She inherited the family's Llangunnor estate, where Steele retired a few years before his death in 1729.
Prior to this, in February 1704, Mary had been unsuccessfully sued for breach of promise by a man named Henry Owen, whom she accused of being a fortune-hunter.
[2] Following their marriage, they took up residence in London, but Steele's precarious financial position made it difficult for them to keep up the rent and they were forced to move to properties in less fashionable districts or to use houses that belonged to the Scurlock family.
Over the period of twelve years until her death, Steele wrote over 400 letters to Prue.
By the time of her death, she was seriously considering a permanent separation because Steele drank heavily and was constantly in debt.