← These Old Shades

These Old Shades · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer.

Read with companionsBook page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

  1. Chapter 1

    Epigraph

    The epigraph presents a poetic reflection on the nature of the age, contrasting the resentful and contradictory spirit of the present with the forgiving charm of the past, setting a tone of nostalgic appreciation for earlier times.

  2. Chapter 2

    These Old Shades

    The opening chapter introduces the Duke of Avon, a man of cold and cynical demeanor, who encounters a young boy named Léon Bonnard being mistreated by his older brother. The Duke, intrigued by the boy's spirit and resemblance to someone he knows, decides to purchase him from his brother, setting in motion a plan that will have far-reaching consequences.

  3. Chapter 3

    I: His Grace of Avon Buys a Soul

    The Duke of Avon, strolling through a Paris street, is accosted by a desperate boy fleeing a brutal brother. Avon buys the boy, Léon, for a diamond pin, bringing him home as his page. The chapter establishes Avon's enigmatic motives and Léon's grateful submission.

  4. Chapter 4

    Introducing the Comte de Saint-Vire

    The Duke of Avon interrogates his new page, Léon Bonnard, about his past, learning of his upbringing in Anjou, his education by the curé, and his strained relationship with his brother Jean. Later, at the gaming tables, Avon introduces Léon to the Comte de Saint-Vire, who takes an unsettling interest in the boy. The chapter establishes the tension between Avon and Saint-Vire, and hints at deeper schemes.

  5. Chapter 5

    III: Which Tells of a Debt Unpaid

    Hugh Davenant returns to Avon's house and learns the history of the enmity between the Duke and the Comte de Saint-Vire. Avon recounts how, twenty years ago, he sought to marry Saint-Vire's sister but was insulted and threatened with a whipping. In the ensuing confrontation, Avon wounded Saint-Vire with his own whip and sword, and has since waited for an opportunity to exact full vengeance.

Free preview

29 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

29 more companions → free preview
  1. Chapter 6His Grace of Avon Becomes Further Acquainted with His Page
  2. Chapter 7His Grace of Avon Visits Versailles
  3. Chapter 8His Grace of Avon Refuses to Sell His Page
  4. Chapter 9VII: Satan and Priest at One
  5. Chapter 10VIII: Hugh Davenant Is Amazed
  6. Chapter 11IX: Léon and Léonie
  7. Chapter 12Lady Fanny's Virtue Is Outraged
  8. Chapter 13XI: Mr. Marling's Heart Is Won
  9. Chapter 14XII: His Grace of Avon’s Ward
  10. Chapter 15The Education of Léonie
  11. Chapter 16XIV: The Appearance on the Scene of Lord Rupert Alastair
  12. Chapter 17Lord Rupert Makes the Acquaintance of Léonie
  13. Chapter 18XVI: The Coming of the Comte de Saint-Vire
  14. Chapter 19Of a Capture, a Chase, and Confusion
  15. Chapter 20XVIII: The Indignation of Mr. Manvers
  16. Chapter 21Lord Rupert Wins the Second Trick
  17. Chapter 22His Grace of Avon Takes Command of the Game
  18. Chapter 23XXI: The Discomfiture of the Comte de Saint-Vire
  19. Chapter 24The Arrival of Another Player in the Game
  20. Chapter 25Mr. Marling Allows Himself to Be Persuaded
  21. Chapter 26XXIV: Hugh Davenant Is Agreeably Surprised
  22. Chapter 27XXV: Léonie Curtsies to the Polite World
  23. Chapter 28XXVI: The Presentation of Léonie
  24. Chapter 29The Hand of Madame de Verchoureux
  25. Chapter 30The Comte de Saint-Vire Discovers an Ace in His Hand
  26. Chapter 31The Disappearance of Léonie
  27. Chapter 32His Grace of Avon Trumps the Comte's Ace
  28. Chapter 33XXXI: His Grace of Avon Wins All
  29. Chapter 34His Grace of Avon Astonishes Everyone for the Last Time