Cotillion

Author: Georgette Heyer
Published: 1st print: 1953; Reissue: October 2007 (Sourcebooks)
Cateogry: Historical Romance
Rating: 9/10

Cotillion is definitely my favorite Heyer. Kitty Charing, ward to Mr. Penicuik, is the potential heir to his vast fortune, as long as she marries one of his grand-nephews. Dolph, the earl, would be a good step up in the world, except he's really stupid, in an adorably funny way. Then there's Hugh, the rector, who proposes out of pity and always tells Kitty that she shouldn't speak in the manner she always does (rather forthright and not so ladylike). They all figure that Kitty's hung up on Jack, the handsome rake of the nephews. Freddy, the pink among pinks, shows up last and agrees to Kitty's plan, pretending to be betrothed so she can visit London. Otherwise, her cheap uncle would never allow her to leave. However, once she gets to London, Dolph and Jack compete for her hand as well, as Jack and Dolph's mother do not believe the betrothal is genuine.

Dolph's mother, who treats him like a puppet, wants Kitty's fortune to replenish the family coffers. Dolph wants to marry a tradesman's daughter who takes care of him in a non-manipulative way. Jack always took Kitty for granted, thinking that he would marry her someday when he wanted to claim his innocent country bride and inherit his uncle's fortune. He is that slimy jerk who happens to be charming and good looking, kind of like a politician.

This was a book driven by its characters. I can't tell you much about the settings and those sorts of background details, as the characters' interactions and dialogue were what made this book. Kitty, being a country-raised innocent, offers her help to Dolph despite the social consequences that may result. At the same time, she makes friends with a Miss Broughty, who happens to be gorgeous, but has a horrible mother who's auctioning her daughter off to the highest bidder, and the offer doesn't have to be one of marriage. The friendship with Miss Broughty is completely inappropriate, but Kitty is too kind and naive to say no, and offers her help, despite Freddy's advice. In the end, it is Freddy who saves the day in both of Kitty's projects.

Kitty and Freddy's romance is one where she realizes that the storybook romantic hero isn't such a great idea. He'll look and talk like Jack, and slay dragons, and ride a white charger, but that's not really practical in her time and society. Instead, having a man like Freddy with unparalleled social graces and a generous heart is far more useful in the ton.

There were some unlikely instances of impropriety. Kitty frequently went off alone with her male cousins, and spoke behind closed doors with them. In most romances, the characters make a point of leaving the door ajar for propriety's sake. Kitty goes to London with Freddy, without the company of a maid because her adopted uncle/Freddy's actual uncle is too cheap to pay for one. I guess he didn't think about Kitty's reputation in this case because she was supposedly engaged to Freddy. There wasn't any impropriety in that smutty sort of way though.

All in all, this rather long historical romance was surprisingly entertaining. You'd think a bunch of characters gossiping about what the other characters might be doing would be tiresome after a while, but I couldn't get enough of it. Just think - back then, that's all they had to entertain themselves. There wasn't any TV to watch; instead, friends called on friends and they gossiped over tea. I think we need to do that more often nowadays.