The Foundling (novel)

The Foundling is a Regency romance novel written by Georgette Heyer.

Plot summary

The Duke of Sale is tired of being the Duke of Sale. He just wants to be a nobody from "Nowhere in Particular". He lives with his uncle, Lord Lionel. Lord Lionel and his team of servants baby the Duke and treat him like a child, when in reality he is almost twenty-five years old. The Duke does not want to be forced into marriage or be told what to do. He sets out on a wild adventure to find out who he really is.

The Duke is encouraged by his cousin Gideon to set out on the adventure and to fire his posse of servants. A bit later, he is out riding heading to the house of his future wife Harriet, when he sees a young boy who is hurt on the side of the road. Tom becomes a friend and nusiance to the Duke for the rest of the novel.

He soon finds out his other cousin Matthew is in a bit of a fix. Matthew supposedly sent letters to a very beautiful foundling named Belinda, and promised to marry her. When he decided not to marry her after all, her caretaker got angry and threatened Matthew. The Duke pretends to be Matthew and goes to visit this caretaker. He gets kidnapped and finds himself in a major jam. Next thing he knows, the Duke is riding around with Tom and Belinda trying to figure out how to get them safely home and out of trouble. He also has his own problems to worry about, including his fight with Lord Lionel and his impending marriage with Lady Harriet.

In the end, the Duke accepts his marriage to Harriet, discovering that he truly does love her. Belinda, who is the naive foundling who only cares about a diamond ring and purple dress, also finds her true love. The Dukes tale resolves very happily.