Full Description

False Colours

“Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen.”
—Publishers Weekly

A missing twin
Something is very wrong, and the Honourable Christopher “Kit” Fancot can sense it. Kit returns to London on leave from the diplomatic service to find that his twin brother Evelyn has disappeared and his extravagant mother’s debts have mounted alarmingly.

A quick-minded heiress
The Fancot family’s fortunes are riding on Evelyn’s marriage to the self-possessed Cressy Stavely, and her formidable grandmother’s approval of the match. If Evelyn fails to meet the Dowager Lady Stavely in a few days as planned, the betrothal could be off.

A fortune in the balance
When the incorrigible Lady Fancot persuades her son to impersonate his twin (just for one night, she promises) the masquerade sets off a tangled sequence of events that engage Kit’s heart far more deeply than he’d ever anticipated with his brother’s fiancée—who might know much more about what’s going on than she cares to reveal...

“A writer of great wit and style… I’ve read her books to ragged shreds.”
—Kate Fenton, Daily Telegraph

Georgette Heyer (1902–1974) wrote over fifty novels, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, and her extraordinary plots and characterizations.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Excerpt

Excerpt

Excerpt from Chapter 1

It was past two o’clock when the job-chaise turned into Hill Street; and, as the watchman wending his way round Berkeley Square monotonously announced, a fine night. A full moon rode in the cloudless sky, dimming the street-lamps: even, as the solitary traveller had noticed, in Pall Mall, where gaslighting had replaced the oil-burners. Linkmen, carriages, and light streaming from an open door on the east side of Berkeley Square indicated that not all the members of the ton had left London; but at the end of June the Season was drawing to a close; and it did not surprise the traveller to find Hill Street deserted. It would not have surprised him if the knocker had been removed from the door of a certain house on the north side of the street, but when the chaise drew up a swift scrutiny reassured him: the Earl of Denville’s town residence had not yet been abandoned for the summer months. The traveller, a young man, wearing a tasselled and corded Polish greatcoat, and a shallow-crowned beaver, sprang down from the chaise, dragged a bulging portmanteau from the floor of this vehicle, set it down on the flagway, and pulled out his purse. The postboys paid, he picked up the portmanteau, trod up the steps to the front-door, and gave the iron bell-pull a tug.

By the time the last echo of the clapper died away the chaise had disappeared, but no one had responded to the bell’s summons. The traveller gave it a second, and more vigorous, tug. He heard it clanging somewhere in the nether regions, but was forced to conclude, after waiting for several minutes, that it had failed to rouse any of my lord’s servants.

He considered the matter. It was possible, though unlikely, that the household had removed from London without taking the knocker from the door, or shuttering the windows. To verify that the windows had not been shuttered he retreated to the flagway, and scanned the house, perceiving that not only were all the windows unshuttered but that one of them, on the entrance-floor, had been left open a few inches at the top. This gave, as he knew, on to the dining-room; and to reach it presented a lithe and determined young man with no insuperable difficulty. Divesting himself of his greatcoat, and trusting that no watchman would come down the street in time to observe his clandestine entry, he proceeded to demonstrate to the uninterested moon that Colonel Dan Mackinnon, of the
Coldstream Guards, was not without a rival in the art of perilous climbing.

No such thought entered the Hon. Christopher Fancot’s head: he was not acquainted with Colonel Mackinnon; and he did not think the feat of reaching the desired window-sill either dangerous or difficult. Once there it was easy to thrust up the lower sash, and to swing himself into the room. A couple of minutes later he emerged into the hall, where, upon a marble-topped side-table, he found a lamp burning low, with an unlit candle in a silver holder standing beside it. Observing these objects with an intelligent eye, Mr Fancot concluded that their noble owner had told his servants not to wait up for him. The subsequent discovery that the front-door was unbolted confirmed him in this belief. As he opened the door, to retrieve his belongings from the porch, he reflected, with an inward chuckle, that when his lordship did come home at last he would find his bed occupied by a most unlooked-for visitor, and would in all probability think that he was a great deal boskier than he had supposed.

On this thought, which appeared, from the mischievous smile which played about the corners of his mouth, to afford Mr Fancot amusement, he kindled the candle at the lamp’s low flame, and made his way towards the staircase.

He went softly up, the candlestick held in one hand, his port¬manteau in the other, and his greatcoat flung over his shoulder. No creaking stair betrayed him, but as he rounded the bend in the second flight a door opened on the floor above, and a voice said anxiously: ‘Evelyn?’

He looked up, seeing, in the light of a bedroom-candle held aloft in a fragile hand, a feminine form enveloped in a cloud of lace, which was caught together by ribbons of the palest green satin. From under a nightcap of charming design several ringlets the colour of ripe corn had been allowed to escape. The gentleman on the stairs said appreciatively:‘What a fetching cap, love!’

The vision thus addressed heaved a sigh of relief, but said, with a gurgle of laughter:‘You absurd boy! Oh, Evelyn, I’m so thankful you’ve come, but what in the world has detained you? I’ve been sick with apprehension!’

There was a quizzical gleam in the gentleman’s eyes, but he said in accents of deep reproach: ‘Come, come, Mama – !’

‘It may be very well for you to say Come, come, Mama,’ she retorted, ‘but when you faithfully promised to return not a day later than –’ She broke off, staring down at him in sudden doubt.

Abandoning the portmanteau, the gentleman shrugged the greatcoat from his shoulder, pulled off his hat, and mounted the remaining stairs two at a time, saying still more reproachfully: ‘No, really, Mama! How can you be so unnatural a parent?’

‘Kit!’ uttered his unnatural parent, in a smothered shriek.‘Oh, my darling, my dearest son!’

Mr Fancot, receiving his widowed mama on his bosom, caught her in a comprehensive hug, but said, on a note of laugh¬ter: ‘Oh, what a rapper! I’m not your dearest son!’

Standing on tiptoe to kiss his lean cheek, and dropping wax from her tilted candle down the sleeve of his coat, Lady Denville replied with dignity that she had never felt the smallest prefer¬ence for either of her twin sons.

‘Of course not! How should you, when you can’t tell us apart?’ said Mr Fancot, prudently removing the candlestick from her grasp.

‘I can tell you apart!’ she declared. ‘If I had expected to see you I should have recognized you instantly! The thing was, I thought you were in Vienna.’

‘No, I’m here,’ said Mr Fancot, smiling lovingly down at her. ‘Stewart gave me leave of absence: are you pleased?’

‘Oh, no, not a bit!’ she said, tucking her hand in his arm, and drawing him into her bedchamber.‘ Let me look at you, wicked one! Oh, I can’t see you properly! Light all the candles, dearest, and then we may be comfortable. The money that is spent on candles in this house! I shouldn’t have thought it possible if Dinting hadn’t shown me the chandler’s bill which, I must say, I wish she had not, for what, I ask you, Kit, is the use of know¬ing the cost of candles? One must have them, after all, and even your father never desired me to purchase tallow ones.’

‘I suppose one might burn fewer,’ remarked Kit, applying a taper to some half-dozen which stood in two chandeliers on the dressing-table.

‘No, no, nothing more dismal than an ill-lit room! Light the ones on the mantelpiece, dearest! Yes, that is much better! Now come and tell me all about yourself !’

She had drifted over to an elegant day-bed, and patted it invit¬ingly, but Kit did not immediately obey the summons. He stood looking about him at the scene he had illumined, exclaiming: ‘Why, how is this, Mama? You were used to live in a rose-garden, and now one would think oneself at the bottom of the sea!’

Reviews

Reviews

Queue My Review Shellie
Review: False Colours by Georgette Heyer
Filed under: Review — Tags: Georgette Heyer, mistaken identity, regency romance, twins — 1shellie @ 2:45 pm

When I picked up False Colours by Georgette Heyer, I knew to expect a well written regency romance filled with laugh out loud humor and well developed characters. This is a fast-paced book of misunderstandings and mistaken identities that kept my interest until the last page.


Christopher “Kit” Fancot has a nagging feeling that something is very wrong. While on leave from the Army, he decides to surprise his family with a visit. When he discovers that his twin brother Evelyn has disappeared and has been gone for several days, he becomes determined to find out what happened to him.

When Kit is told that Evelyn must marry Cressy Stavely to pay off the mounting gambling debts that his mother has accumulated, he is shocked. In order to keep from embarrassing Cressy and both families, he finds himself reluctantly talked into masquerading as Evelyn at the couples engagement party.

Cressy Stavely has no idea of the deception surrounding her. She can’t understand why suddenly she is enjoying Evelyn’s company so much more than before. He is more fun and interesting to be around and she finds herself quite taken with her intended. She is a very likeable, intelligent heroine who is no spitfire but definitely holds her own with Christopher.

As a general rule, I am normally not a big fan of reading about one twin assuming the identity of the other. But, I will admit that because of the circumstances that Kit finds himself in, and the relationship that develops between he and Cressy, my mind quickly changed about the deception that Kit must portray. Maybe it was his character itself. He is a noble, honorable, funny and well-likeable hero that any person would be drawn to. No wonder Cressy can’t resist him; I certainly wouldn’t!

Another thing I really like about Georgette Heyer novels is that it is so easy to visualize the era in which the characters live in. The setting and mannerisms of all of the characters literally bring you into Regency England. From the way the characters speak, to the descriptions of their surroundings, it immediately draws you into an interesting, realistic interpretation of the Regency Period.

Filled with some very unexpected surprises and quirky characters, I kept a smile on my face several minutes after I finished the novel. False Colours is not only a book written about the romance between Kit and Cressy, but also about relationships, duty and the power of love that sends a strong, warm message throughout the book.

For more information about Georgette Heyer, visit her web site at www.georgetteheyer.com.



Reviewed by Shellie

Jane Austen Today Vic Sandborn
Monday, June 23
False Colours: A Sparkling Heyer Regency Novel

It was past two o’clock when the job-chaise turned into Hill Street; and, as the watchman wending his way round Berkeley Square monotonously announced, a fine night. A full moon rode in the cloudless sky, dimming the street-lamps: even, as the solitary traveller had noticed, in Pall Mall, where gaslighting had replaced the oil-burners. Linkmen, carriages, and light streaming from an open door on the east side of Berkeley Square indicated that not all the members of the ton had left London; but at the end of June the Season was drawing to a close; and it did not surprise the traveller to find Hill Street deserted. It would not have surprised him if the knocker had been removed from the door of a certain house on the north side of the street, but when the chaise drew up a swift scrutiny reassured him: the Earl of Denville’s town residence had not yet been abandoned for the summer months. - Opening lines of False Colours

What do you get when you fill a book with romance, comedy, missing twin, mistaken identity, beautiful but spendthrift mother, Napoleonic history, dashing and diplomatic hero and sensible heroine? Why, Georgette Heyer’s False Colours, of course.

The Honourable Christopher Kit Fancot returns to London on leave from the diplomatic service to find that his twin brother Evelyn has disappeared and his extravagant mother’s debts have mounted alarmingly. The Fancot family’s fortunes are riding on Evelyn s marriage to the self-possessed Cressy Stavely, and her formidable grandmother’s approval of the match. If Evelyn fails to meet the Dowager Lady Stavely in a few days as planned, the betrothal could be off. When the incorrigible Lady Fancot persuades Kit to impersonate his twin (just for one night, she promises) the masquerade sets off a tangled sequence of events that engage Kit’s heart far more deeply than he’d ever anticipated with his brother s fiancee who might know much more about what’s going on than she cares to reveal...

In this book, one of Georgette Heyer’s best loved novels, the author combines her extensive knowledge of history with her talent for spinning a witty romantic tale. Heyer’s eye for detail, character development, and talent for moving a story along is masterful:

He then turned towards her companion, smiling at her, and carrying the hand she extended to him to his lips. He thought that that was probably what Evelyn, a practised flirt, would do; but even as he lightly kissed the hand he was assailed by a fresh problem: how the devil ought he to address the girl? Did Evelyn call her Cressy, or was he still on formal terms with her? He had had as yet no opportunity to take more than a brief look at her, but he had received the impression that she was a little stiff: possibly shy, certainly reserved. Not a beauty, but a goodlooking girl, gray-eyed and brown-haired, and with a shapely figure. Well enough but quite unremarkable, and not at all the sort of female likely to appeal to Evelyn. At this moment, and just as he released Miss Stavely’s hand, one of the assembled company, and elderly spinster who had been observing him with avid curiosity, confided to a stout matron in the over-loud voice of the deaf: ’Very handsome! That I must own!" Startled, and far from gratified, Kit looked up, involuntarily meeting Miss Stavely’s eyes. They held a look of twinkling appreciation; and he thought suddenly that she was more taking than he had at first supposed.

Georgette wrote False Colours in 1963, at a time when she was developing a relationship with a new publisher. The author seldom missed a detail. When she received the first draft for the False Colours blurb, her response was instant and decisive:

. . . and I did not say that I was especially fond of False Colours! What I may well have said was that I don’t think it stinks as much as The Nonesuch. It is not my favourite - The Unknown Ajax and Venetia are the best of my later works. My style is really a mixture of Johnson and Austen - what I rely on is a certain gift for the farcical. Talk about my humour if you must talk about me at all!. . .I don’t know about my historical feeling: I’d prefer a timely word about my exact detail! . . . I did warn you that I was hell-to-deal-with, didn’t I?. . .I know it’s useless to talk about technique in these degenerate days - but no less a technician than Noel Coward reads me because he says my technique is so good. I’m proud of that." (The Private World of Georgette Heyer, Jane Aiken Hodge, P. 152-153)

SourceBooks is rereleasing a select number of Georgette Heyer novels this season, starting with False Colours in March, and ending with Royal Escape in June (review coming soon). For sheer fun and entertainment, I highly recommend this novel and give it my highest rating of three regency fans.

Chris’ Book-a-Rama Christina MacLean
False Colours: Review and Q&A

In False Colours, Kit Fancot returns to England from Vienna to find that his twin, Evelyn, has disappeared at an inopportune time. Evelyn is supposed to meet his future in-laws for dinner and if he doesn’t show it will be a terrible social faux pas. Their mother, Lady Denville, needs this marriage to take place more than anyone; she’s over her head in debt. With Evelyn married to a respectable lady, he’ll finally receive his inheritance and get his mother out of the hole she’s dug herself into. But if he doesn’t show up for dinner...

Lady Denville gets a brilliant idea. Kit should impersonate his brother for one night. No one will know. But soon Kit has more than he bargained for when his mother invites the clever Cressy Stavely and her dragon of a grandmother to Evelyn’s estate for a holiday. Kit finds it harder and harder to keep up the charade as he falls for the lady herself. And what’s going to happen when his absent twin finally returns?

Although I enjoyed False Colours, I did want there to be a more developed romance between Kit and Cressy. He seemed to discover that he was in love with her rather fast. However, it was a lot of fun. The female character are some of the strongest in romance. The Dowager Stavely was a force to be reckoned with and Lady Denville makes Shopaholic’s Becky Bloomwood look like a amateur. Cressy and Elizabeth Bennett could take over the world if they got together. She’s no dummy.

Sourcebooks has been re-releasing many of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances. False Colours is one of the latest. It was originally published in 1963.

Now some questions from the Weekly Geeks:

Carrie K: I love Georgette Heyer. Do you think she accurately portrays the era? What are you the happiest about that is taken for granted in the time period of the book that is no longer?

Heyer must have put a huge amount of research into her books. She mentions names of famous people, details the fashion and uses the slang of the period. The slang drives me crazy though! It seems pretty accurate to me. In this book, there was a lot of discussion about the men’s mistresses, some of the men having many mistresses at one time. The wives knew about them and had a ’oh well, boys will be boys’ attitude about it. I’m glad that this is no longer acceptable.

Becky: What is your favorite Georgette Heyer? What is your favorite thing about her writing?

I’ve only read 3 so far but I really loved Cotillion. Not only do I find her writing to be well researched but it’s fun as well. They’re entertaining and well written. I feel as if I was there.

Bybee: I’ve never read any Georgette Heyer. What’s her speciality? What’s the big attraction? Which one should I start with?

Georgette Heyer is known as the Queen of Regency Romance. They are well written and well researched. Her most respected book is probably An Infamous Army which has a detailed account of the Battle of Waterloo. The romance is usually quite innocent but has unusual plot twists. Just my opinion, but Cotillion is my favorite. I’d start with that one.

Suey: Ah... a Regency romance. So if I love Pride and Prejudice, will I love this book/author?

No one can hold a candle to Pride and Prejudice but Heyer is certainly in second place behind Austen. I think any fan of Austen would enjoy Heyer’s books. Plus, there are over 50 of them. That’s a lot of Regency!

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