Hidden for nearly 150 years due to the family's shame at the manner of her death, the secret life of Selina Powell can now be told. Although the scandal of her death was broadcast internationally, until now the story of her life has been little more than a footnote in history. Her early demise wasn't the only thing hidden by the family, there were awkward unanswered questions, the most worrying of these being, how much was her husband to blame for her tragic 'accident'? The author reveals how this humble tight-rope dancer, from the back streets of London, touched the lives of many including the journalist, Henry Mayhew, the novelist Charles Dickens and even Queen Victoria.