The Works of George W. M. Reynolds

This volume presents a serialized melodrama titled "The Fortunes of the Ashtons," authored by Reynolds. The narrative follows Lettice Rodney, a twenty-two-year-old woman of compromised virtue living under the protection of the Duke of Marchmont in an isolated country house. The duke enlists her in an unspecified treacherous scheme requiring her to adopt disguises and visit a neighboring estate called Oaklands tomorrow evening. The text intersperses this plot with observations of other characters, including the Duchess of Marchmont (a thirty-two-year-old woman of refined beauty) and Christian Ashton, who encounters her during a country walk. Local legend involves a murdered late duke and ghostly hauntings near a nearby pond. The narrative combines domestic intrigue, seduction, and gothic elements across numerous chapters addressing conspiracies, revelations, and London underworld scenes involving characters like Mother Bambridge and an ayah.