The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 21

"The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol. 21" by Robert Louis Stevenson is a compilation of the author's writings from the late 1800s, starting with "The Story of a Lie," it follows Dick Naseby as he navigates tricky relationships with his father and a painter known as The Admiral; the narrative follows adventures of love, lies, family drama, and the differences between social classes and who people really are, showing Dick as a sharp character in Paris who meets interesting folks like the questionable Peter Van Tromp or known as the admiral where their relationship has admiration and the dynamic changes when Dick goes home, leading to issues with his father over a political letter and things get even more complicated when Dick falls for Van Tromp's daughter, Esther, and his love grows amid tension and expectations where personal desires and social pressures collide, setting the scene for what's to come.