Black Sheep part I

This is one of Heyer's later novels, which was written when she was in poor health and did not work so hard. It is a shorter novel and is set in Bath. It has an older heroine, Abigail Wendover who is 28, and who lives with her sister Selina, who is around 40, and her orphaned niece Fanny. Abby is jolly and attractive and much cleverer than Selina who is foolish, and a hypochondriac. Fanny is the daughter of their elder Brother Rowland and she is the heir to the family estate. Her parents died when she was very young and she was brought up by Selina and Abby and their mother and they moved to Bath for the mother's health. James, the younger brother is at present the trustee for Fanny's estate, as she is only 17. The Wendover sisters come from a large family but many of them died. Abby has been away visiting one of her married sisters who was having a baby, and when she returns to Bath, she finds that Fanny has attracted a young suitor called Stacy Calverleigh. However both her friend Mrs Grayshott and her brother in law George tell her that this young man has a reputation for being a fortune hunter. Abby asks Selina about the man. Selina reveals that she has foolishly encouraged the flirtation because the young man is charming. Abby does not want to push Fanny into rebellion so she resolves to tread carefully, but she realises that she has never told her niece that she won't have full control of her fortune until she is 25. Mrs Grayshott who is a war widow, and not well off, has a son, Oliver, and he was taken up by his uncle, Leonard who is a rich merchant who made his fortune in India. Oliver went to India to learn about the business but his health broke down and he is now coming back to England. On the voyage back he meets a middle aged Englishman, Miles Calverleigh, who has lived a long time in India, who is kind and looks after him, on the long trip.. Abby finds that Miles is Stacy Calverleigh's uncle. He frankly tells her when they meet that he has not led a perfectly respectable life. She is half shocked and also amused by his blunt ways....