Scotland, 1648. Sir William Clifford expects to receive the vast Ruthven estates after the death of the old Lord, but a young man suddenly appears, claiming to the be the new Lord Ruthven, and also claiming the hand of the beautiful Anna Clifford in marriage. Only Anna's lover, Dr. Maxwell, knows the handsome stranger's ghastly secret--that he is a vampire returned from the grave The origins of the accursed Lord Ruthven are finally revealed for the first time in Volume 3 of this unique trilogy (LORD RUTHVEN THE VAMPYRE and THE RETURN OF LORD RUTHVEN), which includes Lord Ruthven Begins, an 1868 play by Jules Dornay and The Confession of Mary Queen of Scots Regarding Lord Ruthven, an all-new story by playwright and translator Frank J. Morlock.