Family Romance
by Bernard Burke (9780217718417)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 16 ' MARIA STELLA, LADY NEWBOROUGH. Sir Thomas Wynn, Bart., descended from a very ancient family in North Wales, was created a Peer of Ireland in 1776, by the title of Baron Newborough. In 1766, he married Lady Catherine Perceval, daughter of John Earl of Egmont, and by her, who died in 1782, had an only son John, who died without issue in 1800. Some little time previous to that date, Lord Newborough was resident at Florence; and as he was partial to theatrical entertainments, he had a box at the principal Opera. Here he was very much attracted by the grace and beauty of an extremely youthful Ballerina, whose name was Maria Stella Petronella Chiappini. It was not long before he sought her acquaintance; and her sprightliness and charming manners completed the conquest which her winning face and twinkling feet had commenced. Lord Newborough was a man of honour and worth; and if he did not, in this instance, act with the prudence which befitted his very mature years, he could not, at all events, be reproached with want of principle. He made the acquaintance of the father of the fascinating dancing-girl, and found that he had been the jailor of a country town not far from Florence; and that the same spirit of cupidity which induced him to sell his pretty daughter's talents to the master of the ballet, would induce him to listen to the offer of a still heavier golden bribe. A bargain was soon struck between the peer and the jailor, and Maria Stella was transferred from the Florentine stage to the mansion of her veteran admirer. But the conduct of Lord Newborough towards his prize was tender and delicate in the extreme. Trusting that his unwearied kindness and affection would, in due time, remove the repugnance occasioned by the uncommon disparity of years, he immediately ...

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