A Terrible Temptation: A Story of To-Day

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

7895

Title

A Terrible Temptation: A Story of To-Day

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Charles Reade's social drama explores the corrosive effects of class resentment and the moral complexities of inheritance. Through the intertwined lives of the Bassett family, the novel examines how past grievances and secret parentage can destroy reputations and relationships, ultimately suggesting that love and honesty triumph over hate and deception.

Summary up to 500 words

Set against the backdrop of Victorian London and the English countryside, Charles Reade's *A Terrible Temptation* explores the corrosive nature of class resentment and the redemptive power of truth. The narrative centers on Sir Charles Bassett, a wealthy but dissipated man who inherits the estates of his disinherited cousin, Richard Bassett. Richard, harboring deep bitterness over his lost birthright, falls in love with Miss Arabella Bruce, unaware that Sir Charles is also courting her. The domestic tranquility of the Bassett household is disrupted by the birth of a son, Reginald. Sir Charles dotes on the boy, viewing him as his heir and a solution to his own wasted youth. However, Reginald exhibits wild, unrefined behavior, influenced by his nurse, Mary Meyrick, and a gypsy friend. Sir Charles becomes increasingly distressed by the child's lack of gentlemanly bearing, fearing it will ruin his family's future. The tension escalates when Richard Bassett, driven by jealousy and a desire to expose the family's hypocrisy, attempts to have Reginald arrested for poaching. During the confrontation, Mary Meyrick reveals the shocking truth: Reginald is not Sir Charles's son, but the child of Mary and Richard Bassett. Lady Bassett confesses she swapped the dead child she bore with Mary's living one to save her husband's heart, a deception that has haunted the family for years. With the secret out, the legal charges are dropped, and Reginald is sent away to Australia. The revelation forces the family to confront their sins and lies. Over time, the hatred between the Bassett and Bruce families dissolves. Richard Bassett's daughter, Ruperta, nurses Lady Bassett back to health and eventually marries Richard's son, Compton. The novel concludes with the families reconciled, having learned that while hate ages the soul, love and forgiveness can restore peace, even if the past cannot be fully erased.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Fiction
• England