Charlotte Dacre's The Confessions of the Nun of St Omer (1805) was a bestseller with two subsequent editions by 1807. It tells the story of the willful Cazire, a young woman who is most susceptible to romantic temptations. In this volume, Cazire discovers the identity of "Ariel" and gets married. However, a figure from her past returns and starts a relationship that sends them both hurtling towards a bloody, destructive ending.