Ep 21 - A Civil Contract

The Georgette Heyer Podcast

Spoilers ahead.

It’s time for a very domestic story in this episode as we quietly cheer on the growing closeness between lovelorn Adam and the ever-practical Jenny.

Jenny might be the least likely heroine in the Heyerverse but she marries a man hopelessly in love with another, just because it’s the only thing she can do to help him. That makes her a hero in our eyes - although we could wish she set a slightly lower standard in wifely behaviour, because she’s making the rest of us look bad.

She certainly makes a better wife than Julia - the ethereal beauty who swoons at parties, and pointedly sings sentimental songs at a married man. Rockhill deserves better, but evidently even clever men are susceptible to fleeting beauty (the Mrs Bennet effect).

But not only are we treated to the bittersweet, and often unflinchingly honest, relationship between Adam and Jenny, we also have the absolute delight of Jonathan Chawleigh - a self-made man with a tendency to show up with a lobster for his hostess. He’s such a juicy character, and the contrast this forceful and emotional family man presents against the restrained and cool Lyntons gives a fascinating insight into class and family life.

All-in-all it’s a complex and subtle story, so we stubbornly make no apologies for the run time of this episode - we were having a ball!

“But I was never one for reading those old romances and legends that Julia dotes on,’ said Jenny apologetically. ‘I do know that he likes his eggs boiled for four minutes exactly, and won’t touch muffins.”

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