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Contents (80)
  1. CONTENTS
  2. ACTING ON IMPULSE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. INTRODUCTION
  5. “A PROPOSAL TO CICELY”
  6. INTRODUCTION
  7. A PROPOSAL TO CICELY
  8. THE END
  9. READING “A PROPOSAL TO CICELY”
  10. “THE LITTLE LADY”
  11. INTRODUCTION
  12. THE LITTLE LADY
  13. I.
  14. II.
  15. III.
  16. THE END
  17. READING “THE LITTLE LADY”
  18. “LINCKES’ GREAT CASE”
  19. INTRODUCTION
  20. LINCKES’ GREAT CASE
  21. I.
  22. II.
  23. III.
  24. IV.
  25. V.
  26. VI.
  27. VII.
  28. THE END
  29. READING “LINCKES’ GREAT CASE”
  30. “THE BULLDOG AND THE BEAST”
  31. INTRODUCTION
  32. THE BULLDOG AND THE BEAST
  33. THE END
  34. READING “THE BULLDOG AND THE BEAST”
  35. “ACTING ON IMPULSE”
  36. INTRODUCTION
  37. ACTING ON IMPULSE
  38. I.
  39. II.
  40. III.
  41. IV.
  42. THE END
  43. READING “ACTING ON IMPULSE”
  44. “WHOSE FAULT WAS IT?”
  45. INTRODUCTION
  46. WHOSE FAULT WAS IT?
  47. THE END
  48. READING “WHOSE FAULT WAS IT?”
  49. “THE CHINESE SHAWL”
  50. INTRODUCTION
  51. CONT
  52. THE CHINESE SHAWL
  53. I.
  54. II.
  55. III.
  56. IV.
  57. V.
  58. VI.
  59. VII.
  60. VIII.
  61. THE END
  62. READING “THE CHINESE SHAWL”
  63. “THE OLD MAID”
  64. INTRODUCTION
  65. THE OLD MAID
  66. THE END
  67. READING “THE OLD MAID”
  68. “LOVE”
  69. INTRODUCTION
  70. LOVE
  71. I.
  72. II.
  73. III.
  74. THE END
  75. READING “LOVE”
  76. THE SEARCH FOR “ON SUCH A NIGHT”
  77. GEORGETTE HEYER’S BIBLIOGRAPHY
  78. FURTHER READING
  79. COMING SOON!
  80. OCTOBER 29, 2019

Cicely shed a few tears into his coat pocket, and sat up. She mopped her eyes with a diminutive handkerchief.

“I—I am glad you came,” she sighed. “I n—never thought you would.”

There was another pause.

“Are—are you staying at the inn?”

“I am.”

“Are—are you going to stay for long?”

“Looks as though I’d better,” said Richard drily.

“Oh!” Cicely digested this. Then she spoke again. “P’raps you’ll be able to manage Timothy,” she said, hopefully. There was no answer.

CICELY looked at him sideways. She sat for a moment, twisting a cushion-tassel. Richard said nothing at all, but watched her with that curious look in his eyes.

A tiny smile came, shyly. And Cicely came to him and dived her hand into his waistcoat pocket.

“What do you want, Cis?”

“Diary,” said Cicely briefly.

It was handed to her. She hesitated for a moment, not looking at him. Then she opened the book, and sucked the pencil. She scribbled diligently, and shut the book with a snap. Richard was watching her half-smiling, half-anxious. Cicely held out the book.

“There you are! I’ve finished with it.”

Richard took it. He slipped his arm round her once more. Cicely subsided meekly, and buried her face in his coat.

Richard dropped a kiss on to the fluffy head.

“Am I allowed to read what’s written here?” he asked.

“If you—like,” said a muffed voice.

He opened the book. The last entry was written in a round, sprawling hand. It was quite short.

“Tuesday. Proposed to Cicely. Accepted.”

THE END

READING “A PROPOSAL TO CICELY”

This one packs quite a punch, and even were it not only Georgette Heyer’s first published short story, but also her first published contemporary tale, there would still be a lot to examine in here. First, there is the suave, devoted Richard, whose chronicle of his many proposals to the firebrand Cicely is quite touching and sweet. But then you can’t help but think him a bit stalkery, too, unable to take no for an answer and all, and that is less sweet—but also more, somehow? (This is because romantical tales such as this have warped us all, of course, and our expectations of a fictional hero’s behaviour towards our heroine do not at all match what we would accept in real life.)

Then we have Cicely, entitled and naïve, certainly, but a woman we cheer for, nonetheless—at first, anyway. When our story commences, she is terribly weary of her privileged life of wealth and beauty, and decides on a tree change as the cure. Not for her, the social whirl and a suitable marriage! For her, the countryside, and a light flirtation with what we’d call nowadays a “bit of rough.” In fostering the plebeian Talbot’s friendship and/or attachment to her, she is equal parts living dangerously and being determinedly egalitarian – when her friend and companion, the sensible if snobbish Maisie, objects to Talbot, Cicely doubles down on her efforts to befriend him, making herself free of his farm to simultaneously prove a point, give herself an illicit thrill, and, above all, alleviate her ennui.