I started reading Georgette Heyer’s novels in my late teens, after being given some by a relative. At the time, I appreciated most the overtly romantic novels, those set in the upper-class homes where young debutantes attended balls and soirées, albeit with some humour and clever dialogue. I then started acquiring others, mostly second-hand, as an adult and first read ‘The Masqueraders’ in 1988. I noted at the time that I found it rather slow to start, and awarded it just three stars in my mind.
I’ve read this book several times now - once or twice per decade - the last time being in 2012. So although I recalled the general outline of the story, I had entirely forgotten most of the detail. The first time I read it, I remember being quite confused when the ‘masquerade’ was revealed, a few chapters into the book. I had to re-read the first part again, to make sense of it. That’s not something I’ve forgotten, of course, but it doesn’t much matter. Indeed, the blurb on the back of my edition gives away this part of the story.
But I hadn’t really remembered just how much excitement there is in the story. A brother and sister have escaped from France, where they were known as Jacobites, and could theoretically be hanged for treason. Now they’re on the run, making their way towards London and an old friend of their father’s. And it’s clear that they’re following instructions given to them by their father, who is evidently a man of tremendous imagination, and clever with his planning - so much so that he regularly gets his son and daughter into seriously risky situations.
The first event of the book involves a young woman called Letty who has eloped with a young man, Markham, only to discover that he’s not as romantic as she thought. He’s started drinking, and she has become scared… but she doesn’t want to go home to be married to Sir Anthony, a large man rather older than she is. The main protagonists of the book manage to rescue Letty, although Sir Anthony is not far behind. And it’s quickly clear that he doesn’t in fact want to marry her at all. He moves slowly and seems rather placid, but it’s evident that there’s rather more going on inside his head than is apparent to most.
Much of the book takes place in London, with some dancing and card playing, with a great deal of intrigue and some aggression. The father appears unexpectedly, claiming to be the lost heir of a title - but nobody, including his children, have any idea if his claim is true. He’s a delightfully brazen character, full of his own importance and cleverness, always a step ahead of everyone who tries to discredit him.
There are incidents with highway robberies, a planned duel and an actual one; some violence, and some rapid escapes. Not usually my preferred reading, as it’s quite tense in places, and yet I found it a most engaging story. I knew how it ended, of course, but still found it difficult to put the book down while I was reading.
The language is, as far as I can tell, authentic for the period which makes some of it difficult to understand - but that never seems to matter with Heyer. Occasionally I have paused to check the meaning of a word or phrase, or even read about a historical incident - but it’s not necessary. The broad meaning is clear, and after a chapter or two the style of speaking starts to feel realistic.
Heyer was gifted at characterisation, and also at plotting. This novel reaches its climax in a legal meeting where many of the cast are gathered to learn whether the eccentric father is the person he is now claiming to be. Several of the author’s other novels culminate in a gathering that draws together several threads, and it’s a device that works well.
There are romantic threads, of course - more confused than usual due to the masquerade that takes place for most of the book - and they’re nicely done, with a resolution that doesn’t stop as abruptly as some of Heyer’s novels to.
All in all, I’d now rank this novel as one of my favourites.
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