Fiction Reviews: The Phantom Lover (By: Vernon Lee)

A portrait painter is hired by Mr. William Oke to paint a portrait of his wife at the couple’s estate. The painter describes the surroundings of the estate, followed by its interior. He becomes fascinated by the woman—not only by her beauty, but also by her enigmatic behavior. Alice Oke lives in the past, wearing the clothes of an ancestor who was murdered alongside her lover, a poet named Christopher Lovelock. Rooted in a 17th-century legend, the story suggests that Alice senses the presence of Christopher’s ghost. The painter witnesses the couple’s decline; although William loves his wife, they are unable to communicate and his jealousy spirals out of control. The situation reaches a breaking point when William "sees" his wife in the drawing room with the poet Christopher he grabs a rifle, kills his wife, and then takes his own life.