She married a Guernsey widower, photographer Charles Martel, at Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle on 4 April 1885; the couple returned to Britain in 1889.

Her husband had been declared bankrupt in September 1893, after an unwise business venture; although he was granted a certificate of discharge in March 1894, Martel worked as an elocution teacher from their home in Paddington and paid off the mortgage by 1900, by which time she was teaching from George Street.

She opposed the Political Labour League, particularly its caucus structure and support for the minimum wage, and advocated equal pay for women as a method of maintaining a male dominance in the workplace.

Other causes she supported included free trade, private industry, irrigation, foreign language teaching and the White Australia policy; ultimately she received 18,502 votes (6%).

[5] In 1907 Martel was involved with in the unsuccessful campaign against the sitting Liberal candidate at Jarrow by-election, with Jessie Stephenson and Mary Gawthorpe with Christabel Pankhurst.