The Traitor's Wife : A Novel Paperback - 2014

A riveting historical novel about Peggy Shippen Arnold, the cunning wife of Benedict Arnold and mastermind behind AmericaâÈçs most infamous act of treason.

Everyone knows Benedict ArnoldâÈ'the infamous Revolutionary War General who betrayed America and fled to the British as historyâÈçs most notorious turncoat. Many know ArnoldâÈçs co-conspirator, Major John André, who was apprehended with ArnoldâÈçs documents in his boots and hung at the orders of General George Washington. But few know of the integral third character in the plot; a charming and cunning young woman, who not only contributed to the betrayal but orchestrated it.

Socialite Peggy Shippen is half Benedict ArnoldâÈçs age when she seduces the war hero during his stint as Military Commander of Philadelphia. Blinded by his young brideâÈçs beauty and wit, Arnold does not realize that she harbors a secret: loyalty to the British. Nor does he know that she hides a past romance with the handsome British spy John André. Peggy watches as her husband, crippled from battle wounds and in debt from years of service to the colonies, grows ever more disillusioned with his hero, Washington, and the American cause. Together with her former lover and her disaffected husband, Peggy hatches the plot to deliver West Point to the British and, in exchange, win fame and fortune for herself and Arnold.

Told from the perspective of PeggyâÈçs maid, whose faith in the new nation inspires her to intervene in her mistressâÈçs affairs even when it could cost her everything, The TraitorâÈçs Wife brings these infamous figures to life, illuminating the sordid details and the love triangle that nearly destroyed the American fight for freedom.