Her Royal Lover: A Novel

Her Royal Lover A romantic novel by Mary Corelli (here attributed as "Ary Icilaw"), translated by Mrs. N.T. Laycock and published by Street & Smith in 1890. This serialized fiction concerns the passionate entanglement between the widowed King of Thessaly and Madame de Mineleko, a beautiful Caucasian ambassadress recently married to Count Heiligenthal, described as a jealous, brutal husband. The narrative unfolds against royal court intrigue, beginning at a ball celebrating the betrothals of the king's daughters—the Princess Aline to the Grand Duke Ivan, and the Princess Agusta to Prince George of Pattenpouff. The king's infatuation with the ambassadress becomes apparent to observant guests, arousing the malice of court women. The story progresses through forty-six chapters detailing duels, separation, remorse, and eventual marriage between the central figures, culminating in scandal and the Empress's rage at court.