Lucas Malet is the pen name of Mary Kingsley, daughter of Charles Kingsley. She became a hugely successful Victorian novelist, rivalling Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy and Henry James. “The History of Sir Richard Calmady “ topped the best seller’s list of Publishers’ Weekly, receiving rave reviews and was considered “the best novel of the season”. The story follows the life of Richard, the disabled heir to a noble and wealthy family, but one which seems to be cursed through the generations. It is at heart a story of love in all its aspects – a mother’s love, (both selfish and selfless), love carnal and platonic, worldly and spiritual. After following the lines of Hogarth’s " Rake’s Progress" , it is ultimately a story of self-awareness, hope and redemption. Summary by Stav Nisser and Anne Fletcher.