False Colours

 

By Georgette Heyer

Christopher "Kit" Fancot come home to London unexpectedly from his diplomatic service on the continent only to find his poor mother very upset about the disappearance of his twin brother, Evelyn. Adding to her distress is the knowledge that her debts may be part of the reason Evelyn has vanished. 

After their father, the Earl of Denville, died, his wife's debts should have been paid out of his estate. But Lady Denville failed to disclose just how much money she owed. For try as she might, she never learned how to be prudent with money. So her debts fell upon the Earl's heir, the older twin, Evelyn. 

Unfortunately, the estate is in trust until Evelyn turns 25 because his father thought his son was too flighty and careless to be in charge of the fortune he would inherit. However, if he showed he has settled down by marrying a suitable young woman, the trust would be ended and he would have access to the funds needed to pay off his mother's debts. Toward that end, Evelyn proposed and was accepted by Cressy Stavely.

Neither Evelyn nor Cressy is in love with each other. We know why Evelyn has proposed. We find out that Cressy is very unhappy in her father's house since he remarried. Her stepmother doesn't like Cressy and life has become uncomfortable for Cressy. Anxious to break away from a bad situation, Cressy is willing to get married if that is what it takes.

Kit is informed by their mother that Evelyn is supposed to attend a dinner at Cressy's house in order to meet her family and gain the approval of the Dowager Lady Stavely, her grandmother. So if Evelyn is a no-show, it will mean the end of the engagement and Lady Denville's financial problems will continue to mount. Kit jokes that he could step in for Evelyn as they are identical twins and Lady Denville loves the idea. She talks Kit into it, when she explains how important it is to both her and to Evelyn, who is finding the lack of control of his inheritance dispiriting and humiliating.

Kit makes it through the dinner and the plan is for him to travel to the ancestral home in the country and thus remain in seclusion until Evelyn turns up or can be located. But events conspire to thrust Kit and Cressy together and Kit finds he is falling in love with Cressy and she with him. Meanwhile, no trace of Evelyn is found, until he shows up one night. He informs Kit and Lady Denville that he can't marry Cressy because he has fallen in love with another woman! 

This was a fun read, watching Kit and Lady Denville trying to succeed in hiding his true identity from everyone. I did enjoy the book but of Heyer's romances, it is not one of my favorites. But it is still a good read.

Here is a review by Laurel Ann Nattress on Austenprose.