My darling Baby Gazelle... from your Snuffy Scruffy

A COLLECTION of lost love letters revealing the secrets of a forbidden 100-year-old affair have been rediscovered in a shoe box.

- BY ED CHATTERTON

The amorous correspondence between married society heiress Dora Smith and wealthy RAF officer Noel Murray "Fred" Pearson dates to the 1920s.

At the time, Dora was living at Witley Court, a now-ruined stately home in Worcestershire, and the 108 letters cover a period while she was still married.

The documents detail their affair and the relationship which blossomed including affectionate pet nicknames for each other such as "Snuffy Scruffy" and "Little Baby Gazelle".