Castle Eppstein

A prophecy of Merlin foretold that the Countess von Eppstein, who died on Christmas Eve, would forever be only half dead. A lone hunter, lost in Germany's Taunus Mountains, discovers the truth of this legend when his sleep is interrupted by the specter haunting the castle's "Red Chamber."The experience forces him to seek out the tale of how the last von Eppstein countess comes to the neglected and crumbling Gothic castle, an appropriate symbol for a once-proud family. He learns of the romance of two innocents and hears of the dashing of a young girl's dreams, the betrayal of a son by his own father, and how a concealed identity led to a wife's tragic and husband's ghastly death.The Castle of Eppstein by Alexandre Dumas was originally published in 1843 as Chateau d'Eppstein.