Friday's Child is a novel written by Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer was a British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer...

 in 1944. It is generally considered one of Miss Heyer's best Regency romance

Regency romance

Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own plot and stylistic...

s, and was reportedly the favourite of the author herself. Heyer retained only a single fan letter which was from a Romanian political prisoner who kept herself and her fellow prisoners sane for twelve years by telling and retelling the plot of Friday's Child.

Friday's Child is one of several Heyer romances where the hero and heroine are married early in the novel, and the plot follows their path to mutual love and understanding. Other examples include The Convenient Marriage

The Convenient Marriage

The Convenient Marriage is a Georgian romance novel by Georgette Heyer. The story is set in 1776. It is the first of several Heyer romances where the hero and heroine are married early in the novel, and the plot follows their path to mutual love and understanding...

and April Lady

April Lady

April Lady is a Regency romance novel by Georgette Heyer. It is in many respects a classic example of her work; light, with some drama and delicately-handled romance. Heyer writes from the perspective of two main characters throughout the book. The story is set in 1813.- Plot summary :April Lady is...

.

Plot summary

The wild young Viscount Sheringham is fast running through his considerable income through gambling and other extravagant pursuits; and he cannot as yet touch the principal, unless he marries. As the lady with whom he currently fancies himself in love, the beautiful Isabella Milborne, is also an heiress, he proposes to her.

Isabella rejects him with contumely, citing his dissipated lifestyle. A lively quarrel then follows with his obnoxious widowed mother and her brother, who wish to retain control of his father's fortune themselves. The Viscount storms off in a fit of pique, vowing to marry the first female he meets.

This turns out to be the pretty but orphaned and shy Hero Wantage, who has secretly loved him since they were children, and who now lives with one of his neighbours in the position of Cinderella

Cinderella

"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...

, complete with Ugly Sisters.

The rest of the novel, chronicling the Viscount's gradual transition to maturity and the realisation that the one he really loves is Hero (the "loving and giving" child of the title) is told with Miss Heyer's characteristic wit, and features some of her most memorable dialogue, plot twists and characters (such as the fiery but lovelorn George Wrotham, whose hobby is fighting duels).

Major characters

• Anthony Verelst, Viscount Sheringham (Sherry), the hero
• Hero Wantage (Kitten), the heroine
• Gilbert (Gil) Ringwood, Sherry's closest friend
• Hon. Ferdinand (Ferdy) Fakenham, Sherry's cousin and friend
• George, Lord Wrotham (icon), hot-tempered friend of Sherry and suitor to Isabella Milborne
• Isabella Milborne (the Incomparable), beauty who rejects Sherry

Minor characters

• Lady Valeria Sheringham, dowager Viscountess, Sherry's widowed mother
• Horace Paulett, Sherry's maternal uncle and trustee
• Hon. Prosper Verelst, Sherry's paternal uncle and trustee
• the Bagshot family: Mrs Jane Bagshot, Mr Humphrey Bagshot and their children, Edwin, Cassandra (Cassy), Eudora & Sophronia (Sophy); Mrs Bagshot is cousin and guardian to Hero Wantage
• Sir Montagu (Monty) Revesby, friend of Sherry
• Duke of Severn, suitor to Isabella Milborne
• Lady Saltash, grandmother of Gil Ringwood, resident in Bath
• Mr & Mrs Milborne, Isabella's parents
• Hon. Marmaduke (Duke) Fakenham, brother of Ferdy Fakenham
• Lord & Lady Fakenham, Lady Fairford, Ferdy Fakenham's parents and sister
• Jasper Tarleton, Bath gentleman, suitor of Hero
• Ruth Wimborne, cast-off mistress of Sir Montagu Revesby
• Flyaway Nancy, former mistress of Sherry
• Mr Tooting, a Cit, rescuer of Hero
• Mrs Charlotte Gillingham, gaming house proprietress
• Lady (Sally) Royston, female whip
• Mrs Theresa Hoby, Gussie Yarford (Lady Appleby), friends of Hero
• Sir Matthew Brockenhurst (Brock), Sir Barnabas Crawley, Algernon Gumley, Mr Kilby, Assheton Smith, Mr Jack Westgate, Hon. Wilfred Yarford, society gentlemen
• Mrs Drummond Burrell, Lady Jersey, Lady Sefton, society ladies and Patronesses of Almack's
  Almack's
  Almack's Assembly Rooms was a social club in London from 1765 to 1871 and one of the first to admit both men and women. It was one of a limited number of upper class mixed-sex public social venues in the British capital in an era when the most important venues for the hectic social season were the...
  
  Assembly Rooms.
• General Crawley, Sir Carlton Frome, Bath gentlemen
• Mr Chalfont, Misses Chalfont, Bath visitors
• Mr Guynette, Master of Ceremonies at Bath Lower Rooms
• Bootle (Sherry's valet), Bradgate & Mrs Bradgate (butler & cook at Half Moon Street), Chilham (Gil Ringwood's valet), Ditchling (Sheringham servant), Mr Ford (Gil Ringwood's landlord), Goring & Mrs Goring (staff at Sherry's Melton Mowbray hunting box), Groombridge & Mrs Groombridge (butler & cook at Half Moon Street), Jason (Sherry's tiger), John (Sherry's coachman), Maria (Hero's abigail), Mr Philip Stoke (Sheringham man of business), Varley (butler at Sheringham House)
• Pug (Lady Saltash's pug-dog) and a canary