The Bashful Lover (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIX)

The narrative follows the comic romantic entanglements of a seasoned marquis who, after youthful flirtations and repeated rejections, eventually marries a long-unwed woman decades older than when they first met; scenes alternate between salon banter, matrimonial ceremonies, and domestic episodes that expose social manners, modest fortunes, and the awkwardness of late love. Through interwoven vignettes — including household mishaps, shy suitors, and caregiving scenes — the work satirizes courtship rituals, contrasts youthful passion with cautious virtue, and treats shyness and social pretension with light irony.