The Quiet Gentleman
Encyclopedia
The Quiet Gentleman is a Regency novel
by Georgette Heyer
. Set in the spring of 1816, after the Battle of Waterloo
, it is the story of the return home of the Seventh Earl of St Erth, who is returning home from his service in the British army to claim his inheritance.
This is an unusual Heyer novel in that the main character is a hero rather than a heroine. It is also one of the Regency novels which incorporates elements of the mystery
story as well as the classic romance
.
of St Erth, returns to his family seat at Stanyon, having inherited from his father while abroad with the army against Napoleon
.
Also residing at Stanyon are his stepmother are the Dowager
Lady St Erth, Gervase's younger half-brother Martin, his cousin Theo and his stepmother's young friend, Drusilla, who is on a long-term visit.
Lady St Erth and Martin rapidly make plain to Gervase, in ways verging on the highly anti-social, that they are rather disappointed to see him home. They had expected him to die, as the officer death rate was high, and had wanted him to die, as Martin would have inherited instead.
Gervase had not spent much time at Stanyon as a child; his maternal grandmother had taken him in instead; Theo, his cousin and the steward, is therefore the only person at Stanyon with whom he has had much contact. The two are good friends.
Out riding one day, Gervase happens upon an extremely beautiful young lady who has fallen off her horse, and discovers her to be Marianne, the daughter of another member of the local gentry, Sir Thomas. Sir Thomas is a Baronet
who inherited unexpectedly from his older brother; he had been sent to India
to seek his fortune and achieved success. Consequently he is called in the area the Nabob
. Gervase being rather taken with Marianne finds that Lady St Erth is less impressed with his new acquaintance; while she is extremely fond of Marianne in her self-centred way, she had hopes of her making a match with Martin.
Having made Marianne's acquaintance, Gervase resolves that there should be a Ball
, an idea which Martin throws himself into with enthusiasm, although it is to Theo and Drusilla who must organize it.
Martin's sister arrives with her husband and two children, to attend Gervase's first big function at Stanyon; so too does "Lucy" (short for Lucian), an old Army friend of Gervase's who is the heir to a fairly rich peerage.
The ball is a resounding success; particularly successful is the meeting between Lucian and Marianne. This upsets Martin, although Gervase receives it with more equanimity; his passion for Marianne was short-lived, despite her charm and beauty.
After the Ball and as life settles back into a routine, however, some alarming things begin to happen. Gervase, who sleeps in the panelled
and ancient master bedroom at Stanyon wakes thinking someone is in his room. Someone appears to have sabotaged a bridge he is about to cross which has been damaged by flooding, someone sets up a tripwire for his horse. The person who is behind all these incidents appears to be Martin, whose handkerchief is found after Gervase wakes up, and who also attempted to fight Gervase without a button on his fencing foil
. Later someone shoots him.
The injury proves not fatal, but dramatic, and Gervase is ill for some time. Meanwhile, Martin disappears, and people assume he fled to avoid the shooting. When he reappears, he does so with a fishy story about being attacked and tied up in a ditch. Everyone is sceptical about this story except for Gervase.
As soon as he is fairly well recovered, Gervase rides out to see Theo, and he is hotly pursued by Martin. Before the police can arrive, Martin is able to tell Gervase that he believes Theo is behind the attempts on both their lives, and Gervase agrees with him. Theo finally admits it, and Gervase gives him control of a plantation in the West Indies rather than firing him and causing a scandal. All ends happily as the unromantic, practical Drusilla and Gervase are engaged.
Regency novel
Regency novels are either:* Fiction actually written during the Regency era - The works of Jane Austen, Sir Walter Scott, Susan Ferrier, and Maria Edgeworth would fall into this category.* Later fiction set within the Regency era...
by Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer was a British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer...
. Set in the spring of 1816, after the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, it is the story of the return home of the Seventh Earl of St Erth, who is returning home from his service in the British army to claim his inheritance.
This is an unusual Heyer novel in that the main character is a hero rather than a heroine. It is also one of the Regency novels which incorporates elements of the mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
story as well as the classic romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
.
Plot summary
Gervase Frant, 7th EarlEarl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
of St Erth, returns to his family seat at Stanyon, having inherited from his father while abroad with the army against Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
.
Also residing at Stanyon are his stepmother are the Dowager
Dowager
A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property, or dower, derived from her deceased husband. As an adjective, "Dowager" usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles....
Lady St Erth, Gervase's younger half-brother Martin, his cousin Theo and his stepmother's young friend, Drusilla, who is on a long-term visit.
Lady St Erth and Martin rapidly make plain to Gervase, in ways verging on the highly anti-social, that they are rather disappointed to see him home. They had expected him to die, as the officer death rate was high, and had wanted him to die, as Martin would have inherited instead.
Gervase had not spent much time at Stanyon as a child; his maternal grandmother had taken him in instead; Theo, his cousin and the steward, is therefore the only person at Stanyon with whom he has had much contact. The two are good friends.
Out riding one day, Gervase happens upon an extremely beautiful young lady who has fallen off her horse, and discovers her to be Marianne, the daughter of another member of the local gentry, Sir Thomas. Sir Thomas is a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
who inherited unexpectedly from his older brother; he had been sent to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to seek his fortune and achieved success. Consequently he is called in the area the Nabob
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
. Gervase being rather taken with Marianne finds that Lady St Erth is less impressed with his new acquaintance; while she is extremely fond of Marianne in her self-centred way, she had hopes of her making a match with Martin.
Having made Marianne's acquaintance, Gervase resolves that there should be a Ball
Ball (dance)
A ball is a formal dance. The word 'ball' is derived from the Latin word "ballare", meaning 'to dance'; the term also derived into "bailar", which is the Spanish and Portuguese word for dance . In Catalan it is the same word, 'ball', for the dance event.Attendees wear evening attire, which is...
, an idea which Martin throws himself into with enthusiasm, although it is to Theo and Drusilla who must organize it.
Martin's sister arrives with her husband and two children, to attend Gervase's first big function at Stanyon; so too does "Lucy" (short for Lucian), an old Army friend of Gervase's who is the heir to a fairly rich peerage.
The ball is a resounding success; particularly successful is the meeting between Lucian and Marianne. This upsets Martin, although Gervase receives it with more equanimity; his passion for Marianne was short-lived, despite her charm and beauty.
After the Ball and as life settles back into a routine, however, some alarming things begin to happen. Gervase, who sleeps in the panelled
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
and ancient master bedroom at Stanyon wakes thinking someone is in his room. Someone appears to have sabotaged a bridge he is about to cross which has been damaged by flooding, someone sets up a tripwire for his horse. The person who is behind all these incidents appears to be Martin, whose handkerchief is found after Gervase wakes up, and who also attempted to fight Gervase without a button on his fencing foil
Foil (fencing)
A foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
. Later someone shoots him.
The injury proves not fatal, but dramatic, and Gervase is ill for some time. Meanwhile, Martin disappears, and people assume he fled to avoid the shooting. When he reappears, he does so with a fishy story about being attacked and tied up in a ditch. Everyone is sceptical about this story except for Gervase.
As soon as he is fairly well recovered, Gervase rides out to see Theo, and he is hotly pursued by Martin. Before the police can arrive, Martin is able to tell Gervase that he believes Theo is behind the attempts on both their lives, and Gervase agrees with him. Theo finally admits it, and Gervase gives him control of a plantation in the West Indies rather than firing him and causing a scandal. All ends happily as the unromantic, practical Drusilla and Gervase are engaged.