The Fatal Error To Which The Title Refers Is Marmaduke Herbert'S Inadvertently Occasioning The Death Of His Wife'S Sister By Causing Her To Fall Off A Cliff. This Accident Leads To Misery Setting In Motion A Chain Of Events That Will Result In The Deaths Of Nearly Everyone Herbert Loves As Well As An Elaborate Blackmail Scheme And A Trial For Murder!A Bizarre Novel By Turns Sensational Psychological And Campy Marmaduke Herbert; Or The Fatal Error (1847) Is One Of The Best Of The Prolific Marguerite Countess Of Blessington'S Novels. This New Edition Features An Introduction By Ross G. Arthur And A Chronology Of The Countess Of Blessington'S Works.. About The Author. Marguerite Countess Of Blessington (1789-1849) Is Described By John Sutherland As The Most Fashionable Of Fashionable Novelists. Born Into Poverty In Ireland She Was Forced Into Marriage With A Brutal Army Officer At Age Fifteen. After Fleeing From This Marriage Marguerite Read Widely And Educated Herself And Married The Earl Of Blessington In 1818. She Became A Leading London Hostess And Consorted With Lord Byron. After Her Husband'S Death In 1829 She Turned To Writing Becoming One Of The Most Important Of The Silver Fork Novelists.