In October 1844, Cushman moves to Europe to pursue her career there. In England, Cushman meets
Mary Howitt,
Geraldine Jewsbury,
Eliza Cook,
Sarah Anderton, and
Matilda Hays, all of whom turn out to be admirers of her and boost her career in the public realm. Most of them also enter a relationship with Cushman that could range from erotic attraction (Sarah Anderton) to long-time partnership (Matilda Hays). On
Feb 14, 1845, she performs as Bianca (
Fazio) in London for the first time.
At the end of the same year, Cushman performs with her sister Susan as Romeo & Juliet. In
1848, Matilda Hays and Cushman act together in the same play. In London, Hays and Cushman live
at 1 Bolton Row, Piccadilly, and face the cholera epidemic.
After Cushman's and Hays's breakup in 1857, Hays works in London as a writer for the
English Woman's Journal.