Heyer's medieval novels

Georgette Heyer was interested in medieval history and wanted to write novels about it, but her financial problems caused her to have to write more and more Regency novels. however she did work in between times at her various medieval projects. After her death her husband published My Lord John, the work she had spent a good deal of time on. In her younger days, she wrote a few novels set before the 18th century, including SImon the Cold Heart, the Conqueror, a biographical story of William the Conqueror, and the Great Roxhythe, a story about the time of Charles II. The last named has not been re printed in a long time. Anohter novel was Beauvallet, an adventure tale set in the times of Queen Elizabeth I, with a Spanish heroine. Her earlier novels are not nearly so good as the Regencies. She did not have a feel for medieval language and although she was interested in military history, she did not really understand the religous atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Her books seem artificial and its a shame that she thought of her Regencies as frothy when they are such good readable works. She also wrote a Georgian novel, called Powder and Patch about a country squire who becomes an elegant gentleman when he goes to Paris. Another regency novel is Spanish Bride which is a fictionalised biography of the real life soldier, Harry Smith, who fought in the Peninsular war, and who married a young Spanish girl who was only about 14 and with whom he had a long and happy marriage. Heyer knew a lot about military history and gave a good account of the fighting in Spain and Portugal and in Infamous Army, she wrote about the Battle of Waterloo.

Caroline Murat

Caroline Murat was the youngest of Napoleon's three sisters, and famous in her day. She and her sisters were brought up by their mother who felt that women should be mothers and home makers, but they moved from Corsica to France, and rather ran wild as teenagers. Caroline was born in 1782 before her father died young of cancer. Like her sisters she mixed in society very young. She fell in love with Joachim Murat, the son of an inn keeper who was a brilliant cavalry leader. However as Napoleon began to rise in society, and acheived high military honours, he wanted his family to become more refined. He sent his sister back to school, to Mme Campan's school which gave a good education to young girls of new upper classes. Caroline had had little education but she was intelligent and realised that if she was to become a society hostess in the new Parisian society, she would need to learn languages, managing a household, and other subjects for conversation. Hortense Josephine's daughter was at the school and the 2 girls became mildly friendly but Caroline never really liked her brother's wife. She stuided and became an accomplished woman, but she was not as clever or studious as her older sister Elisa, who enjoyed learning. Elisa was the plainest of the Bonaparte girls - in her 20s she married Felix Bacchiochi, a soldier who allowed her to dominate him a good deal and who enjoyed playing the violin, badly. Pauline, the most beautiful sister, was silly and wild, and Napoleon was keen to get her married off before she caused a scandal. So she married another soldier, Victor Leclerc, who proved a good kind husband. However Napoleon did not want Caroline to marry Murat who was promiscuous, not very clever and only a tradesman's son. He finally agreed to the marriage. Caroline and Murat became King and Queen of Naples, and Caroline was involved in ruling the kingdom, though Napoleon did not believe in women meddling in politics. She and Murat had 2 sons and 2 daughters. Murat in particular had disputes with his brother in law over ruling Naples, since Napoleon wanted all the kingdoms where his siblings ruled to be run for the benefit of France.

Rumer Godden

Rumer Godden was an English novelist who spent a long time in India, which became a locale for many of her novels. She was born in Eastbourne but her parents took her to India because her father had a job there. She was sent home to school later on. She was born in 1907, and spent part of the World War One years in India. She then trained as a dance teacher and in 1925 she opened a dance school in Calcutta. She married in 1934 because she was pregnant, but the marriage was not happy. She and her children lived in Kashmir when her husband joined the army, but at the end of the war, she moved back to England and lived in London. Her time in London inspired her novel about a garden, and the London children. She got a divorce and a few years later married James Dixon, a civil servant. She became Interested in the Roman Catholic church and many of her novels had nuns and a religious setting. Her first big novel, Black Narcissus was set in an Anglican convent. However due to her divorce, it took soem time before she converted to Roman Catholicism I hope to write some more about Rumer Godden soon. Rumer Godden wrote many stories for children and she also wrote very well about children and adolescents. Some of her works are about young girls coming of age. One novel is called An Offering of Sparrows, which is set in a poor area of London, and is about the local children who try to make their life brighter, particularly a little girl called Lovejoy whose mother neglects her.. Godden also wrote a novel about a Catholic convent, called In this House of Brede, about a middle aged woman, Philippa who goes into the convent after her husband dies, and has to adjust to life in a cloistered community. Philippa has lived abroad a good deal but loves the English country where Brede is located. She wrote about 60 novels and lived to old age. Im currently reading Breakfast with the Nikolides, which is set in India after the Second world War, and is about an ENglish man who works there advising Indian farmers and trying to make agriculture more prosperous. When his estranged wife and daughters come after several years, tension arises as his wife cannot relate to Indians.

Napoleon Part II

Napoleon mixed in the new post royal society, trying to get another military commnad. He needed victories to bring him to the notice of politicans and he beleived that if he got power he could reform France and solve the problems that had led to the Revolution. He was an awkward clumsy man in society, finding it difficult to talk to women particuarly. He met ROse De Beauharnais, the widow of an officer who had been killed in the Terror. She was pretty, and sociable, and she managed to keep herself by acting as mistress and hostess to Paul Barras, one of the most prominent politicans. Napoleon fell in love with her and married her, and got command of the Army in Italy... He was in some ways very naive and did not realise that his wife was still involved with her friends and lovers in Paris. However, he was mostly happy to have achieved his ambition to command in Italy, and he was a brilliant success. His own family did not like Josephine as she was now called, but her 2 children grew fond of Napoleon and he of them. He next led an expedition to Egypt but it was not such a success. Napoleon learned that his wife was unfaithful, but when he returned to France, he planned a coup to take over the organs of government and Josephine was a popular figure in society, so she was a help to him. Moreover in spite of his faults and hers, he loved her and found it hard to break with her. He became First Consul, ruler of France with the right to name his own successor.

Sue Barton Part III

Sue and BIll get married when she is 25 a year or so after the hurricane. He takes over the new hospital and Sue becomes the superintendent of nurses there. She and Bill work together for 3 years and go through a bad patch in their marriage. Marianna starts to train as a nurse but gives up because she dislikes being under authority, and she runs away to travel around the country. Sue is desperately worried and feels that Bill is not sympathetic. Marianna returns to Springdale after several months away, having injured her foot and realising that New Hampshire country life is not so bad, and that living rough and travelling around is a dangerous and difficult life. Ira Prouty who works at the hospital, has helped her when she returned and wanted to stay in hiding, but she now goes to Sue's house to be nursed. She tells Sue after a few weeks that she is going to marry Ira, he is a good kind man and loves her and she thinks now she will be happy as a farmer's wife. Sue is startled but realises that Marianna has perhaps grown up now and is willing to settle down and that Ira, who is solid and steady, will be a good husband for her. She decides to try and talk to Bill about their marital problems, and when they talk they realise that they still love each other and their marriage is not on the rocks. After her first class of nurses graduate, some 3 years after the wedding, Sue tells Bill she is going to resign, as she's pregnant. She always wanted a career in nursing but wanted to balance it with having children.. and she beleived that a mother was necessary for children, when they were small which was commonly believed in the 1940s when Boylston was writing and set her books. THe next novel in the series is more about Sue as mother than a nurse. it is some years after her leaiving the hospital and having a baby, and she now has a daughter of 6, Tabitha and twin sons, Johnny and Jerry. She and BIll have Veazie living with them as housekeeper and friend and Sue soemtimes covers for the visiting nurse... Sue finds that her son Jerry has musical talent and she also tries to help Caroline, a new neighbour who is the daughter of a famous but distant artist. She then has another baby, Susie, and a few months after her baby is born, Bill gets ill with TB. At the time the main cure was rest and Bill has to go to a sanitorium, to recover. Sue decides that it might be a good idea to get a job while he's sick, to earn money and keep her mind occupied. She goes back to Bills hospital where Kit is now the Superindendent of nurses and gets a job as a staff nurse. She works wth a middle aged woman called Pat, who used to be out of nursing for some years, raising a family and is now back at it. Boylston loved her nursing work and never married, adn she understood that married women often needed and wanted to work so she supported it. Sue loves being back at full time nursing, and helps some of the younger nurses with problems. HOwever when Bill recovers and comes home, she decides to give it up and return to being a housewife till the children are older.

Sue Barton Books Part II

Marianna engineers a reconcilation between Sue and Bill, at Christmas, wiring him to say that she is ill. They make up and decide to get married, as Henry St as a body does not bind its nurses too strongly, and Sue feels that she could work with Bill in his town practice, till she has children. She resigns from Henry Street and returns home for her wedding, Marianna and Kit hope to move later, to be near to her, as Kit wants to get an executive job in a hospital and there is a small hospital in Winslow, NH. Marianna is still going to school, and is still a bit of a rebel. Sue goes home, but a disaster happens. Bill's father is killed in a car crash in Europe and he has to look after his younger brother Eliot who is partly handicapped by polio, and he has to take care of his education till he can support himself. Sue is upset that this means they will have to delay their wedding for a couple of years, and she decides to try and get a job in Springdale where she can at least be near to Bill. However the town is not rich enough to fund a public health nurse, on its own. Sue rents a room from Veazie Cooney, a townswoman who was BIlls housekeeper. Veazie is a kindly middle aged widow, who suggests that SUe approach Elias Todd, the local millionaire, to see if he might agree to finance a nurse for the town. He refuses, but Sue happens to meet another widowed lady, Martha Edgett, who owns a large farm in the area. She runs a farm club, to help and educate the farming wives of the area, and when she hears Sue's tale, she suggests that the farm club might be able to provide funding, as the town needs a nurse. Sue is relieved as she was getting worried that she would not find a way of being close to Bill, but there are other problems. She starts to work as a nurse, visiting the local people in the villages around the area, but she is concerned that there have been several cases of typhoid, and the local people are starting to blame BIll, because he can't find teh origin of the outbreak.. and some begin to think that he is causing it. Sue begins to investigate and with the help of Ira Prouty, a local farmer's son, she find that the carrier is a tramp who lives rough in the hills and she and Bill manage to catch him and he goes to a hospital where he will be looked after. Bill finds his patients are now sympathetic to him and his practice is prosperous again. Then the town finds itself in the path of a hurricane and Bill and Sue have to take part in a rescue operation. Elias Todd is very impressed by them and decides to give the town a hospital and to help BIll and Sue. He falls in love with Martha Edgett and they get married.

Sue Barton books

These were some of my favourite young Adult books as a kid, and I still like to read them. Although they are set years ago, they feel quite modern. Sue Barton is a from New Hampshire and her father is a doctor in a small town. The novels start with her going to a large hospital in a city (unnamed) to train as a nurse, at the age of 18. She makes 2 good friends, Connie Halliday, daughter of a rich man, and Kit (Katherine) Van Dyke, a Canadian girl. The girls go through three years training and graduate, and in her final year, Connie falls in love with a young writer and reporter, Phil Saunders and in spite of family opposition, they get engaged. Sue however finds herself falling in love with Bill Barry a young trainee doctor, who asks her to marry him in her final year. She wants to have a career for a while, so she agrees to marry him when she has worked for a while. SHe has decided to go into public health nursing, in the Henry Street nursing organisation. Kit decides to go with Sue to train at Henry St, (a real life organisation to help the poor of New York). They move to New York and rent a small house there and Sue finds she loves the work, helping people and not being tied in a hospital. Connie and Phil get married, and Bill, who is now working in a small town practice in New Hampshire, asks Sue to hurry on their marriage. She and Kit have also taken in a young girl who has been living rough on the streets and are helping her to get an education, her name is Marianna. Sue tells Bill that she feels it would be wrong to leave Henry St after only 6 months, and they have a quarrel which ends the engagement.

High Wages Part II

Whipple liked to show solidarity between women and she admired simple working class women of the North who worked hard and were decent and kindly. Jane buys a small shop and starts to manage her own business. She works even harder, but is saddened when Wilfred comes home from the war, having lost an arm. She has become friendly with a young lawyer, Nigel whom she met a dance before the war. Nigel is of a higher class and while she finds him attractive, he is not likely to marry a shopgirl. He marries Sylvia, the daughter of a rich businessman, Mr Greenwood who is Mr Briggs' partner.. but he really cares very little for her. By the end of the war Jane's new shop is doing well and she is happy, she has a little group of staff who rely on her very much to help with their problems. Wilfred is not very happy with his life after the war, and is envious when he can see that Jane and Nigel are becoming attracted to each other. He sells up some shares that he has, and makes enough money to go down south wiht his mother and get a new job. Jane realises that she is in love with Nigel and he admits that he never cared for Sylvia or even very much for his son Toby. She and he decide that he must get a divorce and they can go abroad to live, as a divorce would not make him very popular in a Northern provincial town. Times however have changed and Jane feels that she could cope with marrying a divorced man even if they have to go away. She gets an offer for her shop but begins to feel a bit guilty about leaving her little gang of helpers. However Mrs Briggs tells Jane that she's worried that her husband is having business problems as he is not talking to her. Shortly afterwards, Mr Briggs tells Nigel that his father in law Greenwood, his own partner, has committed massive income tax fraud and he's going to wind up in jail. Nigel is horrified, as this means that his wife's family will end up losing most of their money and there is the disgrace of going to jail. Mr Briggs says that he himself has lost money through Greenwoods machinations and he will not get another job, since even though he is not guilty of anything, he has been foolish, in not realising what his partner was up to. He finds that Mrs Briggs has some money that she got in profits from Jane's business, so they have enough to start a new life among their own kind of people. However Nigel's plans for the future are completely destroyed. He tells Jane that he cant run out on Sylvia now, she will need him and he will have to try and make sure that he does not share Greenwood's disgrace for the sake of his son. Jane is upset, but she feels that he's right, but he at least will still have his job and a wife and son whom he can turn to... even if he is unhappy. She is surprised then to find that Wilfred has come back from London, and he tells her she should go ahead with selling her business and move down south where she can set up in business again and that he will always be her friend. She decides to sell the shop and start out on a new life.

High Wages

This is one of Dorothy Whipples best novels, set in the North, like most of her works. Her heroine, Jane is the daughter of a journalist, who died young and left no money. He had remarried to a widow with children and Jane found her stepmother unfriendly and wanted to get away from her. She had been working in a shop when she sees an advertisment for a shop assistant in a big store which caters to ladies, and where many of the town's richer women buy dresses and such items. She gets the job, and finds that it is very hard work and she has to live in. Her employer's wife provides miserable small meals and the owner frequently cheats the girls out of their commissions. However Jane loves the job and works hard, but her boss is reluctant to listen to her new ideas about providing ready made clothes which she hopes would make better business sense. Jane has a dispute with her fellow assistant, at the beginning of World War One. Maggie, her friend has been going out with a young man Wilfred who works in the local library. Maggie is not a reader and is rather jealous when Wilfred starts to lend Jane books and enjoys talking with her. Wilfred kisses Jane and Maggie becomes furious and refuses to speak to her former friend. Jane has become friendly with Mrs Briggs, who is a simple woman whose husband has made a fortune in the cotton industry. Mr Briggs came from a humble background but worked his way up and found himself very well off, but his wife dislikes having to try and be ladylike, and fit into the upper ranks of the local society. She likes Jane, and offers her some money to start up her own business. She has always been a saving woman and has saved a lot from her housekeeping, and Jane takes up the offer.

Convenient Marriage By Heyer

This is one of Heyer's earlier novels, which has a similar plot to April Lady. In both novels a mature sophisticated man marries a naive girl which looks like a marriage of convenience. Marcus, the earl of Rule, is expected to marry Elizabeth Winwood, sister of a rakish gambling peer. Elizabeth however does not want to marry him, she is in love with Edward Heron, a younger son of a local family who is a soldier. Horatia, the younger sister of Elizabeth, goes to Lord Rule and suggests that he marries her instead. Rule is startled but he agrees to the marriage and tells Horatia that he will help Edward in his career. Rule has a former mistress, Caroline Massey, who engages in plotting with Robert Lethbridge to break up the marriage and force a divorce between him and Horatia. Robert eloped with Louisa, Rule's sister and although he rescued her, the 2 men have been enemies. The book has a complex plot where Rule tries to manage his teenaged bride, but without being too strict, and she insists on pursuing a friendship with Lethbridge. Eventually, Rule wins his wife's heart and tells her that he has broken with his mistress and they will be a happy couple.

Beds and Blue Jeans, Rough Music, Stories on Amazon

I have 2 stories available on Amazon. Beds and Blue Jeans and Rough Music. They are both set in America - on in the 2010s and one in the 1970s and 1980s, they are about music and bands. Blue Jeans is about Sam, a young singer in Nashville, who sleeps around, but has a partner and baby, and tries to build up his relationship with them, and to turn his life into a new direction. Rough Music is about a country rock band in the late 70s and the two lead singers who both have problems with what they want to do career wise, and with their wives. These are available on Amazon

Napoleon I

Napoleon was one of the greatest figures of the early 19th century, a man who made himself the military leader and emperor of France by his own efforts. He was a military genius and also an excellent administrator. He was born in Corsica in 1769, to a family of minor nobles, and was the second of a large number of children. He had an older brother Joseph who was much less clever and ambitious and younger brothers. His father died young and the family were not well off and came to France to try and get an education and improve their prospects. The children originally had Italian names, but on moving to France they changed them to Frenchified ones. The eldest daughter, Maria Anna, became known as Elisa and she got a charity position in a school for girls of good birth but no fortune. Napoleon got into the Military academy of France and began to train as an army officer. He lived on a small income and looked after his younger Brother Louis. Letizia, the mother of the family tried to manage her 8 children but in spite of her forceful personality, her 2 younger daughters, Pauline and Caroline, were rather wild, and precocious. Napoleon had old fashioned ideas about women, having spent his earliest years in Corsica. He belived that the best women were good mothers and housekeepers, and disapproved of the sexual freedom that they often had in French society. Napoleon and many of his family sympathised with the Revolution, like many aristocrats. It was obvious that France needed reform, that the Ancien Regime was a tangled mess and there was a need for tax reform and control of the monarchy. Louis XVI was a not very clever man who lacked the will to put reforms in place or to control the mob. In the early years of the Revolution the young Napoleon made a name for himself as a skilled warrior and he became intensely ambitious, wanting not only a military role but to go into politics. His younger brother, Lucien was an ardent reformer, Napoleon himself was more conservative but he still saw the need for reform.

Devils Cub Part V

Leonie sets off to go to Paris with Rupert as escort. She tells him that if Mary is respectable, she feels that Dominic has compromised her and must marry her, but she does not really want him to marry a girl from such a family. In Paris, Frederick meets Juliana but they quarrel because he does not know how to manage her flirty ways, and they have an argument. Frederick asks Mary to marry him then, because it will save her from having to marry Dominic. She is afraid of marrying DOminic because she feels he does not love her and it will not work out, and such a marriage would probably alienate him from his family. She agrees to the marriage but tells Frederick that they must get away and go at once to Dijon where there is apparently an English clergyman travelling with a young gentleman... who can marry them. She is aware of how Alpha Male Dominic is, and knows that he will not easily let her go even if he does not really want to marry her. She and Frederick leave Paris, but Dominic, with Juliana follows them. He catches them up and Frederick tells him that he and Mary are already married, and Dominic challenges him to a duel. Mary feeling desperate runs away, and meets Justin who has followed his wife to France. He tells her that even if he disapproved of the marriage he would never abandon his son, and that he feels that Mary is too good for Vidal. He and Mary hasten to Dominic and Justin tells him that he will put it out that he has agreed to the marriage, and they can be married quietly in Paris. Mary asks Dominic if he really wants to marry her and he says that he does love her, but he wont inflict himself on her, unless she agrees. Mary laughs at this and they confess their love for each other. Juliana and Frederick are reconciled and plan to marry, and Rupert drinks a toast to Dijon.

Devil's Cub Part IV

While the couple are in the inn, another English visitor arrives. It is Frederick Comyn, the young man who has fallen in love with Juliana. He is going to Paris to persuade Juliana to marry him. Frederick is a rather stuffy young man but kind hearted. He does not speak much French and Mary sees him and offers to help. When he finds out she is with Vidal, it emerges that Juliana and Mary were at school together years ago and were good friends. Vidal tells him that he is going to marry Mary when they get to Paris. Mary however is secretly determined to find some way of avoiding this, thinking that if they get to Paris, perhaps Juliana will help her. Vidal tells Mary that since Juliana is in Paris, he may place her in the house where her friend is staying, with a cousin of theirs, whom he calls Tante Elisabeth. Then he can pay court to her and when he finds an English clergyman they can get married quietly. Mary goes along with this but she's not happy. Back in England, Mrs Challoner finds out that Mary has gone off to play a joke on Vidal, but has not come back. She goes to see Leonie, who is in London, and tells her that Vidal is going to have to marry her daughter. Leonie is shocked but keeps her calm and asks why Vidal would have run off with Mary, when he was, by Mrs Challoner's account, flirting with Sophia. She wonders privately if Mary is a scheming girl who eloped with Vidal in hopes that he would marry her rather than her sister, but she gets an uneasy feeling, discussing the situation with Fanny, that her son might have chosen to take Mary away in an angry mood.. and she fears that as the girl comes from a well do to family, they may have to accept her as his wife.

Devils Cub Part III

Mary meets Vidal at the rendevous, wearing a mask to hide her face. He takes her to an inn to dine before they go on board ship, and until then she manages to fool him that she is Sophia. When he takes her mask off, she tells him that she and Sophia thought up this prank to make him realise that Sophy is not as easy as he thought she was.. and that he can be easily fooled. She acts as if she were as vulgar and silly as Sophy and Dominic loses his temper badly. He tells her she has come away with him and he'll take her as his mistress since she has shown that she is just as capable as SOphia of being vulgar and silly and not virtuous. He threatens to make her drunk, if she will not come willingly. She finally agrees to go, hoping to escape from him later. On the voyage, she is sick and Dominic is surprisingly kind, but when they get to France, he tries to seduce her and she shoots him with a pistol she has stolen from his coat. Dominic is not badly hurt but enough to startle him and make him realise that Mary is not the silly wanton flirt that she was playing. They have to stay in the inn for a few days for him to recover from his wound, and he now apologises and tells her that he is sorry and will make sure she does not suffer from this episode. Mary however realises that she was very foolish to put herself in his power and that its not going to be easy to sort this tangle out. As they talk, she tells him that her father's family are gentry and that her grandfather is Sir Giles Challoner, an old soldier. VIdal says that there's nothing to be done but to get married, as old Challoner is a martinet and a friend of his father's. Mary refuses to marry him because she realises that she cares for him, in spite of his faults and to be in a forced marriage with him, and disapproved of by his family, would be hard for her.

Devil's Cub Part II

Dominic is not interested in marriage, and is pursuing a girl from a merchant family, who is not averse to becoming his mistress if she cannot be his wife. Sophia Challoner is silly and pretty, and has an older sister, Mary, who is more correct and genteel in her behavour. The girls father was from a gentry family who married a merchant's daughter. Mary was sent to school by her grandfather, but although she finds her mother and sister trying, she has chosen to live with them. Justin tells Dominic that flirting with a bourgeois girl like Sophia is looking for trouble, he should stick to professional courtesans or women of his own class. Dominic gets involved in a dispute with a man at a gaming club who accuses him of cheating and they duel. Dominic has killed in duels before but Justin has warned him that he cant continue to do this sort of thing. He injures the man, Quarles seriously, and Justin tells him that he will have to go away to France, because of the scandal. Dominic agrees to go, and tells Sophia that he will take her to France with him and she can serve as his mistress and hostess to his friends in his house in Paris. Sophia is willing to go, but Mary is horrified, fearing that even if Sophia intends to try and force Dominic into marriage, he wont take any notice of her wishes. She accidentally receives a note that Vidal sends to her sister and he tells her to come and meet him and he will carry her away. Mary knows that her mother is a foolish woman who thinks that she can push Vidal into a marriage with a lower class girl, and she decides to go instead of Sophia, to save her sister.

Devils Cub

Devils Cub is another of Heyer's early novels and is a sequel to These Old Shades. Its set in the 18th century and the hero, Dominic, is the son of Justin, Duke of Avon. I've never been a great fan of Dominic, who is rather contemptous of women, but the novel is entertaining enough. The novel is set some 20 years after Justin's marriage, and his only son is now 24. He is a rake like his father, and spends most of his time wenching and gambling. Leonie adores her son but worries that he is even more selfish and wild in his behaviour than Justin was before he reformed and she feels that he has something of the violent temper of his grandfather, her father the Comte de St Vire. SInce the previous book, Edward Lady Fanny's husband has died, and left her a widow. She is still frivolous, but she does grieve over his death. Now, Fanny has 2 children, John who is a dull, conservative young man and Juliana,who is about 19 and silly and frivolous like her mother. Fanny is none too pleased when Juliana falls in love with the son of a country squire, who is not particularly rich or fashionable. She has half hoped that Juliana may manage to marry her cousin Dominic.

Faros Daughter Part II

Deborah then meets Max Ravenscar, Adrian's cousin who is many years his senior and who feels he has to look out for the younger man. He goes to the gaming house and abuses Deb, rousing her temper. The book has a complicated plot, where Deb and Max quarrel and fight, and she tries to find a way of saving her aunt from bankruptcy without making a marriage that she feels would be wrong. Max has a younger half sister, Arabella, who is just out in society and very flirtatious and he tries to stop her from doing something foolish like eloping with a penniless adventurer. Deb meets a young girl called Phoebe Laxton who is the daughter of an impoverished peer. Phoebe is being bullied by her mother into marriage with a horrible old rake, Sir James Filey, and Deb who has a good heart, rescues her and hides her out in the house. Filey is furious to learn that his young bride has vanished. Adrian visits the house at times privately and meets Phoebe who is close to him in age and comes from the same rank of society. The 2 of them fall in love and he decides to rescue her by eloping and marrying her. Adrian matures and tells Deb that he may help out the younger Laxton girls but he wont allow the family to leech off him financially. Eventually Deb and Max make up their quarrel as he realises that she is not a vulgar and grasping woman as he had first believed and they admit their love for each other.

Faros Daughter

This is another of Heyer's earlier novels and not among my favourites. It involves kidnapppings and abductions and I prefer her gentler comedies of manners. It is set in the 18th century and the heroine is Deborah Grantham who comes from a genteel family but they have no money. She has an aunt who looked after her from childhood and a brother who is an army officer but he is living on his pay. Deborah's aunt is good natured but silly, and she tries to make a living by discreetly running a gambling house. She invites gentlemen to her home to play cards and games of chance, but she never seems to make any money out of it as she is extravagant... Deborah is a good looking young woman and a lot of men come to see her, but her taking up this sort of occupation means that she is not going to be invited to society events where she might meet a suitable husband. However, Adrian Mablethorpe, a young man of 19 or so, who has a title and a fortune, goes to the house and falls in love with her and asks her to marry him. Deborah is reluctant to encourage him as she is an honourable girl and she at 24 is some years his senior. She knows that his family would not accept her as his wife... but her aunt is getting increasingly worried and desperate and she tries to encourage Deb to consider Adrian as a husband, or if she really cannot marry him, she could scare his family into buying her off by paying her money to stay away from him.

Regency Buck IV

Worth and Taverner fight and Worth knocks himd down... and Judith realises that her guardian has been trying to help her all the time..... Taverner slinks off, his cover blown and she turns to Worth for comfort. He tells her that he has been keeping a watch on Perry for some time, and that the poisoned snuff was a gift from Taverner. He himself drugged Perry's wine when he came to the house, he then put him safely on his yacht, till he could flush Taverner into the open... She learns then that old Admiral Taverner while a tiresome old man, was not involved in the murder and marriage plots, and he's ashamed of his son. Perry comes back ashore and is delighted by his trip to sea- he wants to buy a yacht for himself. Judith is feeling very depressed, because she realises that she cares for Worth, and that her wilful ways may have made him take a dislike to her. She is almost 21 now and wont be his ward any longer. Perry will be getting married soon and she feel upset that she will be alone. After her birthday, she receives a visit from Worth to hand over legal papers, and he slips a ring on her finger. He reminds her that while she was his ward, it would have been inappropriate for him to pay court to her, but he has always cared for her. They become engaged.

Regency Buck Part III

Judith and Perry try to get on with Lord Worth but he is quite a strict guardian. Judith feels that he does not like any of her suitors, and particularly dislikes Bernard Taverner. She becomes uneasy, since Worth is a dandy and fond of gaming and she hears rumours that he might be looking out for a rich wife. She herself has a large fortune and if her brother were to die without an heir, she would inherit most of his fortune as well. She is concerned when Worth has them to stay at his country house for Christmas, Perry receives a jar of snuff as a present but does not know who sent it, and he becomes unwell while staying there. However he recovers and she tries not to worry. Lord Worth's brother, Charles, is a soldier in the Peninsula and he's home on leave due to an injury. He flirts with Judith and she likes him but does not take him seriously. She also receives a proposal from the Duke of Clarence (a real life royal) who was at that time looking for a rich wife. She turns him down, with backing from her guardian. Perry has been enjoying society life, and has fallen in love with a shy girl of modest means, called Harriet Fairford. Worth aftera time agress to an engagement and in due course Perry's engagement is announced. Judith has been uneasy about Worth, but his allowing Perry to become engaged shows that he is not trying to prevent his ward from fathering heirs. Worth asks Perry to come round to his house to sign some papers, and after that he does not return home. Judith is a bit worried when he does not come home, and tries to allay her worries. However, she then has a visit from Bernard Taverner, who tells her he can take her to Perry who has been injured. Judith goes with him, feeling uneasy, and he drives her to a cottage outside town, where there is a woman who takes her in. Judith now very scared asks what is going on... and Taverner tells her that he loves her, but he also needs a rich wife, and he is prepared to compel her to marry him. Horrified, she realises that if she is kept in this house, she will be compromised and perhaps may have to marry her cousin. She tells him that if he needed money, he had only to ask her or Perry and they would help him out. To her amazement, Worth breaks in and tells her that her cousin was not likely to settle for a bit of help when he could get hold of 2 fortunes by marrying her and killing Perry.

Regency Buck Part II

Judith is not happy at having this man who seems arrogant and unfriendly, as her guardian but she is not that far off 21. He intimates that he did not want the Taverners to come to London but if they are there he will give them an introduction to Society. He offers a cousin of his to be chaperone to Judith, and offers to hire staff. Judith is a beauty and has a large fortune, so she expects to be reasonably popular. Perry soon makes friends with young sporting gentlemn and they like Mrs Scattergood, Worth's cousin. THey then meet their uncle, Admiral Taverner, who has not been on speaking terms with his brother John for many years. He has a son, Bernard, who turns out to be the man who let them have his rooms at the inn. Judith likes Bernard and he seems to be taken with her good looks. Neither of them much like the old Admiral, who is stupid and coarse, but accept him as a family member.

Regency Buck

This is Heyer's first proper Regency novel.. and it is a bit too heavy on research. It is a murder mystery as much as a romance. It opens with the Taverners, a wealthy brother and sister who come from Yorkshire, deciding to go to London, to join in Society there. Peregrine, the brother is only 19 and rather foolish. Judith is his older sister who is over 20. On the way, they find that there are no rooms for them at the inn.. and are relieved when a dark and handsome gentleman tells them they can have his rooms, as he has friends in the neighbourhood. Judith is properly grateful, but Perry wants to see a boxing match in the area, so she is left alone while he goes out. She goes for a walk, and gets a stone in her shoe, and a man drivng a sporting carriage stops to rescue her. She is embarrasssed and tries to brush him off, but he teases her and kisses her. She knows that going out without a maid was foolish, but she is angry at his presumption. The couple travel on to London. Their father died some time previously, leaving them with a large fortune each and naming his friend the Earl of Worth as their guardian. However when they get to London and visit Lord Worth, they find that he is the man who kissed Judith. He is only in his 30s, but they learn that their father was not aware that old Lord Worth had died - and Sir John Taverner made another mistake in that he named his friend as the 5th Earl of Worth, and that is the present earl.

Arabella Part II

Mr Beaumaris is becoming attached to Arabella, and while he finds her naive, he is touched by her kindness to the poor and thoes in need. She is worrying that she came to London to have a Season and find a suitable husband who would look after her and give her an establishment. But she knows most of her suitors are not well off and believe that she is the one with the fortune. Then Bertram her brother, turns up in London using a false name. HE is supposed to be going to college, but he really wants to be a soldier. HOwever, his father, who is a scholarly gentle parson, has set his heart on his sons finding suitable genteel careers. Bertram goes into society but mostly hangs out with a few friends who lodge in the poorer areas and treat being in London as an excuse for gaming and drinking. Arabella is shocked that her brother is being so wild, and then she finds that he has contracted gaming debts and is in serious trouble. She does not know how she can help him, but thinks of a way. Mr Beaumaris had asked her to marry him but she had to say no because she could not admit to having no fortune. Now she tells him that she does want to marry him. He has met Bertram a few times and has worked out the problem, so he agrees to the marriage. Arabella tells him she thinks it would be romantic to elope, since she's afraid of delaying the marriage. Mr Beaumaris agrees and carries her off... but takes her to RIchmond and puts in in the care of his elderly grandmother. The Duchess of Wigan is an old lady, but she is fond of her grandson and agrees to look after Arabella. Mr Beaumaris tells her that he has been to Yorkshire and met her parents and that he knows she is not an heiress..that he likes her family and will do his best to help out her younger brothers and sisters in their careers or lives. Arabella is ashamed of how foolishly she has behaved but she has fallen in love with him and is glad to marry him. He tells her that He thinks Bertram should go into the army, and that if he grows a set of whiskers, the Society people he met wont recognise him in a few years, under his rightful name.

Arabella by Heyer

This is not one of my favourite Heyers, as the heroine is rather tiresomely naive. Arabella is a vicar's daughter from Yorkshire, her family are not rich but she has a wealthy godmother who invites her to come to London and have a Season. On the way her carriage breaks down and she and the lady who is travelling with her, a governess, take shelter at a hunting box, in the country while the carriage is being repaired. Arabella hears Mr Beaumaris, the wealthy gentleman who owns the house, say to his friend that young women are always trying to contrive to get to know him, because he is so rich. Annoyed, Arabella pretends that she is an heiress and that she too is bothered by suitors who want to marry her because of her fortune. When she gets to London, she finds that Mr Beaumaris is indeed a figure in society, and she regrets her silly boasting.. as the rumour that she is rich starts to go around and she finds that a lot of men are indeed paying court to her because of her supposed wealth. Arabella is also a kindly girl who takes her responsbilities as a Vicar's daughter seriously, and she is shocked by the various social problems in London. She becomes friendly with one of her godmother's maids, she takes up the cause of animals being ill treated by their owners, and rescues a climbing boy. Mr Beaumaris, who has guessed that she is not the heiress she claims to be, finds himself being asked frequently to help out with her lame ducks. He ends up adopting a dog she rescued, and finding a home on his estate for the climbing boy.

Emma Part VII

When Mr Knightley hears of Franks engagement to Jane he is angry and upset, and rushes to see Emma. He fears that she had feelings for Frank and this will hurt her, but she tells him that she never cared for him and Knightley proposes to h er. He tells her that although he is many years her senior and saw himself as much older and wiser, he has always loved her and is sorry now for lecturing her as he often did. Emma has realised that she loves Knightley for some time and is happy at his proposal but she feels conflicted as she cannot leave her beloved father who is old and always afraid of change in his life. She feels they must wait a little while to tell the old man and that perhaps she will have to wait till he is gone to marry. Then, Mr Knightley tells her that he has some news about Harriet. He had been friendly with Harriet of late and he was doing it to see if she might re consider her feelings for Robert Martin. He tells her that he encouraged Robert to propose again and this time, Harrriet accepted him, after all her various romances of the previous year. Emma is amused by Harriet's being so persuadable, and realises that she probalby should have married Robert when he first asked, as she was in love with him, in her soft easily led way. SHe tells Knightley that she is glad that her protegee has now found a man who is decent, respectable and in love with her, and she will be safe and happy, rather than falling in love with men of higher social class who will not see her as a prospective wife. Mrs Weston has her baby, a daughter and then Mr Knightley tells Emma he would be willing to live at Hartfield with her, as long as she is needed to care for her father. Mr Woodhouse is not entirely happy but he worries about being alone and is fond of Mr Knightley, and there has been a rash of chicken stealing which alarms him so he is willing to consent to the marriage. Frank takes Jane to Yorkshire, to his home and Harriet marries Mr Martin. Emma then marries Knightley and he moves from his home to Hartfield. Jane Austen later told her family that Mr Woodhouse lived for 2 years after Emma's marriage. Emma is one of the sunniest of Austen's books. The 3 couples seem genuinely happy at the end, and the Westons have their little girl.

Emma VI

Mr Knightley is furious with Emma over her joke and she is really ashamed of herself. She decides to go and see Jane and Miss Bates the following day, but Jane wont see her. Upset and blaming herself for being unkind, and ashamed that Mr Knightley whom she now realises she loves, blames her too, she resolves to try and look after her father. She fears that Knightley has grown fond of Harriet Smith or Jane Fairfax, and that she will be left alone more and more, as Mrs Weston is pregnant and she will soon be preoccupied with her baby. She is sad and depressed. She learns that Jane has been offered a good job through Mrs Elton, but she is aware that she has never been the friend to Jane that she should have been. Frank gets called to Richmond to his aunt who is apparently sicker, and leaves Highbury. Then a few days later, Emma gets a message from the Westons to go and see them, and hears astonishing news. Mrs Churchill who was always thought of as a spoiled hypochondriac, had become seriously ill and died suddenly. And Frank tells his father and stepmother that he was secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax for some time and that now, with his aunt gone, he can make his engagment public. HIs uncle is a quiet gentle man and not likely to raise objections. Emma is shocked that he has deceived all his friends in Highbury, flirted with her, and encouraged her to half believe that Jane was in love with her own good friends husband, as a cover for his secret romance with Jane. She forgives him but she is far from impressed by his behaviour. Frank comes back to Highbury to claim his bride and Emma and he talk. He apologises for the lies he told and Emma understands that they were in a very difficult position with his aunt being so hostile to the idea of his marrying a poor girl.

Emma V

The Churchills come south to Richmond, to stay because Mrs Churchill, who is a spoiled and demanding lady, has some health problems. Frank seems annoyed that he has to stay with his aunt but comes to Highbury at times. He rescues Harriet from some gypsy children who are begging from her, as she is walking to see Emma, and she becomes infatuated with him. Emma organises a ball in the local assembly rooms, and dances with Mr Knightley there. She also sees him dancing with Harriet, when Mr Elton snubs her and she is pleased by his kindness. She encourages Harriet's admiration for Frank but is more cautious than she was earlier.' She still tries to befriend Jane Fairfax but Frank, who knew Jane at Weymouth on holiday, encourages her in a joky fantasy that perhaps Jane was in love with Mr Dixon, the husband of her friend Miss Campbell. Mrs Elton annoys her, because she sees herself as the first lady in the village. She organises parties and tries to find a job for Jane Fairfax, who tells her she would rather find her own job. Mrs Elton organises a picnic at a hill nearby, and Emma goes with the Westons and Mr Knightly and Frank Churchill. She and Frank flirt, but Emma is uneasily aware that she is not really happy with the way her life is going at present. Then, she foolishly makes an unkind joke to Miss Bates about her being silly and talkative and upsets her very much.

Emma IV

Emma tries to cheer Harriet up, and is glad that Mr Elton is not around for a while. She feels a little uneasy about her mistake in beleiving that he was in love with Harriet, but she still wants to make matches. Mrs Weston her governess is hoping for a visit from Frank Churchill, her step son, who has not yet come to Highbury to meet his father's new wife. He is the heir to the wealthy Churchills but his aunt is a very demanding woman who always seems to make it difficult for her adopted son to get away from home. Mr Knightley critices Frank saying it was his duty to pay a visit to his father's wife and he should be able to do it. Emma has never met Frank but because she is fond of Mr Weston, she tends to think kindly of him. She sometimes fancies that if he were to come to Highbury, and seemed nice, she would consider marrying him. Emma tries to be friendly with Jane Fairfax but as always finds Jane is reserved and not willing to be more than polite. Then Mr Elton comes back from a visit with a bride, Augusta. He has found a wife who has a fortune but who is vulgar and pushy. Emma takes an instant dislike to her. Frank Churchill finally comes to visit his stepmother and Emma finds him charming and likable, and he seems quite fond of her. THe Westons say nothing but they are clearly hopeful that he might propose to her.. but they are aware that Emma has always said she would never marry and she would not leave her father.

Emma III

Emma quarrels with him, saying that Harriet is a lovely girl and sure to be the daughter of a noble family and as such she should look higher than a marriage with a farmer in a country village. She has settled that Harriet shoudl marry Mr Elton, the new vicar who is handsome and charming, and quite genteel, though his family were in trade. Harriet is quite prepared to fall in love with Elton, because Emma is encouraging her. Mr Elton visits Hartfield often and seems taken with Harriet. At Christmas soon after the wedding, Emma's sister and her family come to stay and Mr Knightly visits to see his brothers children. He and Emma make up their quarrel. Then just before Christmas day, Mr Elton having been at a party at the Westons' house, has a little too much wine and makes a proposal to Emma. She is horrified. He tells her that he never thought of Harriet, she is well below him on the social scale. Emma is furious that he should think of her as a possible bride when the Woodhouses are so much higher in rank than him. Elton goes away from Highbury for a holiday, and Emma has to tell Harriet that they were mistaken and he is not in love with her at all. Harriet takes it badly and is very upset. Jane Fairfax, the neiece of the Bates ladies, comes to stay for a visit. Her aunt is Miss Bates, the talkative but kindly spinster lady who lives in a small flat in Highbury, and is not at all well off. Jane's parents died when she was a baby and she was adopted by Colonel Campbell, a friend of her fathers who took her into his home and treated her as a daughter. However Jane has no fortune and is going to become a governess now that she is old enough. Emma has never really liked her, as Jane, while pleasant, is so accomplished and well educated that she makes Emma feel inferior.

Emma II

Mr Knightley is 16 years older than Emma, and he is one of the few people who is critical of her, who can see her faults. She is silly at times and arrogant, and although she has a good intelligence, she is fickle in her pursuit of learning. Emma feels lost without her governess, and is pleased when she meets a young girl who seems she could become a friend to her. Harriet Smith is the illegitimate daughter of "somebody" and lives at a local school, belonging to a Mrs Goddard who is a friend of the Woodhouses. She is 17 and has left off schooling and now is in Mrs Goddards care. She has started to socialise with the Highbury families, and Mrs Goddard asks if she can bring her to Hartfield, the Woodhouse home. Emma takes a liking to her as she is sweet, pretty and malleable. She can see that Harriet is not that clever but she convinces herself that she is a suitable friend and protegee and she begins to plan to get her friend married off. She learns from Harriet that she has just spent 2 months visiting one of her school friends who lives nearby. The girl Elizabeth Martin, is from a gentleman farmer's family, the Martins who rent Abbey Mill farm from Mr Knightley. Emma looks down on farmers, even ones who are favoured by Mr Knightley and she encourages Harriet to move away from the Martins' society and to look higher for her friends. Harriet is easily influenced, and wants to please Emma. But she then receives a proposal of marriage from Robert Martin, the farmer, who is her friend's brother. She is attracted to Robert but she asks Emma's advice. Emma subtly dissuades her from accepting his offer. Mr Knightley finds out that Robert has been proposing to Harriet and then hears that Harriet turned him down, and he is angry with Emma, who admits that she knew about it and that she thinks her friend can marry better. He tells her that Harriet is a silly girl, even if she is pretty and good natured, and that she has no legal family, and noone knows anything about her people other than that she is illegitimate. For her, a marriage to a respectable intelligent gentleman farmer will give her a secure home and family and she will be much happier than trying to rise higher in society.

Emma

Emma is perhaps Austen's most sunny novel. It is one of the works of her maturity, and I think it is the only one where the herone is well off, compared with the hero. Emma is handsome and rich, and quite clever, and she is the spoiled younger daughter of a wealthy doting father. She is an heiress living near to a fictional village called Highbury, which is quite near to London. Emma keeps house for her father, who is a lot older than her and who is constantly worried about his own health and that of all his friends. At the beginning of the novel, her governess and companion, Miss Anne Taylor, has just married a local squire and Emma is rather depressed. Miss Taylor was her friend for years and while she loves her father, he is not intelligent enough to be much company for her. Miss Taylor is a mature lady who has fallen in love with Mr Weston who owns a small estate nearby, and who was married already. He has a son, Frank who lives with his mother's family, the Churchills who adopted him as a small child. Frank has been treated as the heir to his uncle and aunt and has not spent much time with his father, who was busy making his fortune... Emma at 21 claims that she will never marry, but she is quite lonely now that Miss Taylor has gone. Their other close neighbour is Mr Knightley, who owns a large estate, Donwell, and whose brother John is a lawyer who lives in London and who is married to Isabella, Emma's sister. He visits the Woodhouses often..