Now this is more like it. My faith in Georgette Heyer has been restored (truthfully I never really lost it). As much as Cousin Kate just wasn't a good fit for me, I loved The Corinthian. It is quite literally the perfect summer read, a page turning romp through Regency England with all the right elements pulled off perfectly. This will easily rival my favorite, A Civil Contract, though the two novels are very different. While A Civil Contract is more serious with a more subdued and mature love story, The Corinthian is a light-hearted comedy of manners. It's quite similar to The Talisman Ring (though better in my opinion) in that it is very much an adventure story with all sorts of twists and turns and misunderstandings--not surprising since the heroine spends the entire novel dressed as a boy!
I wasn't sure at first just what a Corinthian was, though it's easy to infer the meaning over the course of the novel. The dictionary defines it as:
a man about town, esp. one who lives luxuriously or, sometimes, dissolutely.
In this case, Sir Richard Wyndham is the Corinthian. And a wealthy one at that. Very much a dandy he is known as the "Man of Fashion". He cares for nothing but "the set of his cravat, polish on his boots, and the blending of his snuff". Always elegantly attired from his perfectly windswept hair to the toes of his gleaming Hessian boots, he's generally unutterably bored. He's not lacking in encouragement to do his duty to find a wife and beget an heir, but he really couldn't be bothered. Nearing thirty his mother and sister are urging him to marry a woman he grew up knowing, who it's been assumed he would marry all along. Only it would be a marriage of convenience as the lady is rather cold and disinterested. She will prevail upon him to accept his suit only because her family's financial situation is dire, not because she loves him. Despite being the most eligible catch in the Marriage Mart, he has no other prospects (at least the sort who want him for himself rather than his bank account) and has resigned himself to his fate.
But fate has a way of tricking you up sometimes. After a particularly long and indulgent evening at Almacks he leaves in a state of serious inebriation. Being "devilish drunk" he decides to walk and happens upon a most unusual sight. Out of an upper storey of a prim house a mysterious fugitive comes scampering down a rope made up of knotted sheets only to discover it isn't long enough. The fugitive is a slight youth who begs Sir Richard's assistance.
"Sir Richard was not precisely sober, but although the brandy fumes had produced in his brain a not unpleasant sense of irresponsibility, they had by no means fuddled his intellect. Sir Richard, his chin tickled by curls, his arms full of fugitive, made a surprising discovery. He set the fugitive down, saying in a matter-of-fact voice: 'Yes, but I don't think you are a youth, after all'."
"'No, I am a girl,' replied the fugitive apparently undismayed by his discovery. 'But, please, will you come away before they wake up?'"
Penelope Creed is no simpering miss. She's an impish character, ready for adventure, but not the sort that includes becoming betrothed to her fish-faced cousin. An orphaned heiress she lives with her aunt who has distinct ideas of just what's proper--a stifling atmosphere for one just out of the schoolroom. Richard is ready to send her packing back to her aunt, though she begs him to allow her to set off for Somerset, to her family's estates and a friend she's not seen for five years.
"There was a pause. Sir Richard unfobbed his snuff-box with a flick of one practised finger, and took a pinch. Miss Creed swallowed and said: 'If you had ever seen my cousin, you would understand'."
"He glanced down at her, but said nothing."
"'He has a wet mouth,' said Miss Creed despairingly."
"'That settles it,' said Sir Richard, shutting his snuff-box.'I will escort you to your childhood friend'."
Sir Richard agrees to accompany Pen from London to Somerset--a journey filled with comedy and misadventure. Their stagecoach over turns in a ditch, they cross paths with a thief, they find themselves in possession of stolen goods, discover a body and a murderer, and assist in an elopement. It's truly a rollicking good read and I might happily have went back to the beginning and started reading the story all over again (and still might). Heyer creates a wonderful atmosphere with just the right tension and perfect chemistry between Richard and Pen. Unlike many of Heyer's heroes, Richard is not dour or condescending. He has a wry sense of humor that clicks with Pen's youthful enthusiasm. They are both so likeable you can't but help root for them. This is one Heyer I'll be revisiting soon.