St Aubin, or, the Infidel

St Aubin; or The Infidel, was published in two volumes by Oliver and Boyd in Edinburgh in 1821. Its author was not named on the title pages. This was the first attempt by Janet Stewart to establish herself as a novelist, although during the first decade of the century it was known by a number of people that her poetry was being published using the pseudonym of 'Adeline'. Theresa de Valmont lives with her father, a clergyman of Geneva. She marries the Marquis de St Aubin, who has no religious beliefs and is unfaithful in love. Gertrude, the young daughter of the Earl of Normington, comes to live with the de Valmonts and is Theresa's best friend. St Aubin goes to Paris where much of the action takes place shortly before the start of the French Revolution. Theresa goes to Paris where St Aubin has bigamously married the by now beautiful Gertrude and murders his political rival Count Louis de Resberg. This drives Gertrude insane. In Paris in September 1792 St Aubin is at the first session of the National Convention. Finally, he and Gertrude die leaving Theresa to end her days supported by the principles of Revealed Religion. A Literary Biography follows the novel. Richard D. Jackson is a graduate of the University of St Andrews and retired senior administrative civil servant.