Full Description

Friday’s Child

“A lightsome, brightsome comedy.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Nimble, light-hearted chronicle of high London society in the time of the Regency.”
—The New Yorker

Georgette Heyer’s sparkling romances have charmed and delighted millions of readers. Her characters brilliantly illuminate one of the most exciting and fascinating eras of English history—when drawing rooms sparkled with well-dressed nobility and romantic intrigues ruled the day. Heyer’s heroines are smart and independent; her heroes are dashing noblemen who know how to handle a horse, fight a duel, or address a lady. And her sense of humor is legendary.

When the incomparable Miss Milbourne spurns the impetuous Lord Sherington’s marriage proposal (she laughs at him—laughs!) he vows to marry the next female he encounters, who happens to be the young, penniless Miss Hero Wantage, who has adored him all her life. Whisking her off to London, Sherry discovers there is no end to the scrapes his young, green bride can get into, and she discovers the excitement and glamorous social scene of the ton. Not until a deep misunderstanding erupts and Sherry almost loses his bride, does he plumb the depths of his own heart, and surprises himself with the love he finds there.

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

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

Do not, I beg of you, my lord, say more!’ uttered Miss Milborne, in imploring accents, slightly averting her lovely countenance, and clasping both hands at her bosom.

Her companion, a tall young gentleman who had gone romantically down upon one knee before her chair, appeared put out by this faltered request. ‘Damn it – I mean, dash it, Isabella!’ he expostulated, correcting himself somewhat impa¬tiently as the lady turned reproachful brown eyes upon him, ‘I haven’t started!’

‘Do not!’
‘But I’m about to offer for you!’ said the Viscount, with more than a touch of asperity.
‘I know,’ replied the lady.‘It is useless! Say no more, my lord!’

The Viscount arose from his knee, much chagrined. ‘I must say, Isabella, I think you might let a fellow speak!’ he said crossly.

‘I would spare you pain, my lord.’
‘I wish you will stop talking in that damned theatrical way!’ said the Viscount. ‘And don’t keep on calling me “my lord”, as though you hadn’t known me all your life!’

Miss Milborne flushed, and stiffened a little. It was perfectly true, since their estates marched together, that she had known the Viscount all her life, but a dazzling career as an acknowl¬edged Beauty, with half the eligible young gentlemen in town at her feet, had accustomed her to a far more reverential mode of address than that favoured by her childhood’s playmate. In some dudgeon, she gazed coldly out of the window, while her suitor took a few hasty turns about the room.

The prospect, which was of neat lawns, well-stocked flower-beds, and trim hedges, was a pleasing one, but it was not from any love of sylvan settings that Miss Milborne was at present sojourning in the country. Her withdrawal from the Metropolis some weeks previously had been in consequence of her having contracted an odiously childish complaint which had made it necessary for her to disappear from the Polite World at a moment when she might have been pardoned for considering herself, if not its hub, at least its cynosure. Her Mama, quite as sensible as herself of the ridiculous nature of her indisposition, had announced her to be quite worn-down by the exigencies of fashionable life, and had whisked her off to Kent in a post-chaise-and-four, where, in a comfortable mansion suitably retired from the haunts of men, she was able not only to recover her health and looks in seclusion, but also to communicate her complaint to two abigails, and a youthful page-boy. She had emerged from her sick room some weeks earlier, but since she was still a trifle pale and out of looks, Mrs Milborne, a lady distinguished by her admirable sense, had decided to keep her in the country until (she said) the roses should again bloom in her cheeks. Quite a number of ardent gentlemen had presented themselves at Milborne House, having driven all the way from London in the hopes of being permitted a glimpse of the Incomparable, but the door remained shut against them, and they were obliged to relinquish their nosegays and passionate billets into the hands of an unresponsive butler, and to tool their various chariots back to town without having had even the refreshment of being allowed to press their lips to the fair hand of the Beauty.

Lord Sheringham would undoubtedly have met with the same reception had he not presumed in a very unhandsome way upon his long acquaintance with the family, by riding over from Sheringham Place, where he had been spending the night, leaving his horse at the stables, and walking up through the gardens to enter the house through one of the long windows that opened on to the lawn. Encountering an astonished footman, his lordship, very much at home, had tossed his whip and his gloves on to a table, laid his curly-brimmed beaver beside them, and demanded the master of the house.

Mr. Milborne, being quite unblessed by the worldly wisdom which characterised his spouse, had no sooner grasped the purpose of this visit than he suggested vaguely, and not very hopefully, that his lordship had better speak to Isabella himself. ‘For I’m sure I don’t know, Anthony,’ he had said, looking doubtfully at the Viscount. ‘There’s no saying what may be in their heads, no saying at all!’

Correctly divining this cryptic utterance to refer to his wife and daughter, his lordship had said: ‘At all events, you’ve no objection, sir, have you?’

‘No,’ replied Mr. Milborne. ‘That is – Well, no, I suppose I don’t object. But you had best see Isabella for yourself !’

So the Viscount was ushered into the Beauty’s presence before she had time even to draw down the blind against the too-searching light of day, and had plunged without the slightest preamble into the first offer of marriage he had ever made.

Miss Milborne found herself in the unhappy predicament of not knowing her own mind. The Viscount had been one of her acknowledged suitors for the past year, and the fact of her having known him almost from the cradle did not blind her to his charms. He was a handsome young blade, wild enough to intrigue the female fancy, and if not as brilliant a match as the Duke of Severn, who had lately shown flattering symptoms of being on the verge of declaring himself, at least he was much more presentable – his grace being a stolid young man inclined to corpulency. On the other hand, the Viscount was by no means so devout a lover as his friend Lord Wrotham, who had several times offered to blow his brains out, if such a violent act would afford her pleasure. In fact, the suspicion had more than once crossed Miss Milborne’s mind that the Viscount had joined the throng of her admirers for no better reason than that he was never one to be out of the mode. His professed adoration had not so far led him to abandon the pursuit of opera-dancers and Cyprians, or to rectify those faults of character to which Miss Milborne had more than once taken exception. She was a little piqued by him. If he would but display a few tangible signs of his devotion, such as reforming his way of life, which was shocking; growing slightly haggard, like poor Wrotham; turning pale at a snub; or being cast into rapture by a smile, she thought she would have been much inclined to accept his proffered suit. But instead of behaving in a fashion which she had come to regard as her due, the Viscount continued on his reprehensible course, according her certainly a good deal of homage, but apparently deriving just as much pleasure as ever from a set of sports and pastimes which seemed to have been chosen by him with a view to causing his family the maximum amount of pain and anxiety.

Reviews

Reviews

Queue My Review Julie
Another re-release from Georgette Heyer that was first published in 1944, “Friday’s Child” seemed to answer a public outcry for more light-hearted regency fair. As Ms. Heyer herself wrote about this novel, “I think myself I ought to be shot for writing such nonsense, but it’s questionably good escapist literature and I think I should rather like it if I were sitting in an air-raid shelter, or recovering from flu. Its period detail is good; my husband says it’s witty—and without going to these lengths, I will say that it is very good fun.” (From the book “The Private World of Georgette Heyer” by Jane Aiken Hodge; Random House, APR06)

This was written during a time of deprivation and war in London and Heyer’s fans were looking for a way to escape from their tense situation. The humor and comedic banter in her novels provided them a way to retreat, at least mentally, to a happier place and enjoy the antics and bumble broths of her well-written characters.


Friday’s Child is the story of Sherry, Lord Sherington, and Kitten, Hero Wantage, who marry at what seems to be the drop of a hat. Sherry needs a wife to gain control of his inheritance. The orphaned Hero needs someone to help her or she’s about to be sent off by her cousins to work as a governess. Since Sherry’s first choice refuses him, when he happens along and sees Kitten so down-hearted, he coerces the story out of her and then decides if he must be married, it might as well be to Kitten! As she is not yet ‘of age’, they elope to London.

Both characters are really not mature enough to manage themselves, much less marry; but as this will solve both their problems, onward they go. This is only the beginning of chapters of mayhem, scrapes, and misadventures. With each problem revealed and eventually solved, the reader watches these two grow up and learn to recognize and accept responsibility. They say the devil is in the details and so it is with Heyer’s novel. Her detailed descriptions and dialogue evoke the regency period with all its attendant restrictions and limits. The secondary cast will leave you in stitches as each tries to help or hinder the couple as appropriate for their motives.

This is an enjoyable, G-rated novel as there are only a handful of passionate kisses towards the end of the novel; so this would be appropriate for any age reader. It would, I think, be difficult to read this book without a smile on your face. The antics of the happy couple and their supporters and detractors seem delightfully silly compared with most romance fare today. If you are in need of a few hours of escape, I heartily recommend “Friday’s Child” by Georgette Heyer.



Reviewed by Julie

Blog Critics Katie Trattner
Book Review: Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
Written by Katie McNeill
Published June 02, 2008

If you’re looking for a good laugh with your Regency romance, look no father than Friday’s Child, another of Georgette Heyer’s engrossing and unforgettable novels.

Lord Sherrington - Sherry for short - is exactly the kind of young man any woman would be lucky to have; rich, well bred, and dashing, he has any number of nice qualities to recommend him. Or so he thinks, and when the Incomparable Beauty Miss Milborne, a childhood friend, refuses him in marriage he can’t understand why. On top of that, she accuses him of being a libertine and a gambler who doesn’t love her anyway. But Sherry isn’t going to give up on marriage that easily; it just might not involve Miss Milborne.

Sherry is determined that he should be married before his 25th birthday so that he might come into his inheritance sooner. Of course, it doesn’t help that he has a number of gambling debts hanging over his head, nothing too deep mind you, but just enough to make a gentleman a bit nervous. Sherry swears as he leaves Miss Milborne that he will marry the first woman he meets. Fortunately for him, that woman is Miss Hero Wantage.

Hero, another childhood friend of Sherry’s, has worshiped him from day one, and when he sweeps her off her feet in a run away marriage she feels just like Cinderella. Of course Hero might not be as beautiful as Miss Milborne or as refined and educated, but she has her charms, namely among them her innocence and complete trust in Sherry. So when Sherry says that it will be a marriage of convenience and he won’t interfere with her life if she doesn’t interfere with his, she agrees. However, going from a quiet country life as a poor relation to the bride of one of the more eligible men in London, Hero is sure to get herself into a few tight spots. Between Sherry’s wonderful friends, who take it upon themselves to look after Hero and of course Sherry, they manage to pull her out of each one with only a few minor scrapes and her reputation intact.

The premise for Friday’s Child is one that has been done a million times before and will be done a million times again. Girl and boy fall in love without realizing it or meaning to, and after a few slapstick mistakes, they live happily ever after. However, Georgette Heyer puts a smart spin on it, and with her secondary characters (here for comedic relief), the story comes to life. With each problem that Hero faces, you will both cringe and laugh. When Sherry finally realizes that he loves his wife above all things, you have to smile.

Friday’s Child is a cut above the rest, which is saying quite a lot since this is Georgette Heyer we’re talking about and all her books happen to be fantastic. Friday’s Child is filled with likable characters that stick with you and witty dialogue that will make you laugh out loud. This was one I simply couldn’t put down, and I even took Friday’s Child to the gym with me and turned pages while I cycled away to nowhere. It’s just that great.

A Book Blogger’s Diary Rashmi Srinivas
Friday’s Child
Author: Georgette Heyer
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Lord Sherrington proposes to the acknowledged beauty of the season, Miss Isabella, who also happens to be his childhood friend. Realizing it to be stemming more from a desire to lay hands on the fortune left in trust for him until he marries than any true regard for her, a miffed Bella refuses him. Tempestuous Sherry storms off declaring he’ll marry the first girl he sees and comes upon another childhood friend, seventeen-year old orphan, Miss Hero Wangate, who has long hero-worshipped him. With little thought to consequences, he elopes with her.

Expecting to continue his carefree bachelor life while his new wife entertains herself separately, Sherry is in for a rude shock as Hero shows an admirable inclination to get into one scrape after another. With the help of a trio of friends and a kleptomaniac servant, Sherry has to run to keep up with innocent Hero’s antics that always end in trouble. Hilarity ensues until Hero get in one too many misadventure. What will happen to the young couple now?

In a previous post I mentioned how I loved reading Heyer’s historical romances. In my diary, Georgette Heyer is second only to Jane Austen when it comes to penning romantic tales. It’d been a long while since I read a Heyer book and I’m so glad I (re-)started with Friday’s Child. It is generally considered one of Heyer’s best Regency romances, and was reportedly the favorite of the author herself.

The quick and clever dialogue-exchange is stellar and one of the best points of this novel. The romance comes after the marriage and the way Heyer set the stage, it seems all the more believable for it. The youth and immaturity of Sherry and Hero may excuse many of the scrapes they get into. Heyer ensures they grow with the story, and the crux of the story lies in their developing feelings for each other and how they mature. Side characters are many and Sherry’s friends in particular are almost as intriguing as the leads and perhaps even funnier. Riddled with funny misadventures and romantic ups and down, the plot twists and turns and ultimately paves the way to mutual love and understanding.

In Short
Sparkling with wit, filled to the brim with wonderfully developed characters and with Heyer’s expert eye capturing the atmosphere with great accuracy, the book is a must-read for anyone who reads, period!

Book Loons Hilary Williamson
Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
Order: USA Can
Sourcebooks, 2008 (1944)
Reviewed by Theresa Ichino

•———————————————————————————————————————

Anyone who has ever read one of Georgette Heyer’s creations is aware that she excels in character development, as well as plots that are character-driven, all set against richly detailed period backgrounds. Heyer has made 18th and 19th century Britain her particular domain, and a delightful playground it can be.

In Friday’s Child, willful young Lord Sheringham is doubly incensed after a visit to his ancestral estates. He has pursued the Incomparable Isabella to her childhood home in order to press his suit. When she declines his offer (Sherry makes the mistake of admitting he needs to marry immediately in order to gain control of his inheritance), he returns to Sheringham Place, only to be further infuriated by the reactions of his widowed mother and her brother. He is deeply suspicious of the honesty of his uncle, a trustee; and his parent’s comments on his rakish behaviour and character goad him into a threat to marry the first female he sees on the road back to London.

He immediately encounters Hero Wantage, an orphan situated unhappily with a cousin who treats her as the poor relation she is. Since Sherry has a soft spot for her – and also wishes a sympathetic ear – he confides the ill treatment he received from Isabella and his own family. Uncritical Hero commiserates with sincerity, and Sherry decides on the spot that marrying her will serve the dual purpose of rescuing her from her bullying cousins and securing his inheritance.

What follows is an amusing romp peopled with noteworthy personalities. Hero’s mentors include Sherry’s cronies, amongst them his foppish cousin Ferdy and the dashing Lord Wrotham, who is hopelessly in love with Isabella. Her most reliable guide is Sherry’s good friend Mr. Ringwood; but careless young bachelors are not ideal chaperones for a babe thrown into the pitfall-strewn tangle of aristocratic Regency society. Sherry’s friends watch with dismay as Hero’s innocence lands her in hot water time and again, and each time Sherry’s patience wears a bit thinner.

Finally, Mr. Ringwood decides upon a drastic plan to rescue Hero from her latest scrape and hopefully to bring both Sherry and Hero to a reevaluation of their odd marriage.

I cannot count the number of times I have read and re-read Friday’s Child; and each re-reading is still a joy. So vivid are the characters, so real the world Heyer recreates that a return visit never fails to entertain.

Good Clean Reads Kim Izzat
Review: 4/5
Georgette Heyer was an amazing writer. This is the third of her many books that I’ve read and I continue to be impressed with her. She really did her research about the Regency time period in England and it shows in her books. The other two Heyer novels I’ve read were both about spinsters finding love, while this one is about a very young girl and her foray into society, her many missteps, and of course, falling in love. Though there is not laugh-out-loud kind of humour, I think this book is very funny. The characters are interesting, likable, and believable and the dialogue between them is a high point of the book. I recommend Friday’s Child to anyone who wishes that Jane Austen had written more books.

Book Binge Ames
Review: Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer

When the incomparable Miss Milbourne spurns the impetuous Lord Sheringham’s marriage proposal (she laughs at him—laughs!) he vows to marry the next female he encounters, who happens to be the young, penniless Miss Hero Wantage, who has adored him all her life. Whisking her off to London, Sherry discovers there is no end to the scrapes his young, green bride can get into, and she discovers the excitement and glamorous social scene of the ton. Not until a deep misunderstanding erupts and Sherry almost loses his bride, does he plumb the depths of his own heart, and surprises himself with the love he finds there.

Friday’s Child is my first Georgette Heyer novel, and all I can say is it won’t be my last!

Anthony, Viscount Sheringham, has just been rejected by the Incomparable Miss Milbourne, a childhood friend. When he stomps home to the ancestral estate, his mother and uncle demand a rehash of the event which just sets Sherry off - throw in the fact that he can’t stand his uncle and that he must wait 2 years to come into his Trust (unless he marries) and Sherry stomps out of his home claiming he’s going to marry the first woman he sees.

Right from the get-go, the reader gleans a lot of Sherry’s character. He’s selfish, a little uncouth and a rash sort of young man.

So the first woman Sherry comes across is no stranger to him - she is Miss Hero Wantage. And she’s crying. Her cousin has just informed her that she is to become a governess. It’s either that or marry the local curate. Hero has no choice because she is an orphan. Well, Sherry has always had a soft spot for Hero (she used to follow him around when they were children and get into every kind of scrape together - it’s all hero worship on her part, selfishness on his) so he decides that she is the perfect bride for him. They will have a marriage of convenience and will not interfere in each other’s affairs.

It’s not long before Sherry realizes that Hero is still quite the naive miss and needs a lot of direction from him. She’s forever getting into trouble, or on the verge of. And all Hero wants to do is make Sherry happy. So when he finally has had enough and decides to send her away to his mama (who thinks Hero is ruining Sherry’s life), Hero runs away.

What happens next is a series of misunderstandings that are in no way annoying (as misunderstandings tend to be).

First there’s Hero. She’s just out of the schoolroom and so eager to please Sherry. She doesn’t really have the best social graces but she does get along famously with Sherry’s friends: Gil, Ferdy and George, Lord Wrotham. So when she decides to run away, these three come to her aid. Well Gil is the one that spearheads the effort - because he knows that Sherry has never told Hero that he loves her even though he does. Gil figures Sherry is too thickheaded to realize it.

Hero also, through her innocence, brings Sherry around. He is still selfish, but he begins to realize that Hero gets into all her many scrapes because it’s something he would do. Whenever he brings her to task for something, she says, "But Sherry, you said..." So this was interesting to see how Sherry changes over the course of the novel, all for the better.

The cast of characters was also well written. Sherry’s friends, Miss Milbourne, and the villain - a bad man in disguise. It’s all good stuff.

I really enjoyed Friday’s Child and can’t wait to delve into my next GH novel. 4.25 out of 5 (or a B+ to me)

This book is available from Sourcebooks. You can buy it here or here.

Ramblings on Romance Kate Garrrabant
A few months ago I finally picked up my first Georgette Heyer novel, and for the life of me I can’t think of any reason why I waited this long since Heyer is one of the most well known authors of regency romance. Friday’s Child is the perfect introduction to anyone who wants to give Heyer a try. Can a book just be too cute for words? Friday’s Child is definitely a “cute” read with lovely characters and a story that had me laughing from beginning to end. There are no undercover spies or evil villains popping up to do the hero and heroine in. There isn’t even any kissing between the hero and heroine till the very end. This is simply a story about a man who marries a childhood friend for convenience. The fun in reading is seeing him come to his senses as he falls in love with his precious wife.

Lord Anthony Sheringham has decided it is time for him to marry and he believes he has found the right woman. Her name is Bella Milbourne and she has been nicknamed the Incomparable by the Ton. Sheringham, or Sherry, as his close friends call him, has known Bella since they were children. He loves her, or so he tricks himself into believing. If Bella marries him, he will come into his inheritance and out from under the thumb of his uncle who he can’t stand. Bella holds Sherry in great affection but turns him down because she longs for another. Sherry’s pride is hurt and promises to marry the first woman he sees, which happens to be a very young, penniless orphan, Hero Wantage.

Hero is very starry eyed around Sherry, ever since they were children, and she thinks he is so very perfect. Sherry puffs up whenever he is around Hero because she praises his various virtues. Hero is a good sort, even though Sherry thinks her name is, “a nonsensical name for a girl!”

When Hero tells Sherry she is about to be cast out from her aunt’s house and must either become a governess or marry the horrid local curate, Sherry decides to save Hero and marry her himself! Sherry has always gotten along very well with Hero and will take care of her as long as she doesn’t cling to him to him too much and allows him the same freedom he had when he was a bachelor. Sherry gives Hero a new nickname, and calls her Kitten since she reminds him of one, “… I think it’s your silly little nose… That, or the trick you have of staring at a fellow with your eyes wide open…”

Soon Sherry marries Hero. Sherry doesn’t keep Hero hidden away, and even introduces her to his various other bachelor friends. Sherry’s friends are a very friendly sort and they welcome Hero into their group with open arms. Things couldn’t be better, until, Sherry bring Hero to London where she feels so out of place. And because of that, she makes some mistakes in society’s eyes and tends to embarrass Sherry. (It doesn’t help that she points out a past mistress of Sherry’s to everyone) Plus, when Sherry’s friend George, Lord Wrotham seems a bit too close for comfort with Hero, Sherry becomes jealous. He is not sure what to do with his Kitten who keeps finding herself in certain scrapes. Hero just wants to help George, who is in love with Bella, but Bella, who I thought was a bit of a B-I-T-C-H, plays with his emotions. Soon there are rumors running all over the place about George and Hero, and Sherry is ready to duel his friend over Hero’s affections.

Friday’s Child is a wonderful tale of regency England by master storyteller, Georgette Heyer. I could not stop laughing at the antics of Sherry and Hero as they try to come to terms as a new married couple. I found myself laughing too many times to count and I wanted to smack Sherry over the head because it took him forever to finally realize he loves Hero as a woman and not just his friend. Friday’s Child is a lovely book with some slapstick comedy that would be wonderful to see on the big screen. If every book by Heyer is like Friday’s Child, I will make sure to pick up the rest of her back list. If you are in a mood for great comedy and endearing characters, Friday’s Child is the book for you!

Brothers Judd Orin Judd
Sourcebooks has been doing a splendid job of reissuing the novels of Georgette Heyer, the renowned mystery writer and Queen of Regency Romance. But, let’s face it, romance novels are something our grandmother read and not fit fare for men, right? So we read and reviewed just An Infamous Army, her novel of Waterloo, which can pass for historical fiction, but resisted the subsequent titles, with their srooping maidens in watercolor on the cover. But then I stumbled upon a BBC production of Friday’s Child and figured it couldn’t hurt to give a listen. To my surprise, and great pleasure, it was laugh-out-loud funny and so is the original book.

When the delectable Miss Isabella Milborne turns down an offer of marriage from the impetuous Viscount Sherrington—who has to marry by 25 in order to inherit the family fortune—he storms away to London vowing to marry the first woman he sees. She just happens to be Miss Hero Wantage, a childhood friend who has long adored him though their uneven social stations made any much unlikely if not impossble. She’s eager to avoid her pending job as a governess so she takes him up on the deal despite his honesty about why he’s asking and the dubious approptiateness of the match.

What follows is a comedy of manners as the two try to conform to the contours of a supposed marriage of convenience even as they fall in love with one another. This leaves Sherry challenging friends to duels for spending too much time and paying too much attention to his wife, though he’s encouraged her to befriend them, and ultimately to her running away because she can’t stand the pretense anymore. He follows, of course, but with her hiding out under an alias and pretending to be single the opportunities for confusion are rife and Ms Heyer takes full advantage. This is Jane Austen as presented on the Carol Burnett show and it’s more fun than a bag of cats. Just wrap it in a book sock so folks on the beach or the plane don’t realize you’re reading a Romance and enjoy every page.

(Reviewed:23-Sep-08)

Grade: (A+)

Jane Austen’s World Vic Sandborn
Headstrong, spoiled and impetuous, Lord Sheringham wants to be married. Not because he is in love, but because he wants control of his fortune, his father having left it so that he would be either 25 or married before he could rid himself of his trustees. He has some difficulties with debts, certainly, but the main reason he wishes to have that trust drawn up is that one of his trustees is plundering his estate.

The book opens with his proposal to the Incomparable, Isabella Milborne, a lifelong neighbor and friend. She refuses him because they don’t love each other, and he, furious at her level-headed thwarting of his plans, vows to marry the next lady he sees. This would be Hero Wantage, another lifelong neighborhood friend, just out of the schoolroom and unschooled in any of the ways of Society. Hero, who has adored her friend Sherry for years, is an orphan who has been under the care of her cousin, who never intended to provide a Season for her ward, but rather to prepare her for marriage to the local curate, or for life as a governess. At just seventeen and full of fun, Hero is not ready for either quelling prospect.

So the two decide that they will get married. Lord Sheringham’s cousins Gil and Ferdy and his friend George, Lord Wrotham, all of whom seem to travel in a pack, among them arrange for the marriage by special license. The young Lord and Lady Sheringham set up house, and Sherry and his friends seek to establish young Lady Sherry in London society, where they have been cutting a pretty wild and dashing swath. What follows is a madcap romp, as Hero falls in and out of scrapes as fast as she can. All through innocence, or from following her husband’s sayings. She is bright, educated, and has a mind of her own, and when she takes umbrage at her husband’s scolding her for something, she will say, “but you said…” To his credit, he hears his words and begins to reconsider his own way of life.

Finally, Lord Sheringham has had enough and, recognizing that his wild past has not prepared him for establishing a lady in the upper reaches of Society, he decides to send Hero off to stay with his mother. Hero is clear-eyed enough to know that this woman, far from wishing her well, will do what she can to destroy their marriage, so Hero runs away. To Gil and Ferdy and George, who decide to take Hero to Lady Saltash, a matriarch of the family, who will school Hero in the ways of the ton. Incidentally, as far as these young men are concerned, Hero’s disappearance will also show Lord Sheringham what he has not yet learned – that he really loves his wife.

Friday’s Child is said to be Heyer’s favorite of her novels. This is undoubtedly because of the countless amusing conversations among the many young men we see throughout the novel. Heyer’s deft comic touch sets her apart from the usual run of romance novelists, and the bright and worldly patter of this novel is certainly its strong point. Like all the best of Heyer’s heroines, Hero Wantage Sheringham is willing to stand up for herself. She shows a sharp tongue to her cousin after her marriage, and a strong desire to cut a dash in Society. If she is a little slow to learn which people to trust in the early days of her marriage, she still is sure of what she wants in a home, is capable of running a household with servants, and, when she runs away, shrewd enough to keep her abigail alongside with her baggage. The final chapters involve virtually everyone, including the Incomparable, in a pair of failed elopements, considerable miscommunication – most of it funny – a timely theft, and assorted miscues. At the end, the Incomparable and her swain Lord Wrotham are united, and the Sheringhams are back together, this time on a different level, wiser in the ways of love. Friday’s Child is an enjoyable romp, more comedy than romance, and great fun for a rainy day read.

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• 128MB of RAM

• Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5
• 500MHz processor
• 128MB of RAM

Supported browsers and Adobe Flash versions:

Windows

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or 7, 8 Mozilla Firefox 2
• Adobe Flash® Player 7, 8, or 9 (Windows Vista requires Flash 9.0.28 to address a known bug)

• Apple Safari 2.0.4, Mozilla Firefox 2
• Adobe Flash Player 8 or 9

• Adobe Digital Editions does not currently support transfer to Palm devices.