The fatal error to which the title refers is Marmaduke Herbert’s inadvertently occasioning the death of his wife’s sister by causing her to fall off a cliff. This accident leads to misery, setting in motion a chain of events that will result in the deaths of nearly everyone Herbert loves, as well as an elaborate blackmail scheme and a trial for murder!

A bizarre novel, by turns sensational, psychological, and campy, Marmaduke Herbert; or, The Fatal Error (1847) is one of the best of the prolific Marguerite, Countess of Blessington’s novels. This new edition features an introduction by Ross G. Arthur and a chronology of the Countess of Blessington’s works.

About the Author

Marguerite, Countess of Blessington (1789-1849) is described by John Sutherland as the most fashionable of fashionable novelists. Born into poverty in Ireland, she was forced into marriage with a brutal army officer at age fifteen. After fleeing from this marriage, Marguerite read widely and educated herself, and married the Earl of Blessington in 1818. She became a leading London hostess and consorted with Lord Byron. After her husband’s death in 1829, she turned to writing, becoming one of the most important of the silver fork novelists.