Lavinia

'There is so much vanity in the heart of man! Lionel suffered bitterly to see her who was long swayed and imprisoned by her love for him, who was once his alone, and whom the world would not have dared to come to take from his arms, now free and proud, encompassed by homage, and finding in every glance revenge or reparation for the past...' Sir Lionel Bridgemont, a wealthy young English traveller, and Lavinia Buenafè, a young well-born Portuguese girl, had thought, ten years ago when they were betrothed, that their love was forever. But Lionel abandoned her, miserably, breaking her heart. He has continued his wandering life; she has married a wealthy nobleman and become a widow. Now the news of his forthcoming marriage reaches her, and she writes to him to suggest that they return each other's letters. Considering that they are, for the first time since they parted, physically so close to one another, high up in the Pyrenees, they cautiously decide to meet. With his witty young friend Sir Henry accompanying him, Lionel travels to Saint-Sauveur to meet Lavinia. Will she have forgiven him for his youthful cruelty all those years ago? Will he still feel something for her? Will their encounter prove to be a scene of revenge, reconciliation or even revivified love? Whatever the possibilities, it will be Lavinia who finally decides... This passionate, amusing novella was first published in 1833.