Overview
The Black Moth is Georgette Heyer's first novel, written when she was 17 years old to amuse her sick brother. It features Jack Carstares—an Earl turned highwayman—and his enemy—the enigmatic Duke of Andover—who engage in an intense rivalry over society beauty Diana Beauleigh...
Seven years before our story opens, Carstares protected his brother by allowing himself to be disgraced for cheating at cards. His brother, suffering intense guilt, isn't aware that they played right into the hands of the Duke of Andover.
The disgraced Earl now roams the countryside until a confrontation with his rival thwarts the attempt to kidnap the lovely Diana. But now the Duke is more determined than ever to have Diana for his own, and the two men will meet at sword point before the Earl's name can be cleared and he can claim his fair lady.
PRAISE FOR GEORGETTE HEYER:
"Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit."
Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."
Publishers Weekly
"Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to."
Katie Fforde
"Perfect craftsmanship."
New York Times Book Review
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781629213880 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Charles River Editors |
| Publication date: | 03/22/2018 |
| Sold by: | PUBLISHDRIVE KFT |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 100 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Prologue
Clad in his customary black and silver, with raven hair unpowdered and elaborately dressed, diamonds on his fingers and in his cravat, Hugh Tracy Clare Belmanoir, Duke of Andover, sat at the escritoire in the library of his town house, writing.
He wore no rouge on his face, the almost unnatural pallor of which seemed designedly enhanced by a patch set beneath his right eye. Brows and lashes were black, the former slanting slightly up at the corners, but his narrow, heavy-lidded eyes were green and strangely piercing. The thin lips curled a little, sneering, as one dead-white hand travelled to and fro across the paper.
'…but it seems that the Fair Lady has a Brother, who, finding Me Enamoured, threw down the Gauntlet. I soundly whipt the presumptuous Child, and so the Affair ends. Now, as you, My dear Frank, also took some Interestt in the Lady, I write for the Express Purpose of informing You that at my Hands she has received no Hurt, nor is not like to. That I in part tell You and You shall not imagine Yr self in Honor bound again to call Me out, which Purpose, an I mistake not, I yesterday read in Yr Eyes. I should be Exceeding loth to meet You in a Second Time, when I should consider it my Duty to teach You an even severer Lesson than Before. This I am not Wishful of doing for the Liking I bear You. 'So in all Friendship believe me, Frank,
'Your most Obedient, Humble
'Devil.'
His Grace of Andover paused, pen held in mid-air. A mocking smile dawned in his eyes, and he wrote again.
'In the event of any Desire on Yr Part to hazard Yr Luck with my late Paramour, Permit Me to warn You 'gainst the Bantam Brother, who is in Very Truth a Fire-Eater, and would wish to make of You, as of Me, one Mouthfull. I shall hope to see You at the Queensberry Rout on Thursday, when You may Once More strive to direct mine Erring Footsteps on to the Thorny Path of Virtue.'
His Grace read the postscript through with another satisfied, sardonic smile. Then he folded the letter, and affixing a wafer, peremptorily struck the hand-bell at his side.
And the Honourable Frank Fortescue, reading the postscript half-an-hour later, smiled too, but differently. Also he sighed and put the letter into the fire.
'And so ends another affaire… I wonder if you'll go insolently to the very end?' he said softly, watching the paper shrivel and flare up. 'I would to God you might fall honestly in love—and that the lady might save you from yourself—my poor Devil!'
Table of Contents
Prologue
One: At The Chequers Inn, Fallowfield
Two: My Lord at the White Hart
Three: Introducing the Hon Richard Carstares
Four: Introducing the Lady Lavinia Carstares
Five: His Grace of Andover
Six: Bath: 29 Queen Square
Seven: Introducing Sundry New Characters
Eight: The Biter Bit
Nine: Lady O'Hara Intervenes
Ten: Lady O'Hara Retires
Eleven: My Lord Turns Rescuer and Comes Nigh Ending His Life
Twelve: My Lord Dictates a Letter and Receives a Visitor
Thirteen: My Lord Makes His Bow
Fourteen: Mistress Diana is Unmaidenly
Fifteen: O'Hara's Mind is Made Up
Sixteen: Mr Bettison Proposes
Seventeen: Lady O'Hara Wins Her Point
Eighteen: Enter Captain Harold Lovelace
Nineteen: The Reappearance of His Grace of Andover
Twenty: His Grace of Andover Takes a Hand in the Game
Twenty-one: Mrs Fanshawe Lights a Fire and O'Hara Fans the Flame
Twenty-two: Developments
Twenty-three: Lady Lavinia Goes to the Play
Twenty-four: Richard Plays the Man
Twenty-five: His Grace of Andover Captures the Queen
Twenty-six: My Lord Rides to Frustrate His Grace
Twenty-seven: My Lord Enters by the Window
Twenty-eight: In Which What Threatened to be Tragedy Turns to Comedy
Twenty-nine: Lady O'Hara is Triumphant
Epilogue