Charles Reade

A Terrible Temptation Charles Reade

Young Arabella Bruce has no idea of what feud she is going to fuel when she decides to give her hand in marriage to Sir Charles Bassett and scorns the advances of his cousin Robert Bassett, a man who was not only attracted to her because of her beauty but also because of the dowry she might have brought into the marriage. Robert Bassett is an extremely vindictive and bitter man, and the pet peeve of his life is his idea of having been cheated out of his rightful inheritance, the Bassett estate, which would have gone down to his father, had it not been for his grandfather, who scratched Robert's father from his will due to this man's profligacy, and settled the estate on his other son instead.