The Sire de Maletroit's Door (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

<p><strong>A desperate flight from danger leads a young cavalier to a trap from which there is only one escape: a forced marriage.</strong></p><p>Set in the tumultuous world of 15th-century France this gripping short story by Robert Louis Stevenson follows the proud young soldier Denis de Beaulieu. Fleeing a patrol of enemy troops on a dark night Denis desperately seeks refuge and finds an open door into a grand mysterious chateau.</p><p>But the door locks behind him and he finds himself a prisoner of the enigmatic and formidable Sire de Maletroit.</p><p>The Sire obsessed with family honor has mistaken Denis for the man who has compromised his young niece Blanche. Denis is presented with a terrifying ultimatum: he must either marry Blanche by daybreak to cover the scandal or face immediate execution.</p><p>As the two hours tick away in the echoing silence of the castle chapel Denis and Blanche must negotiate a life-or-death choice and discover if genuine affection can be forged from a coerced union. This taut atmospheric tale explores the themes of honor destiny and whether a heart can truly find love under the shadow of the gallows.</p>