Venetia: Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance

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Aubrey: Well okay, then it had better be Rome. I would have preferred Greece, but we can go to Rome, and I think Venetia will like it. It's not my honeymoon after all! I started reading Georgette Heyer when I was a teenager, some thirty five years ago, when my mother gave me Friday's Child and told me she thought I would enjoy it. Since then I have read all the romances, a number of them countless times. They have long been the books I turn to when I'm feeling unwell, a bit fragile, or when it's cold and wet and I need a comfort read!

Fair Fatality, you are the most unusual female I have encountered in all my thirty-eight years!" (finally Anne is quoting the right book!) Yes, but I don’t suppose he has any more fondness for us now than he had when he was alive, ma’am. He never made the least push to engage our affections, you know, so he really cannot expect us to grieve for him.’Then, in one extraordinary encounter, she meets a neighbour she only knew by reputation - the infamous Jasper Damerel. Damerel: There won't be a honeymoon, because there won't be a wedding, because there hasn't been a proposal yet, BECAUSE YOU KEEP INTERRUPTING!! Unfortunately there was no possibility of following it up in the accepted mode, and although several susceptible gentlemen inveighed bitterly against the barbarity of a parent who would permit no visitor to enter his house none of them was so deeply heart-smitten after standing up with the lovely Miss Lanyon for one country-dance as to cast aside every canon of propriety (as well as to the horrid dread of making a great cake of himself) and ride out of York to Undershaw, either to hang about the gates of the Manor in the hope of achieving a clandestine meeting with Venetia, or to force his way into the house.

He is not, however, the only one causing trouble for Venetia and Damarel. Damarel's morally chequered past certainly doesn't help matters, and to replace the upsets and excitements of the city, this novel is so full of meddlers! So many people are utterly convinced they know what is best for Venetia, and have little intention of consulting her before deciding what to do with her life. It is these people that cause the most trouble for the couple. The one glorious exception is Venetia’s younger brother. The new Folio Society edition of Venetia by Georgette Heyer Photograph: Jessica Hische/The Folio Society I know! She was the delightful creature who cut up her brother, and cast the pieces in her papa’s way, wasn’t she? I daresay perfectly amiable when one came to know her.’ my case is clearly past remedy, and I've nothing to do but decide whether to be an aunt to Conway's children, or a mother to Edward's - and I have a lowering presentiment that Edward's children will be dreadfully dull, poor little things!" No, no, the danger is that I might win too much!” he retorted. “Who are you? Or should I first present myself to you? I’m Damerel, you know.”Oh, the banter. Be still my heart <3 These two are truly equals, if not in education or anything else, but definitely when it comes to wit and humor. They love teasing one another, try to find the most obscure poetry reference to quote and see if the other one recognizes it... I love every moment of it! Venetia: Oh, I didn’t even notice I said it a lot! Must be quite a number of idiotish people in my life, LOL! So you were – and have let your coffee grow cold, besides abandoning that slice of bread-and-butter. Do eat it up! I’m persuaded I ought not to permit you to read at table.’

What a shame then that 25 year old Venetia lives a very reclusive life in Yorkshire. While her younger brother Sir Conway Lanyon lingers on the Continent with the Army, he has blithely placed all the estate responsibilities upon Venetia's capable shoulders. Tasked also with care of Aubrey, the youngest Lanyon offspring who is disabled, Venetia has all the confidence of the mistress of the household instead of that of a miss-ish girl fresh from the schoolroom. This is a sweet little historical romance with a hero and heroine who are like minded in being, smart, witty and refreshingly honest with each other. Unlike most of this genre, the virginal lady knows exactly who the rake is and loves him anyway, because she can see that beneath the veneer of ugly behavior is a kind man. But her arrival is also a catalyst that strikes up a series of unforeseen twists and turns, and the second half of the book is definitely more fast-paced and surprising than the first.

My Book Notes

It does seem a pity,” she agreed. “I have been thinking so myself, for I always wished for a friend to laugh with.” His attention caught, her companion raised his eyes from the book which lay open beside him on the table and directed them upon her in a look of aloof enquiry. ‘What’s that? Did you say something to me, Venetia?’ I loved my first foray into the world of Georgette Heyer. It was a pleasure to curl up with Venetia and get lost in her story. Yes, I know I should have listened to the people telling me to read her sooner. The good thing is, I have the rest of her books still to discover. I’ve feeling I’m going to enjoy my Heyer journey. If I was writing the epilogue it would be thus: a pregnant with her 4th child Venetia going on one of her Lizzy’s walks in the fields and encountering the angry father of the ravished and now pregnant milkmaid, third this year. In other words, she’s destined to be another Dolly Oblonskaya.

Sir Francis Lanyon - Venetia's father, reclusive former Master of Undershaw, died of a stroke shortly after Waterloo It was in this slightly unorthodox way that I originally discovered Venetia. In a fit of utter boredom I typed the name “Richard Armitage” (he'd recently become my favourite actor) into the iTunes search bar, and what should appear? ...Three novels by Georgette Heyer, narrated by Richard Armitage. Our heroine, Venetia, "then twenty-two, perilously near to being on the shelf." is quite modern not only for the Regency period but for the 1950's, when this was originally written. She is unconventional with her free thoughts and expressions but at the same time not challenging her family to take care of their responsibilities. I did find her conveniently too naive at times for purposes of the story. Then we have our hero Damarel, that dastardly bad boy and rake, or using Regency cant a rip. He doesn't hide who he is or his past from Venetia, even using his reputation to his advantage at times. As he finds himself falling for Venetia he wins over the reader too. How can one resist lines like this -

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Readers of Heyer's novels will know that they are filled with sparkling wit and exciting twists. Then too, there is always at least one scene where she really uses her writing ability to its utmost and can emotionally destroy the reader in a single chapter. Of course I didn’t know of her habit of doing this when I first read Venetia. However, even after a year of reading some of her other novels, I truly believe this particular scene in Venetia is one of the best she has written. It brings me to tears every single time… and here I must put in a word of praise for Richard Armitage’s narration. His narration is always more than delightful, of course, but here he really comes into his own. The way his tone changes to reflect the complete, heart-breaking sadness is perfect. His voice reflects every nuance of feeling in the scene, and it makes the moment even more powerful. Venetia and Damerel also have palpable chemistry throughout the book and are beneath it all just genuinely good friends, which is always a plus in my book. I’m really sorry, but I didn’t liked it… I suppose the story could have been interesting, but the writing style was too confusing for me. I found a handy online guide to the literary references in Venetia, which might help other readers too: http://www.heyerlist.org/notes/veneti.... This was invaluable in keeping my brain cells from exploding from trying to expand too fast.