted guest has been described to her as &quot;the most accomplished coquette in England&quot;. Among Lady Susan&#39;s conquests is the married Mr. Manwaring.<br /><br />Catherine&#39;s brother Reginald arrives a week later, and despite Catherine&#39;s strong warnings about Lady Susan&#39;s character, soon falls under her spell. Lady Susan toys with the younger man&#39;s affections for her own amusement and later because she perceives it makes her sister-in-law uneasy.<br /><br />Her confidante, Mrs. Johnson, to whom she writes frequently, recommends she marry the very eligible Reginald, but Lady Susan considers him to be greatly inferior to Manwaring.