the convenient marriage by georgette heyer

No romance is expected no intimacy is obliged and the spouses agree not to interfere with one another’s lives. It’s unusual in romantic novels to begin with a wedding, but the point that Rule’s and Horatia’s marriage is to be one of convenience. To her delight, and everyone else’s profound astonishment, Rule accepts the suit of this brazen seventeen-year-old with her quick mind, ‘ preposterous eyebrows‘ and marked stammer. Since he aims to ally himself with their family name, does it matter so very much which of the sisters he marries? Charlotte would rather die than be his wife, but Horatia gamely volunteers herself as a substitute for Lizzie. Lizzie is in love with someone else, but the Winwoods are in such dire straits that his offer of marriage is very valuable to them. Determined to straighten out the situation, Horatia simply takes herself off to Rule’s house and tells him the truth. Her younger sibling Charlotte, ever conscious of the demands of propriety and duty, accepts her decision.īut creative, impetuous Horatia, the youngest of the three Winwood sisters, doesn’t see any reason why Lizzie should make herself miserable.

What can be done? Lizzie has quite made up her mind to sacrifice her happiness for the good of her family – for her father is dead and her brother Pelham is busy losing money at card-tables all over Europe. The only problem is that Lizzie’s affections are already directed elsewhere, to the gentle but impecunious Lieutenant Edward Heron. His choice falls on the lovely Miss Elizabeth Winwood who, with her old name, good breeding and striking beauty will make the perfect match. The Earl of Rule has decided, at the advanced age of thirty-five, to take a wife. With balls, card-parties, duels and highwaymen, it’s a gloriously frothy story dressed up with fabulous gowns, extravagant wigs and two very appealing protagonists. And The Convenient Marriage delivers on all fronts. There are times when a girl simply needs a bit of frivolity. At the moment that’s an irritating cold, so I was much in need of witty Regency escapades to divert myself from snuffling. Her books may be fluffy and predictable her characters may be much the same from story to story but I adore her: she never fails to delight and distract from whatever life throws at me.

I haven’t read a new Georgette Heyer novel since before I started writing this blog, which means it’s long overdue.

The convenient marriage by georgette heyer