She may have been Antoinette at birth, but to most people today, she's Madame Cherie.

Born in Paris in 1878, Antoinette had a humble upbringing, working as a seamstress

and a nightclub dancer. In 1909, she got married, a normal choice for a normal girl. Or, well,

so she thought. But she soon discovered that her new husband wasn't quite who he seemed to be.

No, the man that she knew as André was

actually Anthony McAluso, a fugitive from the law, but Antoinette didn't run the other way. No,

instead she figured, hey, if he can fake an identity, why can't I? And so, with imagination and

the art of the con on her side, the couple left Paris and moved to the

best location on earth for starting fresh.

New York City.

And so, goodbye Antoinette and hello, Madam Cherie, one of the 1920s most infamous socialites.

Spinning backstories of glitz and glamour,

these lovebirds wriggled among the city's elites,

and it worked.

Soon that humble seamstress was designing costumes on Broadway.

But as we all know, nothing gold can stay.

And when her beloved Anthony died in 1924,

Madame Cherie was bereft. She ditched New York City,

vanishing into 600 acres of New Hampshire woodlands. And there, deep in mourning and far from society,

she built a castle. Half Roman ruin, half French chalet. This place was lavish,

festooned with furs and scarlet draperies,

with a massive stone staircase winding up the side. It was like a real-life fairy tale.

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