Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta

About this issue

Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta This serialized romance by Annie Ashmore, published in The Select Series (May 14, 1890), follows Ivanilla Rienzi's return to her family in New York after fourteen years raised in Italy by her grandmother. Upon arrival, she reunites with her beautiful older sister Isolina and their sculptor father. Ivanilla becomes devoted to Isolina, who is celebrated as the city's belle but harbors hidden depths and unspoken sorrows. The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Cecil Beaumont, a struggling author described as an exile and victim of family vendetta, arrives at the Rienzi home seeking sympathy. His cryptic remarks about his father's death and his apparent claim on Isolina's affections precipitate tension. The story establishes its title's "secret vendetta" plot, hinting at past wrongs and complex emotional entanglements.