The House of Egremont

In Short

Set against the backdrop of the Glorious Revolution, this historical romance follows Roger Egremont, a staunch Jacobite who throws a platter of beans into the face of the Prince of Orange—an act of defiance that earns him a prison sentence and a life of exile. Stripped of his estate and forced to navigate the precarious politics of St. Germains, Roger must reconcile his rigid code of honor with his evolving feelings for a high-born princess and a woman of the people. Through years of hardship, warfare, and shifting loyalties, Roger fights to reclaim his name and his pride. It is a tale of endurance, the weight of inherited tradition, and the moral complexities that arise when personal integrity clashes with the realities of power.

The Story

The narrative begins with a bold, impulsive act. When the Prince of Orange arrives at Egremont, Roger, a fierce loyalist to the deposed James II, refuses to bow to the "usurper." His subsequent arrest and imprisonment in Newgate define his character: he is a man of unyielding, if occasionally rash, conviction. While his estate is seized by his half-brother, Hugo Stein—a man who represents everything Roger despises—Roger is eventually released and seeks refuge among the Jacobite exiles in St. Germains.

In France, the exiled court lives in a state of suspended animation, oscillating between desperate political schemes and lighthearted revelry. Roger, though transformed by the austerity of prison into a more articulate and seasoned man, finds himself entangled in the complex social web of the refugees. He forms a profound, grounding friendship with the Duke of Berwick, a figure of steady honor, while simultaneously navigating his complicated bond with Bess Lukens, the niece of his former jailer. Bess, a woman of remarkable strength and self-possession, provides the support Roger lacks, yet he finds his heart increasingly drawn toward the Princess Michelle.

As the years pass, the prospect of reclaiming England fades into a distant, melancholy dream. Roger’s life becomes a cycle of service, military engagement—most notably at Neerwinden—and the pursuit of his own private vendetta against Hugo Stein. The conflict with his half-brother serves as the emotional anchor of the book; Hugo, who has usurped not only the Egremont land but also the symbols of Roger’s heritage, remains a constant, malevolent presence.

The story reaches a turning point when Roger and his companions travel to the principality of Orlamunde. Here, the moral rot of the usurping class is laid bare. Roger discovers that Michelle is trapped in a loveless, degrading marriage, and that Hugo Stein continues to weave his web of deceit. A confrontation at the Palace of Monplaisir brings these tensions to a breaking point. Roger, fueled by a mixture of righteous fury and long-nurtured vengeance, sees his rival unmasked before the very people he has sought to impress.

In the aftermath, the paths of the characters diverge. Roger, having navigated the "devil" of his own pride and the temptation of illicit love, finds himself at peace. The ending is one of tempered resolution. Roger does not reclaim his land by force, but he earns the moral high ground. He secures a promise of future happiness with Michelle, while finally confronting the necessity of reconciling with his past. He emerges as a man who has learned that while one cannot always command fortune, one can always command one’s own soul.

How It Unfolds

A defiant gesture Roger’s life is permanently altered when he chooses to insult the Prince of Orange at his own dinner table. This act of rebellion results in years of imprisonment in Newgate, cementing his status as a martyr for the Jacobite cause.

The life of an exile Upon his release, Roger joins the displaced court at St. Germains, where he struggles to find purpose. He balances the hollow pomp of the court with a sincere, growing friendship with the Duke of Berwick.

A complicated bond Roger’s relationship with Bess Lukens, who followed him into exile, tests his principles. While he deeply respects her, he finds himself conflicted by his feelings for the elegant Princess Michelle, setting the stage for emotional turmoil.

The pursuit of justice Seeking to reclaim his honor and expose his brother’s treachery, Roger travels to Orlamunde. This journey serves as a final crucible, pitting his sense of justice against the corruption of his rival, Hugo Stein.

The final reckoning Roger confronts Hugo in a dramatic scene that forces a moral collapse upon his enemy. Freed from the crushing weight of his vendetta, Roger prepares to return to his own path, having finally mastered his own temper.

The People

Roger Egremont is the protagonist, defined by a stubborn, almost abrasive sense of honor. He begins the book as a man of action who uses his fists and his temper to express his beliefs. His journey is one of maturation; imprisonment and exile force him to develop a more nuanced understanding of his duty and his heart.

Bess Lukens acts as the moral center of the story. A woman of the people, she is described as possessing an innate, shield-less goodness. Despite the "gulf" between her and the aristocratic Roger, she remains his most constant, honest friend. Her resilience in the face of societal judgment makes her a foil to the fragile, court-centered lives of the exiles.

Hugo Stein is the antagonist, the half-brother who occupies the Egremont estate. He is the mirror image of Roger: handsome, soft-skinned, and utterly hollow. He represents the corrupting influence of the court and the usurper’s power, and his greed for the Egremont legacy drives the central conflict of the plot.

The Duke of Berwick provides a model of "manly perfection." As a soldier and diplomat, he is the only person Roger truly admires, embodying the nobility and restraint that Roger struggles to attain. He serves as both a mentor and a steadying influence throughout the narrative.

The Princess Michelle represents the unattainable ideal for Roger. Her life, trapped within the rigid, debauched constraints of an unhappy marriage, mirrors the fate of the Jacobite cause itself. Her eventual moral awakening allows her to break free from the influence of Hugo Stein.

In Its Own Voice

“Mr. Egremont, of Egremont, in the County of Devon, has done nothing for which he should ask pardon of the Prince of Orange.”

Roger delivers this defiant message when offered a chance to buy his freedom by acknowledging the usurper.

“If a man giveth his life for his friends, he can do no more.”

The author invokes this biblical sentiment to underscore the profound loyalty and sacrifice that defines the better nature of the exiled gentlemen.

“And love and death are near in my mind too; it will be death to any man who speaks an ill word against the woman I love, and death to her if she betrays me.”

Roger speaks with a characteristic intensity that reveals his high, sometimes dangerous, standards for those around him.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the tension between personal integrity and the loss of one’s place in the world. Roger Egremont is a man who loses his physical home but refuses to lose his identity. The central argument is that true nobility is not found in titles or land, but in how one behaves when everything has been stripped away. The author interrogates whether one can remain "an English gentleman" while existing in a foreign, often alien, culture. It is a meditation on the cost of pride; Roger’s struggle is not just against an external enemy, but against the "devil" within his own temper. The book asks whether a man can be redeemed through service and loyalty, or if he is doomed to be a relic of a vanished world, suggesting that the only true restoration is one of the spirit.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the dense, character-driven style of turn-of-the-century historical fiction will find much to admire here. It is a slow-burning book that rewards patience, focusing less on grand, sweeping battles and more on the intimate, often agonizing, daily lives of people living in exile.

The prose is warm and precise, though a modern reader should be prepared for the period’s formal, sometimes flowery, tone. The author does not shy away from the flaws of her protagonist; Roger is often rash, unfair, and deeply stubborn, which makes his eventual growth feel earned rather than forced. The book’s depiction of the "St. Germains" experience—the mixture of tragic loss, social performance, and persistent, often desperate, gaiety—is particularly vivid.

You will likely be struck by the relationship between Roger and Bess, which is handled with a refreshing lack of sentimentality. It is a story about the "savor of another’s bread"—the bitter reality of living under someone else’s roof—and the ways in which that hardship shapes the human character. If you enjoy stories that treat the "small" moral decisions of a life as being just as significant as the fate of kingdoms, you will find this work deeply compelling. While the period attitudes toward status and birth are very much a product of their time, the underlying questions about what it means to be a person of honor in a world that has turned its back on you remain relevant and moving.