A very dangerous woman : the lives, loves, and lies of Russia's most seductive spy

In January 1918, the British adventurer, diplomat, and secret agent Robert Bruce Lockhart arrived in Revolutionary Russia. His official mission: Britains envoy to the new Bolshevik government. His true mission: to create a network of agents, plot the assassination of Lenin, and overthrow the Bolsheviks. A dashing charmer, he soon got to know the aristocratic socialite, hedonist, and notorious seductress Moura Zakrevskaya. The two fell in love and began a passionate affair. But what Lockhart didnt know was that Moura was spying on him for the Bolsheviks. What Moura didnt know was that, as Lockharts plot unraveled and he was seized, she would sell herself to save him from the firing squad. Fleeing to England, Moura discovered a life of exile, a string of new lovers including Maxim Gorky and H. G. Wells and playing off the Russian and British governments as she spied for both. Through all this she clung to the hope that Lockhart would finally be able to return to her. Deborah McDonalds sensational retelling of Mouras extraordinary life opens up a world of revolution and espionage where survival means sacrificing more than just love and loyalty.

Spy, adventurer, charismatic seductress and mistress of two of the century’s greatest writers, the Russian aristocrat Baroness Moura Budberg was born in 1892 to indulgence, pleasure and selfishness. But after she met the British diplomat and secret agent Robert Bruce Lockhart, she sacrificed everything for love, only to be betrayed.When Lockhart arrived in Revolutionary Russia in 1918, his official mission was Britain’s envoy to the new Bolshevik government, yet his real assignment was to create a network of agents and plot the downfall of Lenin. Lockhart soon got to know Moura and they began a passionate affair, even though Moura was spying on him for the Bolsheviks. But when Lockhart’s plot unravelled, she would forsake everything in an attempt to protect him from Lenin’s secret police. Fleeing to a life of exile in England and taking a string of new lovers, including Maxim Gorky and H. G. Wells, Moura later spied for Stalin and for Britain amidst the web of scandal surrounding the Cambridge spies. Through all this she clung to the hope that Lockhart would finally return to her.Grippingly narrated, this is the first biography of Moura Budberg to use the full range of previously unexamined letters, diaries and documents. An incredible true story of passion, espionage and double crossing that encircled the globe, A Very Dangerous Woman brings her extraordinary world vividly to life with dramatic resonances to rival the most sensational novel.

Moura Budberg: spy, adventurer, charismatic seductress and mistress of two of the century's greatest writers, the Russian aristocrat Baroness Moura Budberg was born in 1892 to indulgence, pleasure and selfishness. But after she met the British diplomat and secret agent Robert Bruce Lockhart, she sacrificed everything for love, only to be betrayed. When Lockhart arrived in Revolutionary Russia in 1918, his official mission was Britain's envoy to the new Bolshevik government, yet his real assignment was to create a network of agents and plot the downfall of Lenin. Lockhart soon got to know Moura and they began a passionate affair, even though Moura was spying on him for the Bolsheviks. But when Lockhart's plot unravelled, she would forsake everything in an attempt to protect him from Lenin's secret police. Fleeing to a life of exile in England and taking a string of new lovers, including Maxim Gorky and H. G. Wells, Moura later spied for Stalin and for Britain amidst the web of scandal surrounding the Cambridge spies. Through all this she clung to the hope that Lockhart would finally return to her. Grippingly narrated, this is the first biography of Moura Budberg to use the full range of previously unexamined letters, diaries and documents. An incredible true story of passion, espionage and double crossing that encircled the globe, A Very Dangerous Woman brings her extraordinary world vividly to life with dramatic resonances to rival the most sensational novel. Tells The Story Of The Russian Aristocrat Turned Spy, Including Being Born Into Wealth, Falling In Love With British Diplomat And Secret Agent Robert Bruce Lockhart, And A Life In Exile In England. Flouting All Conventions : 1916-1918 -- Love And Survival : 1918-1919 -- In Exile : 1919-1924 -- England : 1924-1946 -- Moura's Salon : 1946-1974. Deborah Mcdonald And Jeremy Dronfield. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [384]-391) And Index. Deborah McDonald is the author of Clara Collet 1860-1948: An Educated Working Woman and The Prince, His Tutor and the Ripper: The Evidence Linking James Kenneth Stephen to the Whitechapel Murders. A story of passion, espionage and double crossing that encircled the globe and saw a woman born to indulgence and selfishness sacrifice everything for love - only to be betrayed