The Tenants of Malory, Volume 1 (ePub)

Tenants of Malory, The, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1867). This story opens in the little Welsh town of Cardyllian. The hero is Cleve Verney, who falls in love with Margaret Fanshawe, the daughter of Sir Booth Fanshawe, who, in ignorance of his landlord's identity, is hiding from his creditors at Malory, part of the estate of Lord Verney,-Arthur's uncle,-who has brought Sir Booth to ruin. The two families hate each other. Arthur Verney marries Margaret Fanshawe secretly in France, to which country Sir Booth has departed. His uncle Lord Verney wishes him to marry a lady of rank; and he, being ambitious and knowing that his prospects will be at an end if his marriage is known, procrastinates. A son is born to him, but this only adds to his embarrassment. He hears that Lord Verney himself has decided to marry the lady intended for him; and he contemplates bigamy, in order to forestall his uncle. He is saved from this crime by Lord Verney's sudden illness, and the return of the former Lord Verney, who was supposed to have died in Turkey. Mrs. Arthur Verney eventually pines away and dies neglected in Italy; while the hopes of the Verney family are dashed to the ground by the fact that Tom Sedley, a genial open-hearted young fellow, turns out to be the legitimate son of the former Lord Verney, and succeeds to the title and estates, much to the advantage of all concerned...., Excerpt from Volume 1: 'Tom Sedley was dozing in his chair, by the fire, when he was roused by Mrs. Graver's voice. You'll take this note at once, please, to your master; there's a cab at the door, and the lady says you mustn't make no delay. It took some seconds to enable Tom to account for the scene, the actor and his own place of repose, his costume, and the tenor of the strange woman's language. In a little while, however, he recovered the context, and the odd passage in his life became intelligible. Still half asleep, Tom hurried down-stairs, and in the hall, with a shock, read the address, Cleve Verney, Esq. At the hall-door steps he found a cab, into which he jumped, telling the man to drive to Cleve Verney's lodgings. There were expiring lights in the drawing- room, the blinds of which were up, and as thecab stopped at the steps a figure appeared at one of the windows, and Cleve Verney opened it, and told the driver, Don't mind knocking, I'll go down. Come up-stairs, said Cleve, as he stood at the open door, addressing Sedley, and mistaking him for the person whom he had employed.'