Little Lord Fauntleroy, with eBook recap

Seven-year-old Cedric Errol lives with his widowed mother in New York until an English solicitor reveals that deaths in his father's family have made him Lord Fauntleroy, heir to the Earl of Dorincourt. Cedric moves to England while his American mother, rejected by the Earl, lives separately. The proud, ill-tempered Earl expects to shape the child but is instead changed by Cedric's trust and generosity. Believing his grandfather already benevolent, Cedric persuades him to aid tenants and gradually wins his affection. A woman named Minna then claims her son is the true heir. Cedric's New York friend Dick recognizes her as the estranged wife of his brother Ben, who proves the boy is his own son and defeats the claim. Relieved, the Earl accepts Cedric's mother and admits his love for his grandson. Cedric's eighth birthday closes the story with the household and estate reconciled around him.

Cedric Errol is a friendly seven-year-old living quietly in New York with his widowed mother. His closest companions include Mr. Hobbs, an elderly grocer with strong opinions about aristocrats, and Dick, a young bootblack. Cedric knows that his dead father, Captain Errol, came from England but not that the captain's proud father, the Earl of Dorincourt, opposed his marriage to an American. Mr. Havisham, the Earl's solicitor, arrives with unexpected news: after the deaths of Cedric's uncles, Cedric is now Lord Fauntleroy and heir to the earldom. The Earl wants the boy brought to England and offers money for his upbringing, but still refuses to receive Mrs. Errol. Before leaving, Cedric uses his new resources to help Dick enter a better business and to rescue an apple seller from debt. He says painful farewells to his New York friends and sails with his mother and Mr. Havisham.

In England, Mrs. Errol is given a pleasant house near the Dorincourt estate but is excluded from the castle. She conceals the Earl's hostility so Cedric will not resent his grandfather. Cedric meets the old man without fear and assumes that every benefit arranged with the Earl's money reflects the Earl's own kindness. The Earl, accustomed to obedience and dislike, is startled by the boy's confidence, good manners, and open affection. Cedric settles into castle life under the care of Wilkins and treats the servants warmly. His innocent admiration flatters the Earl while also pressing him to live up to a more generous image of himself. The two begin spending their days together, and the Earl's initial plan to mold a suitable heir gives way to genuine interest in his grandson.

Cedric attends church with the Earl and attracts the attention of the estate community, whose members are curious about the new heir. Reverend Mordaunt sees that the child is compassionate and may be able to bring neglected tenants' needs to his grandfather's notice. Cedric learns to ride and becomes increasingly at home at Dorincourt, while continuing to visit his mother. When he hears about Higgins, a sick and struggling tenant living with his family in unhealthy cottages, Cedric asks the Earl to help. Because Cedric assumes the request will naturally be granted, the Earl agrees rather than disappoint him. Plans are made to repair the cottages and ease the tenants' hardship. Cedric believes he is discovering his grandfather's goodness; in reality, his faith is helping create it. The Earl takes growing pride in the boy and begins acting more responsibly toward the people dependent on him.

The Earl's attachment to Cedric deepens, and signs of the old man's transformation reach Cedric's friends in America. Then Mr. Havisham brings grave news: an American woman named Minna claims she was married to the Earl's late elder son, Bevis, and that her child is therefore the true Lord Fauntleroy. If the claim is valid, Cedric has no right to the title or inheritance. Minna's coarse behavior makes the Earl recoil, but legal appearances favor her story. For the first time he faces losing the grandson he has come to love. Cedric is distressed chiefly because he thinks his grandfather will be disappointed, while Mrs. Errol accepts the possible loss without bitterness. Public sympathy gathers around Cedric and his mother as the dispute becomes known. In New York, Mr. Hobbs and Dick read about the case, and Dick sees something familiar in Minna's published image.

Dick identifies Minna as the estranged wife of his older brother Ben and alerts Mr. Hobbs. Ben is located in the West and travels to England, where he establishes that Minna's child is his own son. Her attempt to present the boy as Bevis's heir is exposed, leaving Cedric's position secure. The danger of losing Cedric has forced the Earl to recognize both his love for the child and Mrs. Errol's dignity. He abandons his prejudice, welcomes her into the family, and brings her to the castle. Cedric's eighth birthday is celebrated by the household and tenants whose lives have improved through his appeals. Dick is rewarded with help toward a better future, and Mr. Hobbs joins Cedric in England. Cedric remains heir to Dorincourt, but the more important change is in the Earl: the isolated old aristocrat has become a devoted grandfather and a more generous landlord under the influence of Cedric's trusting affection.

Dick recognizes Minna from a newspaper image as his brother Ben's estranged wife. Ben comes to England and confirms that her son is his child, not the son of the late Bevis, so the rival claim to the Dorincourt title collapses. Cedric remains Lord Fauntleroy and the Earl's heir. The crisis also makes the Earl admit how deeply he loves Cedric and how unjustly he has treated the boy's mother. He welcomes Mrs. Errol at the castle and acknowledges her character. On Cedric's eighth birthday, the estate celebrates with him; his American friends are remembered, Dick receives help toward a new future, and Mr. Hobbs comes to England. Cedric's influence has turned his grandfather toward generosity, improved conditions for the tenants, and reunited the family around Mrs. Errol rather than excluding her.