115-611: An Infamous Army is a novel by Georgette Heyer . In the early summer of 1815, while the Battle of Waterloo is just a threat, Brussels is the most exciting city in Europe and many of the British aristocracy have rented homes there. The novel opens in the home of Lord and Lady Worth, where several of their friends are discussing the precarious situation in Belgium. Everyone is anxious for
230-587: A Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He left the army in 1920 with the rank of captain , taught at King's College London and sometimes wrote for The Granta . George Heyer strongly encouraged his children to read and never forbade any book. Georgette read widely and often met her friends Joanna Cannan and Carola Oman to discuss books. Heyer and Oman later shared their works-in-progress with each other and offered criticism. When she
345-561: A Queen's Counsel . The following year, their son Richard fell in love with the estranged wife of an acquaintance. Richard assisted the woman, Susanna Flint, in leaving her husband, and the couple married after her divorce was finalized. Heyer was shocked at the impropriety but soon came to love her daughter-in-law, later describing her as "the daughter we never had and thought we didn't want". Richard and his wife raised her two sons from her first marriage and provided Heyer with her only biological grandchild in 1966, when their son Nicholas Rougier
460-486: A limited liability company called Heron Enterprises around 1950. Royalties from new titles would be paid to the company, which would then furnish Heyer's salary and pay directors' fees to her family. She would continue to receive royalties from her previous titles, and foreign royalties – except for those from the United States – would go to her mother. Within several years, however, a tax inspector found that Heyer
575-440: A character was vulgar or ridiculous". Others, including A.S. Byatt , believe that Heyer's "awareness of this atmosphere – both of the minute details of the social pursuits of her leisured classes and of the emotional structure behind the fiction it produced – is her greatest asset". When a critic said her picture of Regency England was no more like the real thing than he was like Queen Anne, Heyer remarked: "He knows best whether he
690-470: A dashing merry youth, full of military ardour, whom I knew very well for his delight at the idea of going into action, and of all the honours he was to gain; and the first news we had on the 16th was that he and the Duke of Brunswick were killed. Katherine Arden, daughter of Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley , described the events towards the end of the ball and the rest of the night: ... on our arrival at
805-614: A distinct snobbery towards foreigners and the lower classes. Her middle-class men were often crude and stupid, while the women were either incredibly practical or exhibited poor judgement, usually using poor grammar that could become vicious. Despite the stereotypes, however, Routley maintains that Heyer had "a quite remarkable gift for reproducing the brittle and ironic conversation of the upper middle class Englishwoman of that age (immediately before 1940)". Wingate further mentions that Heyer's thrillers were known "for their wit and comedy as well as for their well-woven plots". In 1939, Rougier
920-711: A fictionalized account of real historical events. She researched the life of William the Conqueror thoroughly, even travelling the route that William took when crossing into England. The following year, Heyer's writing took an even more drastic departure from her early historical romances when her first thriller, Footsteps in the Dark was published. The novel's appearance coincided with the birth of her only child, Richard George Rougier , whom she called her "most notable (indeed peerless) work". Later in her life, Heyer requested that her publishers refrain from reprinting Footsteps in
1035-414: A good map. The Duke of Richmond said he had, and took Wellington into his dressing-room. Wellington shut the door and said, "Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me. ... I have ordered the army to concentrate at Quatre Bras; but we shall not stop him there, and if so I must fight him there " (passing his thumb-nail over the position of Waterloo). The conversation
1150-526: A great deal of interest and clarity are achieved with unwieldy material." Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer ( / ˈ h eɪ . ər / ; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story conceived for her ailing younger brother into the novel The Black Moth . In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier,
1265-402: A houseparty. Critic Erik Routley labelled many of her characters clichés, including the uneducated policeman, an exotic Spanish dancer, and a country vicar with a neurotic wife. In one of her novels, the characters' surnames were even in alphabetical order according to the order they were introduced. According to Wingate, Heyer's detective stories, like many of the others of the time, exhibited
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#17327881053801380-549: A message for the Prince. The Prince handed it to Wellington, who pocketed it unopened. A short time later Wellington read the message — written at around 10 pm, it reported that Prussian forces had been forced by the French to retreat from Fleurus . As Fleurus is north-east of Charleroi this meant that the French had crossed the river Sambre (although Wellington couldn't tell from this message in what strength) — Wellington requested
1495-605: A mining engineer. The couple spent several years living in Tanganyika Territory and Macedonia before returning to England in 1929. After her novel These Old Shades became popular despite its release during the General Strike , Heyer determined that publicity was not necessary for good sales. For the rest of her life she refused to grant interviews, telling a friend: "My private life concerns no one but myself and my family." Heyer essentially established
1610-611: A mosquito bite that turned septic, prompting the doctors to offer skin grafts. In July 1973 she suffered a slight stroke and spent three weeks in a nursing home. When her brother Boris died later that year, Heyer was too ill to travel to his funeral. She suffered another stroke in February 1974. Three months later, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, which her biographer attributed to the 60–80 cork-tipped cigarettes that Heyer smoked each day (although she said she did not inhale). On 4 July 1974, Heyer died. Her fans learned her married name for
1725-525: A pair of detectives named Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant (later Inspector) Hemingway. The two were never as popular as other contemporary fictional detectives such as Agatha Christie 's Hercule Poirot and Dorothy L. Sayers 's Lord Peter Wimsey . One of the books featuring Heyer's characters, Death in the Stocks , was dramatized in New York City in 1937 as Merely Murder . The play focused on
1840-477: A representative from Hodder & Stoughton , who published her detective stories, Heyer felt that her host had patronized her. The company had an option on her next book; partly to make them break her contract, she wrote Penhallow , which the 1944 Book Review Digest described as "a murder story but not a mystery story". Hodder & Stoughton turned the book down, thus ending their association with Heyer, and Heinemann agreed to publish it instead. Her publisher in
1955-576: A result, Charles asks his friend, the young Prince of Orange to make his introduction. Against the advice of their other friends, the Prince agrees, but not before warning Charles that "it is the road to ruin." Charles and Bab dance together twice, leading nearly the whole assembly to whisper about how Bab had seized upon the nicest man in Brussels. A little while later, Charles meets Lucy Devenish looking quite dishevelled and upset. He doesn't ask her for any explanation and after he helped her fix herself up,
2070-581: A scandal, the Marquis will insist on them all returning to England. To which Lady Barbara responds that she would simply stay in Brussels alone. A few days later, Judith is surprised to walk into her parlour one morning and find that Charles had arrived. The Duke and his staff were finally in Brussels. Later that evening, at another party, Charles sees Barbara for the first time and is enchanted. This dismays Judith as she wanted Charles to fall in love with Lucy and as such she refuses to introduce Charles to her. As
2185-594: A scene in The Grand Sophy (published in 1950). Courtney Milan has said that "Georgette Heyer was a racist, and so her depiction of the era was deeply imperfect". Examination of family papers by Jennifer Kloester confirms she held prejudiced personal opinions. Psychoanalyst author, and Heyer fan, Amy Street, has written about her struggle to come to terms with Heyer's antisemetism. In 2023, Heyer's USA publisher, Sourcebooks , released an edited version of The Grand Sophy to change antisemitic language with
2300-474: A simple ceremony. In October 1925 Rougier was sent to work in the Caucasus Mountains , partly because he had learned Russian as a child. Heyer remained at home and continued to write. In 1926 she released These Old Shades , in which the Duke of Avon courts his own ward . Unlike her first novel, These Old Shades focused more on personal relationships than on adventure. The book appeared in
2415-476: A sports shop in Horsham with money they borrowed from Heyer's aunts. Heyer's brother Boris lived above the shop and helped Rougier, while Heyer continued to provide the bulk of the family's earnings with her writing. Heyer's earliest works were romance novels , most set before 1800. In 1935 she released Regency Buck , her first novel set in the Regency period . This bestselling novel essentially established
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#17327881053802530-406: A style similar to Heyer's, reusing names, character traits and plot points and paraphrased descriptions from her books, particularly A Hazard of Hearts , which borrowed characters from Friday's Child , and The Knave of Hearts which took off These Old Shades . Heyer completed a detailed analysis of the alleged plagiarisms for her solicitors, and while the case never came to court and no apology
2645-543: A terrible wife, but she doesn't care. R. Habenicht Casson of the The Macon Telegraph called the novel a "readable and well written account of a great period in history and a charming story". Casson wrote that Heyer "can describe a war as well as she portrays the gay ballrooms of Brussels." The St. Joseph News-Press praised her depiction of the Battle of Waterloo , writing that she "has breathed reality into
2760-515: A time as we could, but long enough to see express after express arrive to the Duke of Wellington, to hear of aides-de-camp arriving breathless with news, and to see, what was more extraordinary than all, the Duke's equanimity a little discomposed. We took a mournful farewell of some of our best friends, and returned home to anything but repose. The morning dawned most lovelily [sic], and before seven o'clock, we had seen 12,000 Brunswickers, Scotch and English pass before our windows, of whom one-third before
2875-424: A violent quarrel between Barbara and Charles and their engagement is terminated. After the quarrel, Charles meets Lucy who is extremely upset about something. Charles convinces Lucy to confide in him and she does so. All of Charles's friends are distressed at his unhappiness. He had a new hard look and he rarely smiles. He and Lucy have become very close and Bab goes around creating bigger scandals every day. Then, at
2990-410: A younger son. Some time later, Charles asks Bab to marry him and she accepts, but not before warning him that she would make a terrible wife and that she might change her mind in a week. Charles only laughs and says that he is willing to risk it. Judith is dismayed and cannot understand what Charles sees in the girl. Charles is adamant that Judith will like Barbara once she gets to know her. Meanwhile, Bab
3105-604: Is about to go off in search of Bab, when Judith is surprised to see him staring at Lucy Devenish. Her surprise increases when Lord George excuses himself, saying, "I have seen a lady I know. I must go pay my respects." He promptly goes to Lucy's side and looks teasingly at her downcast face. When Judith questions the two, George explains that they had met several times and that he was worried that Lucy had forgotten him. Lucy looks at him with reproach and says that she did not forget. She then walks away to find her aunt and George goes off to look for Bab. Judith seeks out Lucy to ask her about
3220-579: Is determined to make sure that Charles knows how awful she is. He endures much of her flirtations. At one point, it becomes too much. Harriet Taverner, Judith's brother's wife, had snubbed Bab, leading Bab to charm Perry as punishment. Lady Taverner is devastated and Charles takes the matter into his own hands. In a way that reminds Perry unpleasantly of Worth, Charles tells him that he must leave for England at once and be done with such nonsense. Perry agrees with him and immediately makes arrangements to go home, but not before making peace with his wife. This leads to
3335-565: Is in danger of his life and has had his left arm amputated. The surgeons say that they might have to amputate his leg as well, but Worth steps in and stops them from doing it. Charles regains lucidity, aided by the ministrations of the Duchess of Avon. Although he is not the carefree young man he once was, Charles proposes once more to Bab, telling her to take out the ring that she had given back to him, "there it stays until I give you another in its place". Bab accepts, promising that she will make him
3450-519: Is like Queen Anne, but what the hell does he know about the Regency?" Determined to make her novels as accurate as possible, Heyer collected reference works and research materials to use while writing. At the time of her death she owned more than 1,000 historical reference books, including Debrett's and an 1808 dictionary of the House of Lords . In addition to the standard historical works about
3565-410: Is making her mark. Lady Barbara, or Bab as she is called by her family and friends, is a young widow of great beauty and charm who can make any man fall in love with her. Her elder brother, the Marquis of Vidal highly disapproves of his sister's flirtations and is annoyed that she has made herself the talk of fashionable society. Furthermore, Bab has taken up with the notorious Belgian Comte de Lavisse. It
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3680-523: Is the general consensus that Bab is heartless. Bab has another two brothers besides the Marquis: Lord George Alistair, who was said to look and act exactly like his grandfather did in his younger days and Lord Harry Alistair, aged eighteen. Both are serving in the army. After a ball, (where Bab had scandalised Brussels by appearing with painted toenails) her sister-in-law, Lady Vidal, warns Bab that if she or any of her brothers cause
3795-616: Is the type of publicity which I find nauseating and quite unnecessary. My private life concerns no one but myself and my family." Rougier returned home in the summer of 1926, but within months he was sent to the East African territory of Tanganyika . Heyer joined him there the following year. They lived in a hut made of elephant grass in the bush ; Heyer was the first white woman her servants had ever seen. While in Tanganyika Heyer wrote The Masqueraders ; set in 1745,
3910-433: Is worried that she will change her mind, so she asks Charles to marry her soon. He refuses because he wants her to be certain that she loves him before she marries him. This leads Bab to say that Charles is a much better person than she is. Meanwhile, Barbara's brother George arrives in Brussels. He shows up uninvited to a party given by Lord and Lady Worth, in search of his various siblings. He makes his excuses to Judith and
4025-528: The Duchess of Richmond's famous ball , comes the news that Napoleon is marching towards the Belgian border. The city soon empties of officers including Charles, George, Harry and nearly every other young man at the ball. The next day, Barbara goes in search of Charles, desperate to make peace with him before the battle, only to learn from Judith Audley that he has gone. When Worth discovers that Barbara's brother,
4140-492: The Duke of Wellington to arrive from Vienna. When the other guests leave, Judith (Lady Worth)'s brother, Sir Peregrine Taverner (Perry), expresses his fears about remaining in Brussels, especially since his wife, Harriet is expecting their third child. In the end he decides that if his brother-in-law deems it safe to stay, then it must be safe enough. After he goes, Judith tells her husband about her hopes that Worth's brother, Colonel
4255-443: The historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance . Her Regencies were inspired by Jane Austen . To ensure accuracy, Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life. Whilst some critics thought the novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset. Her meticulous nature was also evident in her historical novels ; Heyer even recreated William
4370-460: The "minutiae of dress and decor", Heyer included those details "to invest the novels ... with 'the tone of the time'". Later reviewers, such as Lillian Robinson , criticized Heyer's "passion for the specific fact without concern for its significance", and Marghanita Laski wrote that "these aspects on which Heyer is so dependent for her creation of atmosphere are just those which Jane Austen ... referred to only when she wanted to show that
4485-516: The 19th century English Regency period . . ." The same critic referred to Sprig Muslin as ". . . one of the most delightful bits of flimflamery this side of P.G. Wodehouse in his early days," and of Friday's Child he wrote that several of its characters ". . . are straight out of Wodehouse . . . if you can imagine Wodehouse's young men translated to the Mayfair of 130 years ago . . ." Heyer has been criticised for antisemitism , in particular for
4600-536: The British Regency lasted only from 1811 to 1820, Heyer's romances were set between 1752 and 1825. According to the literary critic Kay Mussell, the books revolved around a "structured social ritual – the marriage market represented by the London season " where "all are in danger of ostracism for inappropriate behavior". Her Regency romances were inspired by the writings of Jane Austen , whose novels were set in
4715-559: The Conqueror 's crossing into England for her novel The Conqueror . Beginning in 1932 Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year. (See List of works by Georgette Heyer .) Her husband often provided basic outlines for the plots of her thrillers, leaving Heyer to develop character relationships and dialogue so as to bring the story to life. Although many critics describe Heyer's detective novels as unoriginal, others such as Nancy Wingate praise them "for their wit and comedy as well as for their well-woven plots". Her success
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4830-542: The Dark , saying "This work, published simultaneously with my son ... was the first of my thrillers and was perpetuated while I was, as any Regency character would have said, increasing. One husband and two ribald brothers all had fingers in it, and I do not claim it as a Major Work." For the next several years Heyer published one romance novel and one thriller each year. The romances were far more popular: they usually sold 115,000 copies, while her thrillers sold 16,000 copies. According to her son, Heyer "regarded
4945-541: The Hon. Charles Audley (who is a member of Wellington's staff and is still in Vienna) will fall in love with her new friend, Miss Lucy Devenish. This leads her husband to accuse her of trying to play matchmaker and remark, "I perceive that life in Brussels is going to be even more interesting than I had expected." Amongst the fashionable ton partying in the metropolis, Lady Barbara Childe (the granddaughter of Dominic, Duke of Avon)
5060-449: The Marquis of Vidal, has gone back to England, Worth takes Barbara in. Lady Barbara is convinced that Charles has fallen in love with Lucy, until Lucy goes to see Barbara to ask her if she heard anything from her brother George. Lucy then confesses that she and George have been married for nearly a year. The marriage had been kept secret because neither the Duke of Avon (George's grandfather) nor Lucy's uncle Mr. Fisher would have approved of
5175-458: The Prince that the French had pushed up the main Charleroi to Brussels road nearly as far as Quatre Bras . After repeating to the Prince that he should return to his headquarters, Wellington continued to sit at the table and make small talk for 20 minutes more, before announcing that he would retire to bed. He rose from the supper-table and: ... whispered to ask the Duke of Richmond if he had
5290-413: The Prince to return to his headquarters immediately, and then, after issuing a few more orders, went into supper, where he sat between Lady Frances Wedderburn-Webster and Lady Georgiana Lennox. To his surprise the Prince of Orange returned and in a whisper informed him of another dispatch, this one sent by Baron Rebecque to the Prince's headquarters at Braine-le-Comte , and timed at 10:30 pm. It informed
5405-405: The Regency romance, their novels have been described as "following in the romantic tradition of Georgette Heyer". According to Kay Mussell, "virtually every Regency writer covets [that] accolade". Due to Heyer's identification with the Regency romance genre, her humour often is overlooked, but many observers have commented upon it. Stephen Fry, for instance, has written that Heyer ". . . is one of
5520-655: The Stocks for The Sunday Times . Although none of her novels was ever reviewed in a serious newspaper, according to Duff Hart-Davis , "the absence of long or serious reviews never worried her. What mattered was the fact that her stories sold in ever-increasing numbers". Heyer was also overlooked by the Encyclopædia Britannica . The 1974 edition of the encyclopædia, published shortly after her death, included entries on popular writers Agatha Christie and Sayers, but did not mention Heyer. Duchess of Richmond%27s ball The Duchess of Richmond's Ball
5635-458: The United States, Doubleday , also disliked the book and ended their relationship with Heyer after its publication. During World War II, her brothers served in the armed forces, alleviating one of her monetary worries. Her husband, meanwhile, served in the Home Guard , besides continuing as a barrister. As he was new to his career, Rougier did not earn much money, and paper rationing during
5750-466: The action but from the personalities and dialogue of the characters. In most of these novels, all set in the time they were written, the focus relied primarily on the hero, with a lesser role for the heroine. Her early mystery novels often featured athletic heroes; once Heyer's husband began pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a barrister , the novels began to feature solicitors and barristers in lead roles. In 1935, Heyer's thrillers began following
5865-572: The actions of characters "A" and "B". Heyer would then create the characters and the relationships between them and bring the plot points to life. She found it difficult at times to rely on someone else's plots; on at least one occasion, before writing the last chapter of a book, she asked Rougier to explain once again how the murder was really committed. Her detective stories, which, according to critic Earl F. Bargainnier, "specialize[d] in upper-class family murders", were known primarily for their comedy, melodrama, and romance. The comedy derived not from
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#17327881053805980-458: The ball and the events that unfold are seen and experienced through their eyes. The ball serves as the backdrop for the first chapter of Julian Fellowes 's 2016 novel Belgravia (adapted for television as Belgravia in 2020). The chapter is titled "Dancing into Battle", and portrays a potential mésalliance that is avoided the next day by a battlefield fatality at Quatre Bras. Fellowes incorporates into his book real events that occurred during
6095-480: The ball we were told that the troops had orders to march at three in the morning, and that every officer must join his regiment by that time, as the French were advancing, you cannot possibly picture to yourself the dismay and consternation that appeared on every face. Those who had brothers and sons to be engaged openly gave way to their grief, as the last parting of many took place at this most terrible ball; others (and, thank Heaven, we ranked amongst that number, for in
6210-530: The ball. My mother thought it would interest foreigners to see them, which it did. I remember hearing that some of the poor men who danced in our house died at Waterloo. There was quite a crowd to look at the Scotch dancers. While the exact order of the dances at this ball is not known, there is a comment from a contemporary critical observer about the season in Brussels: Whenever they get together
6325-404: The battle, Charles comes upon Lord Harry Alistair, who is obviously dying. Charles reflects on how he has lost so many friends in one day. While trying to deliver a message from Wellington, Charles is hit by cannon fire. Badly wounded, he is carried off the field by his old rival Lavisse, whose regiment has fled in disarray. Lavisse tells him he will see to the delivery of the message but admits that
6440-484: The benefit of the Treasury and I can't tell you how utterly I resent the squandering of my money on such fatuous things as Education and Making Life Easy and Luxurious for So-Called Workers." In 1950, Heyer began working on what she called "the magnum opus of my latter years", a medieval trilogy intended to cover the House of Lancaster between 1393 and 1435. She estimated that she would need five years to complete
6555-408: The book follows the romantic adventures of siblings who pretend to be of the opposite sex in order to protect their family, all former Jacobites . Although Heyer did not have access to all of her reference material, the book contained only one anachronism: she placed the opening of White's a year too early. She also wrote an account of her adventures, entitled "The Horned Beast of Africa", which
6670-695: The coach house used as a ballroom had been demolished by the time of his investigations and that the building he assumed was the ballroom was not built until after 1815. The following were sent invitations to the ball: The ball inspired a number of writers and artists in the nineteenth century. Sir Walter Scott mentioned it in passing in Paul's Letters to his Kinsfolk . It was described by William Makepeace Thackeray in Vanity Fair and by Lord Byron in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage . Byron emphasises
6785-460: The comedy rather than the mystery, and although it had a good cast, including Edward Fielding as Hannasyde, it closed after three nights. According to critic Nancy Wingate, Heyer's detective novels, the last written in 1953, often featured unoriginal methods, motives, and characters, with seven of them using inheritance as the motive. The novels were always set in London, a small village, or at
6900-466: The contrast between the glamour of the ball and the horror of battle, concentrating on the emotional partings, Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro, Thackeray's dramatic use of the ball in Vanity Fair inspired, in turn, a number of screen depictions. One notable example comes from the 1935 RKO production Becky Sharp , the first full-length Technicolor film released after perfection of
7015-477: The cost of candles in a particular year. Other notebooks contained lists of phrases, covering such topics as "Food and Crockery", "Endearments", and "Forms of Address." One of her publishers, Max Reinhardt , once attempted to offer editorial suggestions about the language in one of her books but was promptly informed by a member of his staff that no one in England knew more about Regency language than Heyer. In
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#17327881053807130-564: The family lived in Paris but they returned to England shortly after World War I broke out in 1914. Although the family's surname had been pronounced "higher", the advent of war led her father to switch to the pronunciation "hair" so they would not be mistaken for Germans. During the war her father served as a requisitions officer for the British Army in France. After the war he was appointed
7245-633: The first time from her obituaries. Besides her success in the United Kingdom, Heyer's novels were very popular in the United States and Germany and achieved respectable sales in Czechoslovakia . A first printing of one of her novels in the Commonwealth often consisted of 65,000–75,000 copies, and her novels collectively sold over 100,000 copies in hardback each year. Her paperbacks usually sold over 500,000 copies each. At
7360-688: The full-color three-strip method, which makes the Duchess of Richmond's Ball the first historical set-piece ever staged in a full-colour feature film. Critics of the day were not kind to the picture itself, but the sequence in which the officers hurry to leave the ball — the red of their coats suddenly and emotionally filling the frame — was widely praised as showing great promise for the dramatic use of colour on-screen. The ball also inspired artists, including John Everett Millais , who painted The Black Brunswicker in 1860, Henry Nelson O'Neil who painted Before Waterloo in 1868 and Robert Hillingford who painted The Duchess of Richmond's Ball . The ball
7475-475: The genre of Regency romance . Unlike romantic fiction of the period by other writers, Heyer's novels featured the setting as a plot device. Many of her characters exhibited modern-day sensibilities; more conventional characters in the novels would point out the heroine's eccentricities, such as wanting to marry for love. The books were set almost entirely in the world of the wealthy upper class and only occasionally mention poverty, religion or politics. Although
7590-427: The historical romance and created the subgenre of the Regency romance . When first released as mass market paperbacks in the United States in 1966, her novels were described as being "in the tradition of Jane Austen". Heyer herself said her style was ". . . really a mixture of Johnson and Austen--what I rely on is a certain gift for the farcical.". As other novelists began to imitate her style and continue to develop
7705-520: The honours of the ball well". ... It was a dreadful evening, taking leave of friends and acquaintances, many never to be seen again. The Duke of Brunswick , as he took leave of me in the ante-room adjoining the ball-room, made me a civil speech as to the Brunswickers being sure to distinguish themselves after "the honour" done them by my having accompanied the Duke of Wellington to their review! I remember being quite provoked with poor Lord Hay ,
7820-513: The honours of the day go to Audley. The Duke and Duchess of Avon arrive in Brussels having heard of all the scandals that their grandchildren have been making. While they are at the Worth's, Charles's servant comes to tell the Earl about his master's condition. Worth goes to find him and bring him to Brussels and he promises Bab that he will bring Charles back safely. When Worth brings Charles back, he
7935-480: The house was hired, to put carriages in, but it was papered before we came there; and I recollect the paper – a trellis pattern with roses. ... At the ball supper I sat next to the Duke of Wellington , when he gave me an original miniature of himself painted by a Belgian artist. Lady Louisa, another of the Duchess's daughters, recalled: I well remember the Gordon Highlanders dancing reels at
8050-439: The house. It was later reprinted in "Reminiscences of Lady de Ros" by the Hon. Mrs J. R. Swinton, her daughter. Sir William Fraser examined the site and concluded that the room proposed as the ballroom by Lady de Ros was too small a space for the number of people who attended the ball. A short time after his visit, he wrote a letter to The Times which was published on 25 August 1888. He reported that he had likely discovered
8165-469: The interests of accuracy Heyer once purchased a letter written by the Duke of Wellington so that she could precisely employ his style of writing. She claimed that every word attributed to Wellington in An Infamous Army was actually spoken or written by him in real life. Her knowledge of the period was so extensive that Heyer rarely mentioned dates explicitly in her books; instead, she situated
8280-447: The life of Sir Harry Smith . The ball was used by Sergei Bondarchuk in his film Waterloo (1970) for dramatic effect. Bondarchuk contrasted an army at peace with the impending battle and in particular as a dramatic backdrop to show how completely Napoleon managed to "humbug" Wellington. In the novel Sharpe's Waterloo (1990), Bernard Cornwell uses the ball in a similar way to Bondarchuk, placing his character Richard Sharpe in
8395-403: The match. Until now she had confided in no one but Charles who promised to look out for George. By now the wounded are starting to arrive in Brussels from the first skirmishes and Judith and Barbara help to nurse the wounded in the street. As the situation becomes more and more desperate, the two women become very close, Barbara is finally showing her true inner strength and courage. At the end of
8510-434: The medieval and eighteenth-century periods, her library included histories of snuff boxes , sign posts and costumes . She often clipped illustrations from magazine articles and jotted down interesting vocabulary or facts onto note cards but rarely recorded where she found the information. Her notes were sorted into categories, such as Beauty, Colours, Dress, Hats, Household, Prices and Shops, and even included details such as
8625-514: The midst of my greatest fears I still felt thankfulness was my prominent feeling that my beloved Dick was not here) who had no near relation yet felt that amongst the many friends we all had there it was impossible that all should escape, and that the next time we might hear of them they might be numbered with the dead; in fact, my dear aunt, I cannot describe to you mingled feelings; you will, however, I am sure, understand them, and I feel quite inadequate to express them. We stayed at this ball as short
8740-470: The midst of the 1926 United Kingdom general strike ; as a result the novel received no newspaper coverage, reviews or advertising. Nevertheless, the book sold 190,000 copies. Because the lack of publicity had not harmed the novel's sales, Heyer refused for the rest of her life to promote her books, even though her publishers often asked her to give interviews. She once wrote to a friend that "as for being photographed at Work or in my Old World Garden, that
8855-411: The night were mingled with the dust. Mama took a farewell of Duke [of Wellington] as he passed by, but Fanny and myself, at last wearied out, had before he went, retired to bed. At the time of the ball no accurate record was kept of the location of the ballroom. In 1887 a plan of the house was published by Lady de Ros (daughter of the Duchess of Richmond), provided by her brother, who were both resident in
8970-536: The novel contained many of the elements that would become standard for Heyer's novels, the "saturnine male lead, the marriage in danger, the extravagant wife, and the group of idle, entertaining young men". The following year one of her contemporary short stories , "A Proposal to Cicely", was published in Happy Magazine . While holidaying with her family in December 1920 Heyer met George Ronald Rougier, who
9085-462: The officers would soon die in battle and the poignancy of the drama has provided an enduring theme for artists, novelists and poets. According to Lady Georgiana, a daughter of the Duchess: My mother's now famous ball took place in a large room on the ground-floor on the left of the entrance, connected with the rest of the house by an ante-room . It had been used by the coach-builder, from whom
9200-540: The other publisher to complain. When the author took exception to the accusations, Heyer made a thorough list of the borrowings and historical mistakes in the books. Among these were repeated use of the phrase "to make a cake of oneself", which Heyer had discovered in a privately printed memoir unavailable to the public. In another case, the author referenced a historical incident that Heyer had invented in an earlier novel. Heyer's lawyers recommended an injunction, but she ultimately decided not to sue. In 1959, Rougier became
9315-446: The pages of history" with her "masterful handling", which made "what would ordinarily be a mass of unwieldy detail" into a "cohesive picture". The Sacramento Bee wrote that the novel "evidences her minute research, but avoids the decorative conjecture, prophesy, and personal prejudice that often obscure the outlines of history or biography." Of the Battle of Waterloo scene, the newspaper stated that Heyer had "handled it with spirit, and
9430-534: The permission of the Georgette Heyer Estate. The estate decided to remove an afterword by Shakespeare Professor Mary Bly, who is also the romance author, Eloisa James , that provided context for the changed text, prompting Bly to withdraw her editing and commentary/context work from the project. Despite her popularity and success, Heyer was largely ignored by critics other than Dorothy L. Sayers , who reviewed The Unfinished Clue and Death in
9545-425: The rights to her newest book, Black Sheep , be issued to her personally. Unlike her other novels, Black Sheep did not focus on members of the aristocracy. Instead, it followed "the moneyed middle class", with finance a dominant theme in the novel. Heyer's new accountants urged her to abandon Heron Enterprises; after two years, she finally agreed to sell the company to Booker-McConnell , which already owned
9660-539: The rights to her novels. She was accused several times of providing an overly large salary for herself, and in 1966 she sold the company and the rights to seventeen of her novels to Booker-McConnell . Heyer continued writing until her death in July 1974. At that time 48 of her novels were still in print; her last book, My Lord John , was published posthumously. Georgette Heyer was born in Wimbledon, London , in 1902. She
9775-456: The rights to the estates of novelists Ian Fleming and Agatha Christie. Booker-McConnell paid her approximately £85,000 for the rights to the 17 Heyer titles owned by the company. This amount was taxed at the lower capital transfer rate, rather than the higher income tax rate. As Heyer's popularity increased, other authors began to imitate her style. In May 1950, one of her readers notified her that Barbara Cartland had written several novels in
9890-451: The rights. Heyer also reviewed books for Heinemann, earning 2 guineas for each review, and she allowed her novels to be serialized in Women's Journal prior to their publication as hardcover books. The appearance of a Heyer novel usually caused the magazine to sell out completely, but she complained that they "always like[d] my worst work". To minimize her tax liability, Heyer formed
10005-514: The role of the aide who brings the catastrophic news to Wellington, but includes a sub-plot where Sharpe brawls with Lord John Rossendale , Sharpe's wife's lover and a man who owes money to him. A fictional account is given of the Duchess of Richmond's ball in The Campaigners , Volume 14 of The Morland Dynasty , a series of historical novels by author Cynthia Harrod-Eagles . Some of the fictional Morland family and other characters attend
10120-741: The room and that it was not part of the principal property that the Duke of Richmond had rented on the Rue des Cendres , but was a coach house that backed onto the property and had an address in the next street, the Rue de la Blanchisserie . The room had dimensions of 120 feet (37 m) long, 54 feet (16 m) broad, and about 13 feet (4.0 m) high (the low ceiling was a case where reality impinged on one meaning of Lord Byron 's artistic allusion to "that high hall"). Research by lawyer P. Duvivier and published by Fleischman and Aerts in their 1956 book Bruxelles pendant la bataille de Waterloo put forward an alternative theory. It proposes that, unknown to Fraser,
10235-465: The same era. Austen's works, however, were contemporary novels, describing the times in which she lived. According to Pamela Regis in her work A Natural History of the Romance Novel , because Heyer's stories took place amidst events that had occurred more than 100 years earlier, she had to include more detail on the period in order for her readers to understand it. Whilst Austen could ignore
10350-659: The severest etiquette is present. The women on entering always salute on each side of the cheek; they then set [sic] down as stiff as waxworks. They begin a ball with a perfect froideur they go on with their dangerous waltz (in which all the Englishwomen join) and finish with the gallopade , a completely indecent and violent romp. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington with his intimate staff arrived some time between 11 pm. and midnight. Shortly before supper, which started around 1 am, Lieutenant Henry Webster , an aide-de-camp to William, Prince of Orange , arrived with
10465-455: The slope of a hill and from their extended line pour such a devastating fire upon the attacking French column that the French withdraw in disarray. Seeing this, Colonel Sir John Colborne leads his regiment, the Fighting 52nd , across the battlefield from the right flank and Wellington calls for a general advance of Peregrine Maitland 's Grenadier Guards , completing the French rout. During
10580-451: The story by casually referring to major and minor events of the time. Heyer specialised in two types of romantic male lead, which she called Mark I and Mark II. Mark I, with overtones of Mr Rochester , was (in her words) "rude, overbearing, and often a bounder". Mark II by contrast was debonair, sophisticated and often a style-icon. Similarly, her heroines (reflecting Austen's division between lively and gentle) fell into two broad groups:
10695-522: The strange meeting. Lucy brushes her off and says that she doesn't wish to speak of Lord George Alistair. After the party, George and Bab discuss her engagement, revealing the depth of her feelings for Charles as well as her reasons for being so callous a flirt. She had been married at eighteen to a much older man named Jasper Childe whom she grew to hate, and she swore from then on that no man would possess her ever again. And now, even though she loves Charles, she cannot help rebelling against him. Lady Barbara
10810-558: The tall and dashing, mannish type, and the quiet bullied type. When a Mark I hero meets a Mark I heroine, as in Bath Tangle or Faro's Daughter , high drama ensues, whilst an interesting twist on the underlying paradigm is provided by The Grand Sophy , where the Mark I hero considers himself a Mark II and has to be challenged for his true nature to emerge. The Conqueror (1931) was Heyer's first novel of historical fiction to give
10925-766: The time of her death 48 of her books were still in print, including her first novel, The Black Moth . Her books were very popular during the Great Depression and World War II. Her novels, which journalist Lesley McDowell described as containing "derring-do, dashing blades, and maids in peril", allowed readers to escape from the mundane and difficult elements of their lives. 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 essentially invented
11040-532: The two become friendly. At the end of the party, Judith is at ease because Charles had admired Lucy and had not said anything about Bab. Worth however feels that Charles is already head over heels in love with Bab. The next day, Charles meets Bab with her notorious Belgian suitor, the Count de Lavisse. Needless to say, the two men do not get on very well. However, Charles seems to have made an impression on Bab for she confesses to Lady Vidal that she has lost her heart to
11155-499: The war caused lower sales of Heyer's books. To meet their expenses Heyer sold the Commonwealth rights for These Old Shades , Devil's Cub , and Regency Buck to her publisher, Heinemann , for £750. A contact at the publishing house, her close friend A.S. Frere, later offered to return the rights to her for the same amount of money she was paid. Heyer refused to accept the deal, explaining that she had given her word to transfer
11270-601: The whole thing Judith admits to her husband that she had misjudged both Barbara and Lucy from the start. The second half of the book is devoted to an account of the Battle of Waterloo . All the historic events are recounted in detail, including the magnificent charge of the Scots Greys and the final turning point where Wellington himself tells the final line of defence, the British First Foot Guards, to "Up Guards and at'em". The Guards rise from behind
11385-468: The wittiest, most insightful and rewarding prose writers imaginable." Heyer enjoyed being humorous, remarking: "Talk about my humour if you want to talk about me at all!". Kim Sherwood has pointed out that Heyer is "frequently linked to P. G. Wodehouse in reviews and in online discussions by her fans". One reviewer said of Venetia that Heyer was ". . . a past master of juggle buggle, which may be defined rather broadly as P. G. Wodehouse translated back into
11500-439: The works. Her impatient readers continually clamored for new books; to satisfy them and her tax liabilities, Heyer interrupted herself to write Regency romances. The manuscript of volume one of the series, My Lord John , was published posthumously. The limited liability company continued to vex Heyer, and in 1966, after tax inspectors found that she owed the company £20,000, she finally fired her accountants. She then asked that
11615-424: The writing of mystery stories rather as we would regard tackling a crossword puzzle – an intellectual diversion before the harder tasks of life have to be faced". Heyer's husband was involved in much of her writing. He often read the proofs of her historical romances to catch any errors that she might have missed, and served as a collaborator for her thrillers. He provided the plots of the detective stories, describing
11730-536: Was called to the Bar , and the family moved first to Brighton , then to Hove , so that Rougier could easily commute to London. The following year, they sent their son to a preparatory school, creating an additional expense for Heyer. The Blitz bombing of 1940–41 disrupted train travel in Britain, prompting Heyer and her family to move to London in 1942 so that Rougier would be closer to his work. After having lunch with
11845-440: Was 17 Heyer began a serial story to amuse her brother Boris, who suffered from a form of haemophilia and was often weak. Her father enjoyed listening to her story and asked her to prepare it for publication. His agent found a publisher for her book, and The Black Moth , about the adventures of a young man who took responsibility for his brother's card-cheating, was issued in 1921. According to her biographer, Jane Aiken Hodge ,
11960-455: Was a ball hosted by Charlotte Lennox, Duchess of Richmond in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras . Charlotte's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond , was in command of a reserve force in Brussels, which was protecting that city in case Napoleon Bonaparte invaded. Elizabeth Longford described it as "the most famous ball in history". "The ball
12075-619: Was a scene in the third act of a melodrama called In the Days of the Duke written by Charles Haddon Chambers and J. Comyns Carr ; it was displayed sumptuously in the 1897 production, with a backdrop by William Harford showing the hall and staircase inside the Duchess's house. Several characters attend the ball in Georgette Heyer 's novel An Infamous Army (1937), and also in The Spanish Bride (1940), her novelisation of
12190-453: Was born. As Heyer aged she began to suffer more frequent health problems. These may have been exacerbated by her occasional practice of writing into the wee hours fueled by gin and Benzedrine. In June 1964, she underwent surgery to remove a kidney stone. Although the doctors initially predicted a six-week recovery, after two months they predicted that it might be a year or longer before she felt completely well. The following year, she suffered
12305-533: Was certainly a brilliant affair", at which "with the exception of three generals, every officer high in Wellington's army was there to be seen". The proceedings were interrupted soon after the arrival of the Duke of Wellington , when he was notified of Napoleon's unexpected advance on the nearby crossroads of Quatre Bras , located 34 km (21 mi) to the south. This forced him to depart after ordering his officers to leave to join their regiments. Some of
12420-632: Was circulated directly, and while some of the officers hurried away, others remained at the ball, and actually had not time to change their clothes, but fought in evening costume. I went with my eldest brother ( ADC to the Prince of Orange ) to his house, which stood in our garden, to help him to pack up, after which we returned to the ballroom, where we found some energetic and heartless young ladies still dancing. I heard afterwards that it had been said that "the Ladies Lennox were fine , and did not do
12535-600: Was named after her father, George Heyer. Her mother, Sylvia Watkins, studied both cello and piano and was one of the top three students in her class at the Royal College of Music . Heyer's paternal grandfather had emigrated from Russia, whilst her maternal grandparents owned tugboats on the River Thames . Heyer was the eldest of three children; her brothers, George Boris (known as Boris) and Frank, were four and nine years younger than she. For part of her childhood
12650-417: Was published in 1929 in the newspaper The Sphere . In 1928 Heyer followed her husband to Macedonia , where she almost died after a dentist improperly administered an anaesthetic. She insisted they return to England before starting a family. The following year Rougier left his job, making Heyer the primary breadwinner. After a failed experiment running a gas, coke and lighting company Rougier purchased
12765-414: Was received, the copying ceased. Her lawyers suggested that she leak the copying to the press. Heyer refused. In 1961, another reader wrote of similarities found in the works of Kathleen Lindsay , particularly the novel Winsome Lass . The novels borrowed plot points, characters, surnames, and plentiful Regency slang. After fans accused Heyer of "publishing shoddy stuff under a pseudonym", Heyer wrote to
12880-409: Was repeated to me by the Duke of Richmond two minutes after it occurred. The atmosphere in the room changed when news circulated among the guests that the French were crossing the border: When the Duke [of Wellington] arrived, rather late, at the ball, I was dancing, but at once went up to him to ask about the rumours. He said very gravely, "Yes, they are true; we are off to-morrow." This terrible news
12995-424: Was sometimes clouded by problems with tax inspectors and alleged plagiarists. Heyer chose not to file lawsuits against the suspected literary thieves but tried multiple ways of minimizing her tax liability. Forced to put aside the works she called her "magnum opus" (a trilogy covering the House of Lancaster ) to write more commercially successful works, Heyer eventually created a limited liability company to administer
13110-537: Was two years her senior. The two became regular dance partners while Rougier was studying at the Royal School of Mines to become a mining engineer. In the spring of 1925, shortly after the publication of her fifth novel, they became engaged. One month later Heyer's father died of a heart attack. He left no pension and Heyer assumed financial responsibility for her brothers, aged 19 and 14. Two months after her father's death, on 18 August, Heyer and Rougier married in
13225-455: Was withdrawing too much money from the company. The inspector considered the extra funds as undisclosed dividends, meaning that she owed an additional £3,000 in taxes. To pay the tax bill, Heyer wrote two articles, "Books about the Brontës" and "How to be a Literary Writer", that were published in the magazine Punch . She once wrote to a friend, "I'm getting so tired of writing books for
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