Mary Shelley 
Parvenue 

When Fanny is 17 years old, a house fire nearly kills her entire family and destroys their home. Lord Reginald Desborough saves her from the flames and the couple marry, but her father’s demands put her happiness in jeopardy and leaves Fanny with an impossible decision.This story mirrors the author’s relationship with her own father, in its depiction of the money troubles that plague Fanny’s family and their constant demands on Lord Reginald.’The Parvenue’ (1836) is a classic, short story by the English writer Mary Shelley, famous for her best-selling novel ‘Frankenstein’. —