These Old Shades is a 1926 historical romance novel by Georgette Heyer. At first she intended it to be a sequel to The Black Moth, but instead she decided to rename the characters. It was an instant success and established her as a writer. It was followed by two sequels: Devil's Cub and An Infamous Army.
Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon, meets an abused boy who he believes is the son of his old enemy the Comte de Saint-Vire. He decides to use the boy to get revenge on the Comte. Along the way he makes a surprising discovery: the "boy" is actually a girl.
Contains examples of:
- Aloof Big Brother: Avon.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Rupert and Fanny.
- Best Served Cold: The enmity between Avon and St. Vire goes back twenty years.
- Expy: Justin, Hugh, the Marlings, and the Merrivales are all Expys of the characters from The Black Moth, making this book a
Spiritual Successor. - Fiery Redhead: Léonie.
- Happily Married: Fanny and Edward. Also, Anthony and Jennifer.
- Heir Club for Men: St. Vire exchanged his newborn daughter for the son of a peasant family in order to prevent his brother from inheriting his title.
- Hero-Worshipper: Léonie worships Avon.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Léonie is arguably this to Avon.
- Morality Pet: Léonie acts as one of these.
- The Plan: Avon with Léonie.
- Poirot Speak: Léonie.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Léonie.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Léonie disguises herself as a boy.
