Victorian England was a time and place of rigid manners and stern regard for propriety above all things. And yet damsels were defiled and perfidy did flourish within that environment of upper-crust refinement. The title heroine of Lady Audley’s Secret (2000) goes about in dresses constructed of enough yardage to build a tented city. She speaks in modulated, sweet tones. Her exchanges are forever temperate and respectful. And yet a gentleman has disappeared while under her enchanting sway, and she has exerted a mesmerizing effect upon the impressionable nephew of her wealthy, well-placed husband. Just what makes Lady Audley think she is so special?