This issue of The Select Series (May 1889) features the serialized novella "A Heart's Bitterness," author unnamed, a domestic romance concerning Violet Ainslie, a wealthy heiress raised in isolation by her grandmother in Lincolnshire. Violet, now eighteen and possessing two million pounds, has announced her engagement to Lord Norman Leigh, surprising her circle including her mentor, the widowed Lady Burton. Lady Burton harbors concerns about Violet's emotional readiness, having been raised sheltered from society and suspicious of suitors. In intimate conversation, Violet admits to Lady Burton that she does not truly know whether she loves Lord Leigh, though she is committed to her duty. The narrative develops tension between Violet's inexperience, her vast fortune's complications in attracting sincere affection, and anxieties inherited from her deceased mother, Lady Lucy Montressor, whose own marriage proved unfortunate.
About this artifact
- Creator
- Clay, Bertha M., 1865-1922
- Date
- 1889
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by comicbooks.com.
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