Lord ---- is the lover, and later husband, of Eleanor Tilney. He paid a long visit to Northanger Abbey, during which his careless servant left his washing-bills behind in a cabinet, but in spite of his welcome as a guest, he was unable to pay his addresses to Eleanor because he lacked the wealth and status her father General Tilney expected from his children's spouses.
He unexpectedly inherits a viscountcy, which allows him to propose to Eleanor. They marry over the course of the summer. The viscount and viscountess work to convince General Tilney to allow the marriage of his son Henry to Catherine Morland, which he forbade due to the misinformation of John Thorpe. They are successful, and the marriage is permitted before a year has passed.