Black Sheep is a 1966 historical romance novel by Georgette Heyer.
Abigail Wendover is dismayed to learn her niece Fanny is in love with the disreputable Stacey Calverleigh. To prevent Fanny marrying Stacey, Abigail teams up with Stacey's cousin Miles Calverleigh, the black sheep of the family. Then she falls in love with Miles...
Contains examples of:
- Abduction Is Love: Parodied: Miles kidnaps Abby in the end, but she's just irritated at him for being presumptuous; when he offers to take her back to her family if she says she really doesn't want to marry him, she replies that he can abduct her, but he can't make her tell a lie.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Miles and Abby discuss the logistics of a nocturnal elopement and agree that using a rope ladder in real life would be insanely difficult, especially for a woman wearing long skirts and petticoats.
- Batman Gambit: Miles hiring a prostitute to trick Stacey.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Subverted with Stacey Calverleigh.
- The Charmer: Most characters (except Abby) find Stacey to be this.
- Elopement:
- Averted by a timely attack of influenza.
- Also, the big reason Miles is the "black sheep" of his family is that he once attempted to elope with Fanny's mother.
- Genre Savvy: Abby refuses to pull a Parental Marriage Veto on Fanny, knowing Fanny will try to elope with Stacey if she does.
- Gold Digger: Stacey is a male example.
- Guile Hero: Miles can be seen as a reluctant, lazy version of this.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Dolly "the Dasher" jumps at the chance to help Miles with his plan to show Stacey's true colours. In fact, she insists on being part of it.
- Humiliation Conga: For Stacey Calverleigh.
- Hypochondria: Selina's favourite pastime.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Between Abby and Miles early on, when she thinks he's the other Mr. Calverleigh.
- Regency England: The book is set between 1816 and 1817.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Abby and Selina, the former lively, witty, and not one for social conventions, the latter a dainty hypochondriac who insists upon propriety.
- Underdressed for the Occasion: Miles shocks some people by paying morning calls in riding dress.
- The Un-Favourite: Miles was this in his family. He is the titular Black Sheep.
- Virginity Makes You Stupid: Fanny.
