These Old Shades
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| These Old Shades | |
| Author | Georgette Heyer |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Yes |
| Genre(s) | Georgian, Romance |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Publication date | 1926 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 352 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | The Black Moth |
| Followed by | Devil's Cub |
These Old Shades (1926) is a Georgian (set around 1756) romance novel written by British novelist Georgette Heyer (1902-1974). It was an instant success, and established her as a writer.
[edit] Plot summary
The wealthy and powerful British Duke of Avon buys a young boy, Leon, suspecting that the child is being mistreated by his older brother; the Duke is also struck by the boy's unusual colouring, which reminds him of his enemy's red hair and dark brows. Making the boy his page, the Duke wins the child's devotion, much to the amusement of his friends, who find the Duke forbidding, selfish, and sometimes cruel. When it is revealed that Leon is actually Leonie, the Duke adopts the spirited, winsome girl as his ward and introduces her into society. Intrigue, romance, and the trademark Heyer wit ensue.
Devil's Cub follows up where These Old Shades left off. An Infamous Army completes the story with the Duke of Avon's great-granddaughter marrying the Hero of An Infamous Army. An Infamous Army is itself a sequel to Regency Buck.
These Old Shades is itself a sequel. Heyer's first novel The Black Moth was a melodrama and as a 'sequel' per se would not work in with the plot, she renamed many characters and made them 'shades' of their former selves for These Old Shades.
| The Black Moth | These Old Shades |
|---|---|
| Tracy "Devil" Belmanoir, Duke of Andover | Justin "Satanas" Alastair, Duke of Avon |
| Lady Lavinia (Belmanoir) Carstares | Lady Fanny (Alastair) Marling |
| The Hon. Richard Carstares | Mr. Edward Marling |
| John Carstares | John Marling |
| Lord Andrew Belmanoir | Lord Rupert Alastair |
| Harriet (Belmanoir) Fleming | Harriet (Alastair) Field |
| Miss Diana Beauleigh | Lady Jennifer (Beauchamp) Merivale |
| Lord Jack Carstares, Earl of Wyncham | Lord Anthony Merivale |
| The Hon. Frank Fortescue | Mr. Hugh Davenant |
| Sir John Fortescue | The Hon. Frederick Davenant |
