The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (published 1948) is another satisfying romp set during Regency England, with a light romance and a whole list of adventures for our main character, the Duke of Sale. I really could only read/listen to it by renaming it The Duke in my mind. It irritates me that the “foundling” is put in the title when she is just a part of the story, appearing in about half of the chapters.
Rather, this is a story of the adventures of a bored and set-upon wealthy Duke who dreams of escaping his prison of formal overbearing servants to see what life is like as “Mr Dash of nowhere in particular.” This novel is his story of “slipping his leash” to try to resolve a difficulty not as himself but as the generic Mr. Ruford. His tale is full of unlikely adventures, and the memorable characters and the Duke’s clever solutions to his difficulties give the book a satisfying storyline and character development that delightfully satisfies.
The book has memorable and (mostly) loveable characters, although it is not primarily a romance, as Heyer’s books tend to be. The Duke does come to love his betrothed more throughout the course of the story, but this is not the main focus of his story. Rather, the focus is on his development from a cossetted and hesitant young man into a outspoken and confident adult.
Other characters are distinct and memorable. The titular “foundling,” Belinda, is the most beautiful girl ever to be described, only to be, inside, an empty-headed child unable of complex thought. The reader can only groan and laugh at her predictable dialogue. Swithin Liversedge is our Dickensian-named villain, but even his somewhat ridiculous personality, although irritating, adds a full sense of humor to the story that is not easily matched.
In short, the book needs to be renamed The Duke or something similar. (Yes, this is my main takeaway.) The Duke is the main character, not the mindless woman who repeatedly causes problems. This is not a typical romance, featuring a girl in need of a swain, but rather this is an amusing story about a young man coming into his own. I recommend it! (If you can get over the title thing.)
