This might be the first Georgette Heyer— well, maybe The Grand Sophy— that I’ve wished was shorter, but only because the first half is scrumptious, and I love Aubrey best, even with stiff competition from Damerel and Venetia— who both love Aubrey best— but then the complications arrive in the form of busybody relations-by-marriage and I’m pretty sure I’d rather just keep reading about Venetia romping over the countryside and hatching plots with her bff Damerel and Aubrey in love with Damerel’s library, because let’s face it, who wouldn’t be, and the three of them forming a happy little family, getting into mischief, provoking the ton, happily ever after. Also, Venetia would totally be into the orgies. I’m just saying.
But then of course the last two chapters arrive, and they’re so splendid that I couldn’t wish the book shorter after all:
She looked at Damerel. “Well, my dear friend?”
“Well, my dear delight?” he returned, a glint in his eyes.
“Do you think you will make me unhappy?”
“I don’t — but I will offer you no promises!”
“No, pray don’t!” she said seriously. “As soon as one promises not to do something, it becomes the one thing above all others that one most wishes to do!” She turned her head towards her uncle again. “You mean to warn me that he may continue to have mistresses, and orgies, and — and so on, don’t you, sir?”
“Particularly so on!” interpolated Damerel.
“Well, how should I know all the shocking things you do? The thing is, uncle, that I don’t think I ever should know.”
“You’d know about my orgies!” objected Damerel.
“Yes, but I shouldn’t care about them, once in a while. After all, it would be quite unreasonable to wish you to change all your habits, and I can always retire to bed, can’t I?”
“Oh, won’t you preside over them?” he said, much disappointed.
“Yes, love, if you wish me to,” she replied, smiling at him. “Should I enjoy them?”
He stretched out his hand, and when she laid her own in it, held it very tightly. “You shall have a splendid orgy, my dear delight, and you will enjoy it very much indeed!”