Devil's Cub

 

By Georgette Heyer

Dominic Alastair, Lord Vidal, is a man of few scruples, impetuous and passionate. Although only a young man, he has a reputation for being dangerous and unpredictable. But he comes from wealth and privilege and much is forgiven the children of the nobility. 

This time, maybe, he has gone too far and shot a man who accused him of cheating at dice. So Vidal has been informed by his father, the Duke, that he needs to leave the country to escape facing trial. Vidal is willing to leave England for France but he has no intention of going alone. 

He has been wooing a beautiful young but silly girl. His intentions towards Sophia are strictly dishonorable. Sophia and her mother believe they can ensnare Vidal into marriage but Sophia's older sister Mary thinks otherwise. She is certain Sophia will be seduced and abandoned when Vidal tires of her. So when Mary receives a message from Vidal intended for Sophia directing Sophia to come away with him, she decides to intervene. Disguising herself, she meets with Vidal and climbs into his chaise and lets him carry her away to an unknown destination, letting him believe she is Sophia. Her hope is that when he discovers the deception, she will try to make him think that Sophia was in on it in order to make him look like a fool and thus cause him to wash his hands of Sophia. 

When Mary reveals herself to Vidal and laughs at him, he becomes enraged and forces her to come with him to France. Once they reach France, things become more complicated, as Vidal begins to understand that Mary was trying to save her sister from disgrace and that he has carried away a respectable maiden and is now responsible for ruining her good reputation. Upon realizing this, he steps up and offers to marry her. But Mary is a bit contrary and decides that she is not interested in a loveless marriage. Or rather a marriage where one loves and the other does not because Mary realizes she has fallen in love with her captor, Lord Vidal, the Devil's Cub.

This book is the sequel to These Old Shades, the story of the Duke and Leonie, the aristocrat and the guttersnipe, Vidal's parents to be.

This story doesn't have the depth or seriousness of the first book, and in many ways, that makes it a more enjoyable read. It is more of a romp, with lots of complications and true love thwarted, with the Duke stepping in at the end to set everything right, in his usual omniscient fashion that we are introduced to in the first book. 

It's not one of my favorite books of Heyer's, but it is still a good read. 

Review by Austenprose.