Jennifer Kloester Read online

  Venetia (1958)

  In all her twenty-five years, lovely Venetia Lanyon has never been further than Harrogate, nor enjoyed the attentions of any but her two wearisomely persistent suitors. Then, in one extraordinary encounter, she meets a neighbour she knows only by reputation—the infamous Lord Damerel—and before she realises it, she finds herself egging on a libertine whose way of life has scandalised the North Riding for years.

  The Unknown Ajax (1959)

  Miles from anywhere, Darracott Place is presided over by irascible and short-tempered Lord Darracott. The recent drowning of his eldest son has done nothing to improve his temper, for now he must send for the unknown offspring of the uncle whom the family are never permitted to mention. None of the beleaguered family are prepared for the arrival of the weaver’s brat and heir apparent.

  Pistols for Two (1960)

  Affairs of honour between bucks and blades, rakes and rascals; affairs of the heart between heirs and orphans, beauties and bachelors; romance, intrigue, escapades and duels at dawn: all the gallantry, villainy and elegance of the age that Georgette Heyer has so triumphantly made her own are exquisitely revived in this book of eleven short stories of the Regency.

  A Civil Contract (1961)

  Adam Deveril, the new Viscount Lynton and a hero at Salamanca, returns from the Peninsular War to find his family on the brink of ruin and the broad acres of his ancestral home mortgaged to the hilt. It is Lord Oversley, father of Adam’s first love, who tactfully introduces him to Mr Jonathan Chawleigh, a City man of apparently unlimited wealth with no social ambitions for himself, but with his eyes firmly fixed on a suitable match for his one and only daughter.

  The Nonesuch (1962)

  Sir Waldo Hawkridge—wealthy, handsome, eligible, illustrious, and known as ‘the Nonesuch’ for his athletic prowess—believes he is past the age of falling love. But when he comes north to inspect his unusual inheritance at Broom Hall in the West Riding, his arrival leads to the most entertaining of ramifications.

  False Colours (1963)

  The Honourable Christopher Fancot, on leave from the diplomatic service in the summer of 1817, is startled to find his entrancing but incorrigibly extravagant mother on the brink of financial and social ruin, and more than alarmed to find that his twin brother has disappeared without trace. The unfortunate Kit is forced into an outrageous masquerade by the tangled affairs of his wayward family—his rigid uncle, Lord Brumby, the surprisingly wily Sir Bonamy Ripple, the formidable old Lady Stavely and Evelyn’s betrothed, Cressy—but in the face of Evelyn’s continued absence, Kit’s ingenuity is stretched to the limit.

  Frederica (1965)

  Rich, handsome, darling of the ton, the hope of ambitious mothers and the despair of his sisters, the Marquis of Alverstoke sees no reason to put himself out for anyone. Until a distant connection, ignorant of his selfishness, applies to him for help. Plunged headlong into one drama after another by the large and irrepressible Merriville family, Alverstoke is surprised to find himself far from bored. The lovely Charis may be as hen-witted as she is beautiful but Jessamy is an interesting boy and Felix an engaging scamp. And, most intriguing of all, their strong-minded sister Frederica, who seems more concerned with her family’s welfare than his own distinguished attentions…

  Black Sheep (1966)

  Charming and wise in the ways of the world, Bath society belle Miss Abigail Wendover has tried hard to detach her spirited niece Fanny from a plausible fortune-hunter. Her valiant efforts on behalf of her relative become vastly more complicated with the arrival of Miles Calverleigh. The black sheep of his family, a cynical, outrageous devil-may-care with a scandalous past—that would be a connection more shocking even than Fanny’s unwise liaison with his nephew! But Abby, adept at managing her sweet, silly sister Selina, her lively niece and the host of her admirers among Bath’s circumscribed society, has less success in controlling her own unruly heart.

  Cousin Kate (1968)

  Kate Malvern, rescued from penury by her aunt Minerva, hardly knows what to expect at Staplewood—the grand household is so very different from a life spent following the drum in the Peninsular campaign. But surely, other households are more homelike? Kate’s uncle lives in one wing, handsome, moody cousin Torquil in another; though the guests are few, even family dinners are formal. And, when Kate begins to suspect the shocking reason for Minerva’s generosity, she has no one to confide in but cousin Philip, who appears to have taken an instant dislike to her…

  Charity Girl (1970)

  When Fate and a chivalrous impulse combine to saddle Viscount Desford with a friendless, homeless waif named Cherry Steane, to whom else should he turn in such a scrape but his old childhood playmate, Henrietta Silverdale? For all they refused to oblige their parents by marrying, they have always been the best of friends. But as Desford pursues Cherry’s lickpenny grandfather and reprobate father around unfashionable watering places and the seedier fringes of society, Hetta is forced to wonder whether he might not, at last, have fallen in love. Without the timely intervention of his scapegrace brother Simon, and Hetta’s worthy suitor Gary Nethercott, Desford is in danger of making a rare bumblebroth of his affairs.

  Lady of Quality (1972)

  Independent and spirited, Miss Annis Wychwood gives little thought to finding herself a suitable husband, thus dashing the dreams of many hopeful suitors. When she becomes embroiled in the affairs of the runaway heiress Lucilla, however, she encounters the beautiful fugitive’s guardian—as rakish and uncivil a rogue as she has ever met. Although chafing a bit at the restrictions of Regency society in Bath, Annis does have to admit that Oliver Carleton, at least, is never boring.

  About the Author

  During the extensive study and research of Georgette Heyer’s work for her Ph.D. thesis, Jennifer Kloester had access to Heyer’s private papers and other information made available through the generosity of Georgette Heyer’s son and, as a result, has discovered a wealth of new material on a writer who is known to have been an immensely private person. Kloester lives in Victoria, Australia.