The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer is a novel that shows her at the height of her power. It is very much in the Jane Austen mode. It's a portrayal of manners in a country neighborhood and how everyone is affected when Sir Waldo Eckridge, known as the Nonesuch, moves in to the area for a few months. A nonesuch is a colloquial term for someone who excels in social graces. He is wealthy, handsome, a great whip (meaning he can control his horses when driving), an athlete. And because he has so much position in society, he is assumed to be someone caught up in the vanities of celebrityhood 18th century style.
The story's underlying theme though is about how to handle wealth. We have two spoiled characters in the novel, Tiffany Wield, a beautiful 17 year old heiress, selfish and childish, and Laurence, the Nonesuch's relation who is also a petulant self absorbed young man. Both these characters have been corrupted by being indulged in their youth. Sir Waldo himself says that he inherited his father's wealth at too early an age and didn't handle it well. It gave rise to his reputation and he also feels guilty in that he spoiled Laurence and ruined his character as a result. Laurence thinks he has a right to be taken care of by Waldo. Sir Waldo has done better supporting (but not spoiling) his young cousin Julian. He knows there is a difference. A lot of what is so great about Sir Waldo is that he does have the intelligence to navigate pretty well in terms of balancing wealth and all the vices it brings and shortcomings it highlights with developing a noble and humane, non-self-absorbed way of living. Sir Waldo does this by providing homes for poor orphans.
It's fun that I just chanced to pick up this book at the library. I hadn't read it in a long time. I also happened to recently watch part of a video on how they treated the poor in the 18th century. And it turns out that before the so called Enlightenment, caring for the poor was part of a Christian's duty. But once the idea of free trade and industrialization came into play more and more, and the sort of Puritan idea that whether or not you were saved was reflected in how much God seemed to favor you with material success, the poor began to be looked down upon. They needed to pull themselves up. Their misery was their own fault in some way. Many people objected to this view (think Johnathan Swift or Dickens for instance) but it was a popular way to view the poor. Sir Waldo's family like to heap scorn on his head for having his pet project of providing shelter, food and education to poor street urchins, but it is part of the reason they like and admire him. Rumor and society gossip have read him all wrong and to a certain extent, since his wealth and position have placed him in a certain level, he goes along, but he is detached from it too.
He enjoys his sport, managing his money and helping poor children, and he had managed to remain single til the age of 35. For no woman has really interested him. They all seem to set their caps at him for his money and prestige and he really isn't into that. Then he meets Ancilla Trent, the governess to the spoiled Tiffany. Ancilla has natural dignity but no put on airs. She's fallen in social standing. Her uncle is a well admired general but circumstances forced her to work for a living. She takes it all in stride. She's figured she's missed the marriage market. But she's an attractive, principled, intelligent woman with a great sense of humor. Yet from afar she's absorbed all the scuttlebutt about the Nonesuch so she's got a lot of prejudice to get over, in spite of the fact that there is almost an instance rapport between Sir Waldo and herself. She won't let herself see it and when she does see it, she is busy cautioning herself against inevitably disappointment. He can not be as good as he seems. He's a Corinthian! He can't really be serious about her. So she tells herself.
The relationship is set in a country neighborhood in Yorkshire between Harrogate and Leeds. Nothing much happens there but Sir Waldo and his cousin Julian actually like the country life. Julian hates the social bustle of London and vastly prefers riding and fishing to having to make small talk amongst the ton. Sir Waldo is busy trying to get his new property set up to be an orphanage and feeling out the neighbors to see how they'll accept this change. But the neighbors are excited the famous nonesuch has come into their area and are busy inviting him to various social activities. He is polite about it but soon his attraction to Ancilla becomes a major draw. Meanwhile Julian has a crush on the ravishingly beautiful Tiffany.
A lot of people seem down on this novel because they don't buy the idea that an intelligent woman like Ancilla can really believe the Nonesuch is planning to harbor his illegitimate children at Broom Hall. But I think Heyer does a good job setting up Ancilla's thinking and her emotions. She has very proper sensibilities, she's a woman on her own trying to make a living. Her reputation is everything, so she doesn't want to be seen as setting her cap at Waldo. At the same time she's insecure. She knows she's naive. She can't quite let herself believe that someone like Sir Waldo would prefer her to anyone else he could get. She's already been passed over in the marriage market. And then in the middle of this muddle of questioning, doubting but falling in love herself, she hears about Sir Waldo's 'brats.' So I don't think it is such a stretch to allow that Ancilla's insecurities, emotional defenses against probable heartache, and her prejudices could make her jump to conclusions.
It's a great story with lots of wonderful side characters, funny and lively conversations, and lots of subtle interplay between the characters as the plot unfolds. What I liked was just how low key the romance really is. Sir Waldo likes Ancilla immediately. Ancilla slowly begins to respond to his banter. They have an obvious rapport. They are on the same wavelength and Sir Waldo loves to make proper Miss Trent laugh.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment