Georgette Heyer's Faro's Daughter is yet another wonderful romp through Regency England. I think that of the Regency romances that I've read so far by her this is now my favorite. Although Lady of Quality is another excellent read and most recently held my highest regard, it's now been (delicately) bumped down a notch.
In some ways Heyer's Regencies (I've only read one of her historical novels, which had a far more serious tone to it) are somewhat predictable. You'll probably not find many simpering misses, but a feisty and independent heroine. The hero will be a handsome rake and they'll fall for each other hard, though they might not always realize it at first, as they'll have a number of obstacles to overcome. In some ways knowing that each story might well have these elements to it is very comforting and they're nice to turn to in just the right mood. But with each new Heyer novel I read I see that the stories themselves vary and each has its own tone and temper and little twist before the happy ending. Faro's Daughter is no different.
I'm not sure where Faro's Daughter comes in Heyer's oeuvre--an early novel or later? Part of the fun of reading these Regencies is getting a taste of the period and class of people Heyer writes about so well. In this novel there is less of the slang-ish language, which can be fun (did the upper classes really talk like that?), but she can use it quite liberally in some of her books and it has an almost foreign ring to modern ears. This time around there are not really many colloquialisms used--just a sprinkling to give a little flavor, and I found it to be a nice change.
Faro: far-o [fair-o]
--noun
a gambling game in which players place bets on a special board or layout, betting on each series of two cards as they are drawn from a box containing the dealer's or banker's pack. Origin:
1725–35; sp. var. of Pharaoh (cf. It faraone, F pharaon), alleged to be orig. a designation for the king of hearts in the game.
So you see, it all started with a stack of bills. Bills incurred from running a gambling establishment (by invitation only, of course). The bills belonged to Lady Bellingham, aunt to the lovely Deborah Grantham, and were held by a slightly disreputable and entirely odious man. There's nothing worse than being in debt and being beholden to someone you don't want to be. Deb is a faro dealer and a bit of a draw at her aunt's gambling house. Close to becoming a spinster, she doesn't particularly mind, but her attractive countenance and intelligent demeanor draws the men, young and old. She'd prefer to pass her time quietly in the country, but instead she helps out Lady B., her only remaining family. A gaming house, no matter how elegant, only spells trouble.
The attentions of a young Lord, and those bills, which will pass through several hands will cause no end of problems for Deborah. Her path crosses that of Max Ravenscar who fears Deb is trying to get his young nephew (said Lord) into her clutches. He insults her in the worst way and she vows revenge. What follows? Promise of a betrothal, a kidnapping, fisticuffs, many misunderstandings (which only add to the romantic tension), several attacks of the vapours (Lady B.), and an elopement. It's a rocky ride to happiness, but you always know with a Heyer novel that you'll get there.
Wikipedia's Heyer entry offered this wonderful quote from the author:
"In a letter describing her novel Friday's Child, Heyer commented, 'I think myself I ought to be shot for writing such nonsense. ... But it's unquestionably good escapist literature and I think I should rather like it if I were sitting in an air-raid shelter or recovering from flu'."
Heyer's novels are great escapist literature and I always make sure I have a few on my shelves!