These Old Shades

A notorious duke with a devilish bent … Justin Alastair, Duke of Avon, is called "Satanas" by enemy and friend alike. In the aristocratic circles of both London and Louis XV's Paris he has a reputation as a dangerous and debauched rake.

A cast-off urchin with a Secret past … Late one evening, the Duke stumbles upon Léon, a red-headed urchin fleeing a certain beating at his brutal brother's hands. On a whim, Avon buys the boy and makes him his page. But it soon becomes clear that Léon is not what he seems…

When the grubby Léon turns out to be the enchanting Léonie, the Duke is not prepared for the breathtaking transformation or the tender emotions she awakens in him, or the unconditional love she has for the man who saved her.

These Old Shades is one of Georgette-Heyer's most popular and beloved romances, and is the one that launched her career.