The Many Wives of Wilhelm

Despite the best efforts of seers, clergy and legal experts officially it is merely misfortune that befalls Wilhelm Vogel's young wives, many of whom don't last a year.
Even had any of the marriages been happy and successful, they are still a source of scandal - all of his brides were of lower status, with the youngest Lynora coming from yeoman stock, they are also a source of financial strain as by Gorundian tradition, a high-status nobleman pays a Bride Price to the family, and while the Vogel estates are vast and coffers deep, it has been a burden.
Tragically, his first wife perished in the same fire that claimed his mother’s life. Whispers throughout Vogel’s duchy suggest that his mother’s dying words were a curse, condemning him to never find happiness.