Would you like a swashbuckling tale of revenge?
You'll find it in A Daughter of the Marionis written by E. Phillips Oppenheim, 'The King of Storytellers'. I always enjoy his books which, although written up to 100 years ago, have a timeless quality of adventure. This title was his fourth book written and published in 1865 (!), and my copy is a small hardcover the size of a paperback, published 1930.
In the soft mantle of a southern twilight in Palermo, Lord Geoffrey St. Maurice shares a patio table with the Count Leonardo de Marionis at the seaside Hotel de l'Europe. The focus of the restaurant is the lovely Adrienne, a famous singer whom the Count intends to marry. Adrienne has made it clear she wants nothing to do with him, so he hires a mob to kidnap her later that night! When Geoffrey happens upon the event he rescues Adrienne and her maid, infuriating the Count who challenges Geoffrey to a sunrise sword duel. Desperate to prevent bloodshed, Adrienne arrives with the police to halt the duel ~ the Count is arrested on previous outstanding charges and sent to prison for 25 years.
While Adrienne and Geoffrey happily marry, the Count di Marionis spent those years pining for revenge, still virulent when he is released as an old man, returning to London to join his old boys club ~ The Order of the White Hyacinth, a band of brothers bent on exacting justice for perceived personal wrongs. His dreams of revenge are dashed when he finds them lax and dispassionate. Things might have ended there, until his cousin's daughter Margharita pays him a visit. She too has a black heart and is angered to see him in sad shape. They devise a plan for her to become governess to Lord and Lady St. Maurice's little girl, and once insinuated in the household, poison Adrienne for her rejecting and imprisoning the Count di Marionis. Yes, she wants to exact this revenge for her Uncle, and restore the family name.
"Together we will hunt her down - this woman! She shall suffer!...She shall die!".
They are both delusional and driven.
This is an involved story of revenge and murder plots, romance and betrayals, told as swift entertainment. Emotions are heightened when Margharita finds the family kind and welcoming, not to mention their grown son, handsome Lord Lumley is on the premises, whose love might challenge and thaw her heart, no matter how many times she doth protest.
This classic story is satisfying entertainment now, and must have been rather exciting to the readers 152 years ago.
I reveal so much of the story as I could not find another review online, nor an image of the book. Here I include the cover of my Ward Lock and Co. dust jacket for the interweb.
You're welcome.
1865 / Hardcover / 255 pages
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