Love in a Mask

Love in a Mask, or Imprudence and Happiness, is an entertaining short novel by Honoré de Balzac, unpublished in his lifetime. This English edition was first published in 1911.

Beginning with a flirtatious conversation at a masked ball, Balzac introduces his two main characters, a beautiful wealthy young widow and a gallant cavalry officer, and demonstrates his creative genius with deft plot twists of hidden identity and romantic intrigue.