Alice Lorraine: a tale of the South Downs is a sensation novel by R. D. Blackmore, published in 1875. Set in Sussex and Spain during the Napoleonic Wars, the novel recounts the divergent tales of the eponymous heroine and her brother in their efforts to save the noble Lorraine family from ruin.The story is set in the early years of the 19th century. The hero and heroine, brother and sister, are children of Sir Roland Lorraine, representative of a very ancient family. Hilary, while studying for the bar in London, falls in love with the daughter of a Kentish farmer, the sister of his fellow-pupil. He confesses his folly to his father, who at once buys for him a commission in a regiment of foot on service in Spain. The young man distinguishes himself at Badajos, and is on the high road to fame, when he falls under the spell of a Spanish countess, and forgets for a time his promise to the Kentish girl An English novelist, known professionally as R. D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of the second half of the nineteenth century. He won acclaim for vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works. Best known for his novel, Lorna Doone..