[3] In 1773, the wealthy Edward Smith-Stanley, Lord Stanley came of age and pursued "a brief and fervent courtship" with Lady Elizabeth, holding an opulent party in her honour.

[4] Playwright John Burgoyne hosted a "glittering" assembly after the wedding, in which he wrote the comedy The Maid of the Oaks in honour of the occasion.

[4] The extravagant event included choreographed dancers, acrobatic troupes, famous opera singers, and – for the grand finale – a mock wedding attended by nymphs with Lady Elizabeth presented at its altar.

[8] Kauffman painted two versions of a sitting portrait of the earl, countess, and their son; one of these works is kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, though it is not on display to the public, while the other is in the custody of the family's descendants.

[10] In early 1778, rumours began spreading that Lady Derby was having an affair with John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset,[11] "the most notorious rake of the day.

[8] Alan G. Crosby posits that "Derby's steadfast refusal to divorce his wife and to grant her access to their children not only added to the sensation but also ruined the rest of her life.

"[4] Becoming a "chronic invalid,"[8] she avoided London society and lived abroad until 1783; meanwhile, her family attempted to persuade the earl to allow for a reconciliation with his wife.

[17] Amidst this attention, Lady Derby quietly returned to London and gradually began appearing at events, later moving in with her brother the 8th Duke of Hamilton.

[17] No reconciliation ever occurred between husband and wife; instead, the Earl and Farren waited expectantly for Lady Derby's death, which would free him for remarriage.

[4][8][19] Roy Hattersley and Hannah Grieg suggest that Lady Derby's social crime was not that she openly consorted with the Duke, but that she left her husband,[15][20] while Robert Sackville-West, 7th Baron Sackville states that her mistake was in not conducting the affair more privately.