Arabella

 

By Georgette Heyer

A Regency Romance

Arabella is a lovely young girl, eager to make her debut in polite society. She has three sisters younger than she is and her family is hoping Arabella finds a husband who is well enough off the help the three younger girls find suitable husbands when the time comes. Fortunately, Arabella has a godmother who lives in London and who is happy to sponsor her into society.

So Arabella sets out on her journey from her home in northern England to London, a journey that will take several days. She is being accompanied by a respectable older woman who is also traveling to London. But the carriage they are traveling in suffers a breakdown and Arabella and her companion take refuge at a nearby house, seeking shelter from the rain. 

The house belongs to Robert Beaumaris, a man of great wealth and a leader of London society. He is there with a friend of his and is inclined to send the two women packing but his friend protests. So the housekeeper takes them to freshen up and upon their return, Arabella overhears Robert telling his friend that he thinks Arabella's accident was just an attempt to attract his attention: "My dear Charles, when you have been hunted by every trick known to the ingenuity of the female mind, you may more readily partake of my sentiments upon this occasion! I have had beauties hopeful of wedding my fortune swoon in my arms, break their bootlaces outside my London house, sprain their ankles when my arm is there to support them, and now it appears that I am to be pursued even into Leicestershire! An accident to her coach! Famous! What a greenhorn she must believe me to be!"

Which is more than just a tiny bit conceited of him. Thing is, Arabella has no clue who he is. But when she hears this, it makes her very angry. So when she and her companion rejoin the two men, she pretends she is a very wealthy heiress who is tired of being pursued by men more interested in her wealth than in her. Then she asks the men not to reveal to London society that she is vastly wealthy and they promise to keep it a secret. 

Robert sees through her lie and is amused by it. Just to stir things up, he encourages his friend Charles to spread the rumor of her wealth to society. So Arabella finds herself feted and courted when she settles in London in her godmother's house and is upset to discover it is because people think she is rich. 

Robert's intention was to cause mischief when he encouraged Charles to reveal her secret. But as he becomes more acquainted with Arabella, he starts to understand she is not like most society maidens. Arabella is a very compassionate girl and she rescues, in short order, first a small abused boy and then a small abused dog. Both of whom end up in Robert's care. Obviously, Robert has fallen in love with her, but consciousness of the lie she told him is preventing her from returning his affection. Then her hapless younger brother arrives in London and proceeds to get himself into serious trouble, it seems to her only Robert has the wherewithal to rescue the young man. But how could Robert ever believe her love is real if she marries him only to get access to his money to save her brother from his folly?

This is a charming story. Arabella and Robert are both a bit impetuous. Arabella flies to the rescue of suffering creatures and Robert enjoys wrapping society around his little finger with his little jokes, like wearing a dandelion in his buttonhole for several days, getting all the society swells searching for dandelions to wear in their buttonholes too. Whereupon Robert stopped wearing them. He's certainly a bit more fun than Arabella is and seems to enjoy that the joke is on him too. 

Check out this review by  Austenprose too.