Lady of Quality
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| Lady of Quality | |
 Cover of the 1st US edition published by E. P. Dutton, cover art by Edward Mortelmans |
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| Author | Georgette Heyer |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Regency, Romance |
| Publisher | Sourcebooks, Inc. |
| Publication date | 1972, 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 336 pp |
| ISBN | 978-1-4022-1077-8 |
Lady of Quality is a novel written by Georgette Heyer, first published in 1972
The novel begins when Annis Wychwood leaves her family home for her own house in Bath. On the road a chance encounter with Lucilla Carleton brings her into contact with Oliver Carleton, Lucilla's guardian, a man with whom she gradually falls in love.
Annis Wychwood is an unusual heroine for a Regency novel, in that she is not constrained to marry for social or monetary reasons, but like modern women, can choose to marry or not as she wishes.
[edit] Plot summary
The rich, beautiful, Annis Wychwood moves to Bath after deciding that living with her brother would be too stressful for both of them. On the way she meets runaway heiress Lucilla Carleton, who is being pressured to marry Ninian Elmore. Annis takes Lucilla in and determines to introduce Lucilla into society a little. However Oliver Carleton, Lucilla's guardian, doesn't think Annis a suitable caretaker of his ward and tries to decide with her what is to be done with her as her previous caretaker refuses to take her back and Lucilla doesn't know any of her other aunts. After she rejects his offer of marriage, Oliver goes to London, on the excuse of finding Lucilla a proper guardian. Sir Geoffrey Wychwood, anxious about Annis' relationship with Oliver, foist his wife and children on Annis. However when some of the household contract influenza, Annis is forced to nurse them until she herself contracts influenze. Upon hearing of it, Oliver comes up to Bath and determines to get an audience with her. Luckily for him that day is the first day that she is able to get out of bed. She agrees to marry him and though Sir Geoffrey tries to persuade her not to agree to it, she is stubborn and Oliver ushers Annis' brother out the room before he could agitate the fragile lady.
