Snowdrift and other stories (by Georgette Heyer)

(Amazon UK link)

For nearly four decades I have been an avid reader (and re-reader) of Georgette Heyer’s historical novels. So I was very pleased when I spotted what seemed like a new publication, ‘Snowdrift’, which said that it contained some recently discovered short stories. It was on special offer at 99p for the Kindle towards the end of last year, so I downloaded it. I only tend to use my Kindle extensively when I’m travelling, so I didn’t start reading it until I was at the airport a few days ago, and continued on a four-hour flight. 

I hadn’t remembered that the blurb states that there are just three newly discovered stories, and that the rest of the contents is the previously-published short stories from the volume ‘Pistols for two’. The introduction explains this. I last read ‘Pistols for two’ in September 2025, but decided to go ahead and reread anyway. I was looking forward to the extra three stories at the end.

I found that although I recalled the outcomes of most of the stories in the book (many of them similar), I had forgotten most of the characters and detail. So, rather than skimming, I became quite absorbed in the different stories. Georgette Heyer was very skilled in creating believable, likeable people with, sometimes, quite clever plots. Her attention to detail means that everything she wrote feels authentic to the Regency era, including details of dress, food, transportation and more. Sometimes she uses slang or cant phrases of the era, which are may be difficult to understand. But any time I’ve looked up words or phrases, it’s clear that she has used them correctly and appropriately. 

The first one in this collection, ‘Snowdrift’ (which is one of the last stories in ‘Pistols for two’) features a coach overturned in some snow. A young woman is very worried, all the more so when it’s clear that her maid is injured. She’s on her way to something of importance, and wants to be there before her obnoxious cousin.  She’s rescued by a bored nobleman… who, inevitably, finds her captivating.

It’s a fairly common theme in Heyer’s books, but she does it so well with such likeable and intelligent characters that I don’t mind how many times I read the same basic plot. Her novels - and short stories - are full of wealthy men who are finding life tedious. Some have almost nothing to do other than live lives of dissipation; some are being hassled to choose a wife from the current beautiful but unintelligent or grasping debutantes. 

The story ‘Pistols for two’ is a bit different, in that it features two young men who have been close friends all through their childhood. Then they fall in love with the same woman, and their friendly rivalry turns into bitter enmity. An accidental bump at a party leads one to call the other out, and they are determined to fight a duel with pistols at dawn. I love Heyer’s indirect ironical writing as she explains what triggered this… 

The other story that stands out in my mind is ‘Night at the inn’. The first time I read this, I found it very tense and quite disturbing. This time I recalled what was coming and was able to appreciate the cleverness of the plot, even if some of the description towards the end is macabre in the extreme. I’m glad the author didn’t make a practice of writing this kind of story; it’s not one I would normally choose to read.

The three stories added to the collection are at the end of the book. Apparently they were some of Heyer’s earliest writing, found in magazines. Even at a young age she was a skilled writer, with an excellent use of language and ironic low-key humour. 

The first of the three ‘new’ stories is called ‘Pursuit’. It features a rather irritable earl who is driving his curricle accompanied by a governess. The earl’s ward has eloped with a young man in the army, and he wants to catch them and put a stop to the proposed marriage. While the outcome is predictable, there are unexpected twists and turns that made this a very enjoyable story.

The second also features a young couple who eloping, although neither of them seems all that keen on the idea. Apparently the heroine is expected to marry someone elderly and she is determined not to do so. Then their coach is overtaken by another one, and they hear someone they don’t know asking for a young couple…

The final story features yet another bored Earl, on his way to Bath although he really doesn’t know why he should. He comes across a broken-down carriage with a young man who is desperate to get to Bath as soon as possible, and they strike up a rather unequal friendship. I guessed from the outset what was going on, as there were plenty of Heyer-like clues, but it’s still a nicely-done story.

All in all, I’m very glad I re-read the stories I have enjoyed before, and that - at last - I have read the more recently discovered ones.  Definitely recommended if you like Heyer’s writing, or perhaps as an introduction to her work for someone unwilling to try a full novel. 

The Kindle version is not currently on special offer, so the link above is to the paperback edition of this book. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews