The Foundling by Georgette Heyer

The Foundling by Georgette Heyer

What happens when a many-titled Duke decides to play hookey from his suffociaating dignity...--Kirkus Reviews

The Duke of Sale is out to prove himself

The shy, young Duke of Sale has never known his parents. Instead, his Grace Adolphus Gillespie Vernon Ware, Gilly for short, has endured twenty-four years of rigorous mollycoddling from his uncle and valet. But his natural diffidence conceals a rebellious spirit.

A mysterious beauty provides the perfect opportunity

When Gilly hears of Belinda, the beautiful foundling who appears to be blackmailing his cousin, he absconds with glee. But he has no sooner entered this new and dangerous world than he is plunged into a frenzy of intrigue, kidnapping, adventure, and surprises at every turn.

Orphaned at birth, bullied by his well-meaning guardian, hemmed in by the affectionate ministrations of a small army of family retainers, His Grace of Sale had reached the age of 24 without ever making a decision for himself In all his life the titular master of Sale House, duke, marquis, earl, thrice baron, had never so much as selected a cravat for his own wardrobe ... One morning, in a moment of unaccustomed resolution, His Grace made up his mind. 'I shall try to discover, ' he decided, 'whether I am a man, or only a duke.'--New York Times Book Review

Georgette Heyer (1902-1974) was an English writer of historical romance and detective fiction. Born in London, Heyer was raised as the eldest of three children by a distinguished British Army officer and a mother who excelled as a cellist and pianist at the Royal College of Music. Encouraged to read from a young age, she began writing stories at 17 to entertain her brother Boris, who suffered from hemophilia. Impressed by her natural talent, Heyer's father sought publication for her work, eventually helping her to release The Black Moth (1921), a detective novel. Heyer then began publishing her stories in various magazines, establishing herself as a promising young voice in English literature. Following her father's death, Heyer became responsible for the care of her brothers and shortly thereafter married mining engineer George Ronald Rougier. In 1926, Heyer publisher her second novel, These Old Shades, a work of historical romance. Over the next several decades, she published consistently and frequently, excelling with romance and detective stories and establishing herself as a bestselling author.