I love the cover of These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer. The young woman fits my idea to a 'T' of how I imagined Heyer's heroine, Léonie Bonnard, to appear as I was reading. She's quite the impish character, and the rosy cheeks and slight arch to the eyebrow, and the tiniest bit of hauteur in her face match the description of her character perfectly. Published in 1926 These Old Shades is one of Heyer's earliest novels and in some ways is very different than the other books I've read so far by her. It's a slightly darker story than her later frothy concoctions, though there is still Heyer's trademark attention to detail and and entertaining storytelling. Typical of her earlier work it's as much a swashbuckling tale of adventure as a romance.
What makes the tone darker is the hero, Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, also known as Satanas. His reputation is well earned. He's a rakish, debauched man, wealthy and infinitely bored with life. Unfaithful to the women he's loved and left, his forty years have made him jaded and cynical. It will take a smart, plucky young lady, upon first encounter dressed in the guise of a lad, to melt his devilish heart.
These Old Shades is set in mid-eighteenth century France, perhaps the best backdrop for such a decadent man as Justin whose snuff box and quizzing glass are always close at hand. He's nothing if not fashionably dressed!
"He walked mincingly, for the red heels of his shoes were very high. A long purple cloak, rose-lined, hung from his shoulders and was allowed to fall carelessly back from his dress, revealing a full-skirted coat of purple satin, heavily laced with gold; a waistcoat of flowered silk; faultless small clothes; and a lavish sprinkling of jewels on his cravat and breast. A three-cornered hat, point-edged, was set upon his powdered wig, and in his hand he carried a long beribboned cane."
One evening as he's leaving the home of his mistress he encounters a street urchin barreling across his path in obvious distress as he tries to escape the clutches of a man who turns out to be the young man's brother. For the price of a diamond tie-pin young Léon is sold to the Duke, though Léon sees it as a good thing if it means avoiding yet more beatings. It turns out to be nothing short of a miraculous rise out of the Parisian gutters to the Duke's sumptuous household. Léon becomes Justin's page and causes quite a stir amongst the aristocratic class. Léon will follow the Duke anywhere, so indebted does he feel to him, even following him to some of Paris's lowbrow establishments Justin is known to frequent. It would appear, however, that the Duke does in the end have a conscious.
It becomes quickly obvious that hiding under that short mop of curly red hair is a young woman not a young man. While the Duke may be of shallow morals he's nothing if not proper. So he whisks Léonie off to his sister Fanny in England where she can become a respectable young lady. As Justin's ward she must learn to dress and act as befits her new station, but her temper is as fiery as her hair and she will only relent if Justin agrees to teach her the art of swordplay. She doesn't trade her breeches for petticoats without a fight, but when she does she's quite a becoming young woman, much to the Duke's surprise.
Tied into this rags to riches transformation is a mystery. Altruism isn't one of Justin's strong points. Just what did he see in Léon/Léonie's face with her distinct red hair and black eyebrows. And what does she have to do with Justin's arch enemy, the Comte de Saint Vire? It's generally assumed a man of Justin's rank would never take into his household let alone harbor sentimental feelings for anyone base-born. Little more than a child of the slums Léonie may appear to be, her countenance is one of distinguished features and her early life included an education not received by many young females. Just where did she come from?
This early Heyer novel was an interesting read. Although at times playful, it had its dark moments and the characters weren't necessarily motivated by charitable considerations. The Duke is a brooding, vengeful man whose heart only softens through Léonie's unflagging devotion to him. Heyer wrote These Old Shades at about the same time that she married and in some ways is intensely romantic. Because there was a General Strike on at the time it was published it had virtually no publicity yet it sold more than 190,000 copies in hardcover and essentially launched her career.
These Old Shades is one of several novels that Heyer wrote featuring heroines who choose to don men's clothing for various reasons. One of my favorite books by Georgette Heyer is The Corinthian, which is much lighter and humorous with wonderfully witty dialogue and has yet another young woman who must dress as a boy to get out of a sticky situation. Very fun reading indeed. Despite their flaws, though, I came to really like the characters in These Old Shades. Even the supporting cast of characters were well formed and contributed to the development of the story. There were a few things that I found to be somewhat awkward, however. Léonie's intense adoration to the point on kneeling down and kissing the Duke's hand felt slightly over the top, but perhaps it was in keeping with the period and the fact she was rescued from a dreary life with no future. And the Duke would often call Léonie "Infant" and reply to his male friends with "my dear", which was probably just an affectation, but they sounded strange to my ears. Still, these are minor, fidgety things, no doubt simply a matter of taste or preference.
It's hard to miss with a Heyer novel. As comfort read material goes she ranks as one of my favorite authors. These Old Shades is an entirely satisfying read and as is almost always the case with her books, hit just the right spot when I needed something light and entertaining. I'll quite happily continue to work my way through her novels. Next up is Beauvallet, another early novel, which I'll be picking up soon after the beginning of the new year and will be curious to see how it compares. Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending These Old Shades my way.