Lord Sherry
Lord Sherry (in the English original Friday's Child ) is a novel by Georgette Heyer . It first appeared in the original in 1944, the German first edition by Paul Zsolnay Verlag in 1956 in a translation by Pia von Hartungen . Like most of Heyer's stories, this one takes place in the time of the Regency .
action
Anthony Verelst, Viscount Sheringham, called Sherry , is a light-hearted young man from the English aristocracy. Before he can inherit at the age of 25, he has huge debts. A clause in his father's will, however, says that he can inherit earlier if he gets married. That's why he asked for the hand of Isabella Milborne, a city-famous beauty and daughter of neighbors whom he has known from childhood. When she refuses his marriage proposal and he gets into an argument with his mother as a result, he angrily announces that he will marry the first girl he meets.
On the way back to London from his mother's country estate, he meets Hero Wantage, a 17-year-old girl. Hero is the impoverished relative of the hard-hearted Bagshot family, whom Sherry has also known from childhood; she is naive and uncomplicated. Since the son of the family tried to kiss her, she is supposed to work as a teacher in a boarding school in Bath , which is why she ran away. Sherry notices that she is the "first girl" he meets, and he spontaneously decides to marry Hero, who has always admired him. With the help of his friends Mr. Ringwood, Ferdy Fakenham and George Wrotham, Sherry obtains a marriage license, marries Hero within 24 hours, and the young couple set up a small house together. Her husband's friends are impressed by the uncomplicated young woman and quickly make friends with her. But the young Lady Sheringham gets from one mess into the other, because she is not familiar with the noble customs in London and Sherry often leaves her to her own devices. In addition, she turns a friend of the Viscount, Sir Montague Revesby, against her when she takes care of his former lover, who has had a child and is impoverished.
Meanwhile, Sherry's friend George Wrotham is wooing the beautiful Isabella. But since he is not wealthy and also has a notorious temperament, she remains undecided, especially since her mother is against this connection, and allows herself to be courted by the boring Duke of Severn. As Sherry becomes increasingly angry about Hero's immature behavior, so that she thinks he doesn't love her, and George is saddened by Isabella's rejection, the two become friends and comfort each other. This in turn leads to Isabella becoming jealous and finally calling on Sherry George to a duel because this hero gave a brotherly kiss. After another scandal - Hero wanted to drive a chariot race against another lady in society in order to impress Sherry - Sherry slaps his wife in the face and threatens to take her to his mother, who hates Hero, so that she can teach her behavior . Thereupon Hero, known by Sherry and his friends as a kitten , flees to Mr. Ringwood and asks him for help. Ringwood brings Hero to his grandmother, Lady Saltash, in Bath without telling Sherry her whereabouts.
While Sherry searches London and the country estates of some friends for his wife, Hero lives as Miss Wantage in Bath under the aegis of the worldly lady Saltash. She longs for sherry, but also enjoys social life in the health resort. She meets the elderly Mr. Tarleton, who is delighted with her refreshing manner and decides to kidnap her for romantic reasons. Isabella Milborne, who has now realized that she loves George Wrotham, has turned down the Duke of Severn's proposal of marriage. However, since it is considered improper to say so, the elegant world of London believes the Duke's mother thwarted a marriage, and Isabella's mother is angry at her daughter's decision. So Isabella decides to travel to Bath with Sherry's mother to avoid the eyes of London. When Sherry heard this, he got the idea that Hero had gone to Bath to work as a teacher there after all, and he decided to accompany his mother and Isabella to look for her there. He now knows that he loves his wife and that he misses her deeply. He finds Hero, but she refuses contact, and his friends, who now confess to him that they knew her whereabouts, make it clear to him how little he treated her with love.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tarleton carries out his kidnapping plans. Hero is dragged into a carriage by a masked man, but believes this is sherry. Arrived at a post office, the misunderstanding clears up. In an adjoining room are Isabella Milborne and Sir Montague Revesby, who in turn kidnapped Isabella in order to force her to marry him because he is interested in her dowry. The ultimate clash takes place: Mr. Tarleton fights with Revesby and is injured in the process, Sherry and his friends arrive. Isabella declares her love for George, and Sherry happily embraces his wife and promises to get better in the future.
people
main characters
- Anthony Verelst, Viscount Sheringham (Sherry)
- Hero Wantage (kitten)
- Gilbert Ringwood
- Hon. Ferdinand (Ferdy) Fakenham
- George, Lord Wrotham
- Isabella Milborne
Secondary characters
- Lady Valeria Sheringham, mother of Sherry
- Horace Paulett, Sherry's maternal uncle
- Hon. Prosper Verelst, Sherry's paternal uncle
- Bagshot family
- Sir Montagu (Monty) Revesby, friend of Sherry
- Duke of Severn, admirer of Isaballe Milborne
- Lady Saltash, grandmother of Gil Ringwood
- Mr. and Mrs. Milborne, Isabella's parents
- Hon. Marmaduke (Duke) Fakenham, brother of Ferdy Fakenham
- Lord & Lady Fakenham, parents of Ferdy Fakenham
- Lady Fairford, sister of Ferdy Fakenham
- Jasper Tarleton, Hero admirer
and other people
literature
- Mary Fahnestock-Thomas: Georgette Heyer. A Critical Retrospective . Prinny World Press, Saraland, Al. 2001, ISBN 978-0-9668005-3-1 , pp. 140-144 .