The Courtship of Morrice Buckler

The Courtship of Morrice Buckler is a novel by the English writer AEW Mason first published in 1896; the full title is 'The courtship of Morrice Buckler, a romance; being a record of the growth of an English gentleman during the years 1685-1687, under strange and difficult circumstances, written some while afterwards in his own hand.'
Mason is best remembered today for the film versions of his novels Fire Over England and The Four Feathers; 'Morrice Buckler' was his second novel and its success allowed him to become a full-time writer. This is a standard drama and romance story of a type popular at the time - similar authors in this field include Stanley Weyman.
Morrice, the narrator, is a student in the Dutch city of Leyden when first met, although the novel is primarily set in the Austrian Tyrol and England in the aftermath of Monmouth's 1685 rebellion. An old friend is executed for sheltering two Monmouth rebels after being betrayed by a villainous foreigner, Count Lukstein; Morrice travels to Austria where he kills the Count in a midnight duel on his wedding night. The rest of the story concerns his relationship with the Count's beautiful widow, who seeks revenge for her husband's death; despite this unpromising start, Morrice finally wins her hand, although the Introduction to the story, set 20 years later, suggests she has since died.