Infamous Army Georgette Heyer Part I

Published in 1937, (in the years just before World War II) this is an unusual novel of Georgette Heyer’s.  She uses characters from some of her earlier novels… the Duke and Duchess of Avon appeared in Devil’s Cub... as Dominic Lord Vidal and Mary Challoner.  The timeline is a little bit wrong, but they are now an older couple and the grandparents of the heroine Lady Barbara Childe.   The hero, the “military man” and Peninsular soldier, the Hon. Charles Audley, appeared in “Regency Buck... He was then an amiable and good hearted young man and the younger brother of the hero of that novel... (Julian, Lord Worth).  The novel is set in 1815 - just when the British aristocracy had been enjoying foreign travel for the first time in many years.  Julian Worth and his wife, Judith and their baby son are visiting Brussels... as is Lady Barbara Childe.   So are other characters from Regency Buck, Judith’s brother the pleasant but silly young baronet Peregrine Taverner and his wife Harriet.

However at the start of the novel, Napoleon has escaped from Elba and there is anxiety in Brussels that he will reconquer Europe.  The Duke of Wellington has been summoned to Belgium to take charge of the army and the Novel’s title is taken from his real life remark that he has an “Infamous army...”  He is not very happy with the War Office and the mixture of different nationalities that he has to command...plus many of his experienced peninsular veterans have been sent to America…

Judith Worth is keen to match-make for her brother in law, who is also expected in Brussels and she has a young English girl, Lucy Devenish, whom she likes and believes will make him a good wife.  Lucy is heiress to a fortune, since her aunt is married to a wealthy, good hearted but somewhat vulgar merchant.  Judith chaperones Lucy in Brussels at times because her aunt is somewhat “indolent”, and her uncle is not “quite quite” a gentleman.

Julian -Judith’s sardonic and haughty husband is not sure if he likes his wife’s match making….

When Charles comes to Brussels, Judith is keen to introduce him to her protégée, but to her amazed annoyance, he meets Barbara Childe at a dance and is completely smitten with her on first sight.  Barbara is very beautiful, and a widow, and older than Heyer’s usual heroines. (Like her great Grandmother Leonie, she is a redhead).

 She is also a more selfish harder character.  She is one of the “bad Alistairs” who have a reputation for wildness and extravagance. and her status as a married woman and widow means that she can get away with more excessive behavior than the young “ingénue” heroines.  Barbara is living with her elder brother, Lord Vidal and his wife... who are keen to persuade her into a second marriage.  Her other brothers George and Harry are both in the army.  George is a rake and a selfish young man, but he is fond of Barbara.  Harry is just out of school and has not yet seen action.

In “Infamous Army”, Judith is now a married woman and comes across as a more priggish, prudish character than she did in Regency Buck.  She is horrified about her brother in law falling in love with Barbara, who is known to be selfish, and a hardened flirt. She is known for “taking up” men and having them fall in love with her... and then dropping them.