<p>Austen's 'most wicked tale' Lady Susan is a short epistolary novel by Jane Austen possibly written in 1794 but not published until 1871. Lady Susan is a selfish attractive woman who tries to trap the best possible husband while maintaining a relationship with a married man. She subverts all the standards of the romantic novel; she has an active role she's not only beautiful but intelligent and witty and her suitors are significantly younger than she is.</p>