Résumé
Résumé de Le Vœu de Lillian
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
Readers who enjoy Victorian sensation fiction, ghost stories, and tales of secret marriages, forged papers and sealed rooms. It suits anyone who likes a determined heroine, a rival in silk, and a mystery with a fast pulse.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
Lillian's Vow is a Victorian mystery of murder, ghosts and hidden marriages, written by Mrs. E. Burke Collins, who died in 1902. It is a melodrama in the full sense. Villains snarl, heroines faint, and every chapter closes on a cry, a knock or a shadow in a doorway. It was written to thrill and to keep you guessing about who did what.
The story opens on a frozen winter night. An old accountant is strangled in a city street while a young journalist rushes to save him. His daughter Lillian kneels beside the body and swears that his killer will be found. Soon she is working as a paid companion in the mansion of the Raleighs, one of the richest families in town. There a dead girl's ghost paints an unfinished dress, a senator's wife hides a secret, and a jealous heiress sets traps for everyone around her.
You will meet a loyal young reporter, a brutal husband, a scheming flirt and a wealthy family with something to fear. Follow the clues, and the book will walk you through its first key point, which begins with that night in the street.
Dans ce résumé
- 1A murder and a solemn vowFree
- 2A dead girl and a new companion
- 3A ghost paints in the round room
- 4Jack, Lillian and Richard's trap
- 5Lenore's secret and the senator's cruelty
- 6Bessie's scheme and Van Alstyne's revenge
- 7The Raleighs on the edge and Lillian's forced marriage
- 8What the story is really about
- 9How the story is told
Point clé 1 sur 9
A murder and a solemn vow
The book opens in the dark. A frail, white-haired man named Gilbert Leigh is held by the throat on a quiet city street. His attacker wears a broad felt hat and demands a leather memorandum book that the old man carries. The book holds proof of the attacker's guilt, and the man says plainly that he will die before the truth is known.
The old man whispers something that sends the attacker into a fresh rage. At that moment a young journalist named Jack Lyndon, who works for the Daily Thunderer, runs up and knocks the stranger flat. The street lamp flickers out, and when it returns the attacker has gone. The old man, though, is dead, and the book is gone from his pocket.
Jack blows a whistle and a policeman called McElroy hurries over. McElroy recognizes the dead man at once and tells Jack what he knows. Gilbert Leigh was an expert accountant who quietly watched the clerks at the great firm of Raleigh and Raleigh. He lived in a boardinghouse with his only child. Nobody dares to tell her.
She finds out anyway. Lillian comes flying down the stairs in a white robe with golden hair streaming, and she throws herself on her father's body. She sees the purple marks on his throat and understands that he was murdered while defending the book. Her grief is so complete that no one in the hall can speak.
Then she stands and raises her hand. She says she takes no oath and makes no wild claims, but her father's murderer will be found, even if it takes years. When she faces him, she says, she will show no mercy. All night she kneels beside the body without a tear, and her face frightens everyone who sees it. That vow drives everything that follows, and Jack Lyndon, who felt a strange pang when he first looked up at her window, will be part of it.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about Le Vœu de Lillian
What is Lillian's Vow about?
It follows Lillian Leigh, who swears over her murdered father's body to find his killer. She becomes a paid companion in a millionaire's mansion, where ghosts, jealousy, secret marriages and a missing book entangle her.
Who is Noisette in Lillian's Vow?
Noisette is an orphan girl whom Rosamond Raleigh took from an asylum and made to paint dress panels. She dies early in the story, and her ghost keeps appearing to the Raleighs afterward.
Who wrote Lillian's Vow and when?
It was written by Mrs. E. Burke Collins, who died in 1902, in the late Victorian period. The story is a work of fiction set in a large American city with newspapers, electric lights and fashionable receptions.
Is Lillian's Vow easy to read?
Yes, in the sense that the chapters are short, the story moves quickly, and many chapters end on a cliffhanger. The dialogue is dramatic and the narrator guides you clearly through each household.
What is the main message of Lillian's Vow?
The book argues that truth and loyalty matter more than wealth or social rank, and that women deserve the same fairness as men. It also shows how hidden guilt and pride shape ordinary lives.