Of all the counties in England, ———shire was the loveliest. Of all the families in it, none were lovelier or more respectable than a family known to all under the august name of R———.

The father, Mr. William R———, was a born sportsman, and filled his days hunting d—cks, ph—
—nts, and f—xes, while his wife, Caroline R——— (née T———) could routinely be found
strolling through the g——— or nodding off mid-verse under the shade of a nearby tr—.

The governess, Mademoiselle LeC———, was meanwhile responsible for educating their three
sons, two d———rs, and a young nephew, G——, who had been brought into the family’s care
when William’s brother Sir M——— met with an untimely d—— in the W— of 18—.

Evenings, the family would sit in the drawing room and dote on their beloved Yorkshire terrier,
Little H———, while their eldest d———r Eleanor would gracefully p—— the p——.

Amid so tranquil a portrait of domestic life, the R———s could hardly be blamed for their
astonishment when their son D——— announced that he had fallen madly, hopelessly in l——.

For the A———s had of late moved to ———shire from the town of ———ington, which was
only two day’s ride by h—— and b——, and their youngest daughter S—— was a great b——,
indeed a b—— whose b—— was exceeded only by her ch——.

But there was a problem: S——’s family was —————, while the R————s, as the reader
may have guessed, were decidedly —————.

For it was, needless to say, a time of great f———— in the nation, and William was, though
staunchly a——–, also somewhat b—–—: at times, he could be c—–—; at other times, d———.

In short, were the two to marry, it would bring r—— to all involved.

Love, however, knows no b———s. For when the precocious young nephew G—— innocently asked, “———————?” his uncle could only shed a tear and reply, “———————, my boy. ———————,
indeed.”

In the end, ——standings were reached, —–ferences resolved, and D——— and S—— were
wed in early —–tober.

As luck would have it, D——— even came into an inheritance of 3–,—– pounds a year through
a distant cousin, the late Earl of R———, so that husband and w–— were soon able to take up
residence at W—— Park, an estate lavishly furnished with an a—— orchard, hedge m—ze, and
two dozen racing h——s.

And so, dear reader, we conclude this tale of love triumphing over f———, a tale as true in the
time of King G——— or Queen V——— as it is today. Indeed, we would do well to remember
the Latin phrase c— a—— quod erat n———, for it truly captures the w—sdom of the ages.