Arabella by Georgette Heyer - the peril of a small lie

It’s time for the #1949Club, hosted by StuckinaBook and Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings, in which bloggers are invited to read and review books that were published in a chosen year. When I first started reading Georgette Heyer’s books I was about 13 and most identified with her younger heroines and now that I am older, I usually recommend Frederica, Venetia, The Masqueraders or Devil’s Cub to first time readers. However, Arabella, and its ingenue heroine, continues to be one of my favorites.The story begins in in a parsonage in Yorkshire where Arabella Tallant and her younger sisters are considering whether she can afford the right clothes for a season in London, if only her godmother would oblige by inviting her to stay. When her mother announces that the invitation has indeed come from Lady Bridlington and Mr. Tallant has been persuaded that he can trust Arabella’s ability to conduct herself with propriety, she is very excited. As the eldest of four girls, Arabella knows she is expected…