A collision of fortune and misfortune

In the late 19th century, John and Ishbel Gordon, the Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen, were the couple who seemed to have it all: a fortune that ran into the tens of millions, a magnificent stately home in Scotland, a townhouse in London’s most fashionable square, cattle ranches in Texas and British Columbia, and the governorships of Ireland and Canada where they lived like royalty.

Yet by the time they died in the 1930s, this gilded couple’s luck had long since run out: they had faced scandal, family tragedies, and lost both their fortune. This fascinating family quest to discover the reason for their dramatic downfall is also a moving and colorful exploration of society in Victorian Britain and North America.

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