Venetia Part I

Venetia is one of Heyer's later novels and not one of my favourites but it is likable enough for me to re read it at times. It is set in Yorkshire, a couple of years after Waterloo. However the hero is not that likable to me. Venetia Lanyon is the daughter of a baronet. Her family live at Undershaw, a prosperous estate and they are one of the richest of the gentry, in their neighbourhood. Her father, who had died a while earlier, was a recluse. Venetia has 2 brothers. Conway is in the Army, and stationed in France. The younger one is Aubrey who has a damaged hip and is very delicate. Venetia is now 25 and has never been away from her home. She has kept house for her father and looked after Aubrey who is a very clever boy of 17, a classical scholar who dislikes company. Venetia keeps busy with her house and managing the estate for Conway, but she does regret being cloistered at home. Sir Francis, her father, refused to let her go to London or have any visitors. The only people she knows well are her older friend, Lady Denny and Sir Francis' godson, Edward Yardley, a local squire. Since his death, she is a bit more free, but she has felt obliged to take care of Aubrey and manage the estate till Conway leaves the army. Venetia is a dazzling beauty, and she has found that when she occasionally went to Assemblies in York, she had admirers. Sir Francis' reclusive tendencies meant that none of them could pursue her. Her mother died when she was a child. That seemed to set off her father's oddities. Venetia believed that her parents were not very happy. She is out walking alone one day. She sometimes walks on the neighbouring estate of Lord Damerel. Damerel inherited, many years earlier but rarely visited, and is a scandalous rake. He eloped with a married lady some years earlier. He is said to have driven his father to an early grave. He lived abroad and when the lady's husband died, it seems that he did not choose to marry her. He has hardly ever visited his home, except once, with some very unrespectable companions and ladies of easy virtue. He is believed to live abroad much of the time. To Venetia's amazement, he suddenly appears in her path and kisses her, thinking her to be a village girl. She tells herself she should be very shocked at such brazen behavour, but in fact she is intrigued by it.