Melusine, or Devil Take Her!

This work is a romantic novel revolving around the legend of Melusine. Raymond de Forests travels to visit his father at the estate of Emory, Earl of Poitou. Emory immediately likes the boy and Raymond becomes a fosterling. Raymond becomes one of the family, but on his 21st birthday, the ominous counselor and magician to Emory, Owain arranges for Raymond to accidentally murder Emory. In a state of intense bereavement, Raymond rides away, discovering a grotto where Melusine has been secreted to seduce him. Raymond and Melusine build a grand castle on some land granted to them by Emory’s eldest son, Bertrand, calling it Lusignan. Bertrand later dies of poisoning and Raymond inherits his land. The Lusignans are prosperous, and one of the younger sons, Geffray, is meant to inherit. However, after Geffray murders another brother who was to be a monk, Raymond condemns his wife as a witch and she throws herself out the window. Raymond gives his titles to his son and retires to Montserrat to spend the rest of his life in meditation.