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THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE AS A CHARACTER IN CRIME AND ROMANCE- A STUDY ON GEORGETTE

HEYER’S ‘CHARITY GIRL’ AND ‘ENVIOUS CASCA’

The English Country House has been a symbol of tradition and stability in the British literary

narrative since the evolution of novels as a form of literature. As Phillipa Tristam mentions, “From the

beginning, the house and the novel are interconnected, for the eighteenth century, which saw the rise

of the novel, was also the great age of the English house (Qtd in Mezei, Briganti, “Reading the House: A

Literary Perspective” 3).” The country house is emblematic of a multitude of things, such as

sophistication, stability, and an upholding of morality and culture, because of which it has been

recognized as a trope popular in both British historical romance and the Golden Age Detective fiction. It

casts itself in the role of a prominent character in both genres, for in one place it acts as the propagator

of the stability offered within the institution of marriage, and in the other it acts as an integral tool in

the detection process. Georgette Heyer, through her various novels, explores the utility of the English

country house, and its multifaceted connotations. Her works, which range from regency romance to

crime fiction, employ the country house as a power device for the expansion and the eventual

convergence of the plot. By discussing the novels, ‘Charity Girl’ and ‘Envious Casca’, this paper attempts

to capture the subtlety with which Heyer employs the traditional country house literary trope in one,

and depicts the subverted and modified trope created during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction in the

other.

Typically, country house literature refers to the literary pieces centered in and on the English

country house. They integrate the country house into the text as a character complimentary to the

popular British ideals of the sophisticated, the orthodox, and the refined. While the texts are located in

the countryside, they underhandedly involve a veiled exclusionary classism within the rural setting as
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well. This is evident in works like Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, wherein although the plot is centered around a

specific village, Highbury, the only families that Emma Woodhouse, the lead protagonist, interacts with

belong to a certain social class that can compete with, if not equal, the significance of Hartfield. In fact,

when she attempts to befriend Harriet Smith, a woman of relatively ‘lower’ social standing, she

unknowingly upheavals the social hierarchy so much that it is necessary for Miss Smith to suffer a few

setbacks before the ‘correct’ order can be restored.

The country house also comes with societal baggage, for it becomes emblematic of social

standards and respectable behavior. This is evident in the novel, Pride and Prejudice, wherein Lady

Catherine De Brough’s house is viewed as the ‘trend setter’ for virtue and correct behavior by Mr.

Collins. In the text, Lady De Brough’s mansion is described, however ironically, to be a focal point

towards which culture and conservatism concentrate. This is also evident in the author’s description of

Pemberley; what sets Mr. Darcy as the ‘ideal’ country gentleman is the long heritage that surrounds his

familial seat, and the lineage of gentlemanliness that he inherits from.

The assertion of the English country house as a reservoir of cultural eccentricities and a certain

refinement of ideals comes in direct response to the advent of industrialization. With the growth of

trade and the economy, the rising bourgeois merchant class threatened the economic strength of the

landed elite. As London became increasingly popular as both a socially significant city and a center for

trade, the landed gentry elevated the significance and historical relevance of their rural heritage to

accommodate the displacement of the conventional emphasis on the role of the English countryside. As

Helen Hughes explains in her book, ‘English Heritage, Historical Romance’, the countryside became

increasingly romanticized as a site that offered sanctuary away from the lures of urban life, and became

the upholder of traditional British orthodoxy.

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With the advent of the twentieth century, however, the image of the country house went

through a slight shift. With the disintegration of the stringent social hierarchies of the aristocratic

structure, and the emergence of a fluid economy that led to the expansion of the mercantile class, the

country house now became a symbol for the hope of establishment of collectivism and familial heritage.

Its purpose changed; before, it had stood for the continuation of tradition and familial bond, now it

stood for the creation of the same for the growing mercantile class. It became an object of the

mercantile class’ desire for an established identity. This is also apparent in Agatha Christie’s ‘The Murder

of Roger Ackroyd’, in which the victim, Mr. Ackroyd, had acquired the house through his fortune in

trade. He attempted to infuse the household with a sense of community and kinship through the

secluded social circle that the house created.

The Country House as a Character in ‘Charity Girl’

Charity Girl is a historical regency romance novel first published in 1970 that revolves around

the resolution of the romance between Lord Ashley Desford and his childhood friend, Miss Henrietta

Silverdale. The narrative follows the wild goose chase that Lord Desford undertakes to assist Miss

Charity ‘Cherry’ Steane, a ‘damsel in distress’ figure who finds herself stranded without her immediate

family to take care of her. Lord Desford undertakes futile, exhaustive journeys across Britain’s major

towns, such as Harrowgate, Bath, and London, to try to locate her family and to restore her to their

safety.

The English country house carries a relation with sophisticated leisure and recreation. It

distances itself from the crass commerciality of the City, which is festered with “Proper Mushrooms”

(Heyer, “Charity Girl” 72) and encroaching Cits, while still accommodating the urbanity and fineness of

the urban, city lifestyle. In the novel, Charity Girl, the conventional purpose of the country house is
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depicted in part by Lord Wroxton’s home, and more elaborately through Inglehurst. The country house

exerts an attracting force on the characters of the text, and from the beginning, establishes itself as an

idyllic sanctuary. When Lord Desford encounters Cherry Steane in the third chapter, and is subsequently

unable to locate her kin in London, he looks back at the comforting, resolving powers of Inglehurst and

leaves the distraught girl in the safe cocoon that the house creates. The urbanity attached to the country

house society cannot be ignored, however, for it is constantly emphasized how the ideal country house

gentleman (and, by extension, gentlewoman) must necessarily possess a certain amount of ‘town

bronze’. This is made apparent through Lady Wroxton’s conversation with Lord Desford, in which she

mentions “[Nethercott] has only lately come into Hertfordshire, and I fancy he very rarely goes to

London. He is old Mr. Bourne’s cousin, and inherited Marley House from him (Heyer, “Charity Girl” 12).”

The criticism is implied- Mr. Nethercott cannot be eligible for Miss Silverdale’s hand in marriage, for he

lacks the social exposure that separates the urbane gentleman from the ‘country bumpkin’.

The attachment of lineage and heritage to the country house is evident through the interactions

between Lord Desford and his father, Lord Wroxton. From the onset itself, the significance of the

propagation of an impeccable lineage is established, as Lord Wroxton mentions “What I want is sons,

Ashley! Carring-tons, to succeed to our Name, and our Honors, and our Tradition (Heyer, “Charity Girl”

3).” The need to ensure that nothing besmirches the family name, and that the natural order of

succession is not shaken, permeates into the protagonist’s identity as well. In a conversation with his

mother, Lord Desford mentions-” [father] need never fear, ma’am, that I could ever be so lost to all

sense of what I owe not only to him, but to my name as well, as to do anything that would make him

regard me as a – oh, as a broken feather in the Carrington wing (Heyer, “Charity Girl” 188)!”

The significance of class and social status, therefore, is perpetually maintained throughout the

novel. This is also evident in the eventual resolution of the novel. At the beginning, the societal order is
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in jeopardy as both Desford and Miss Silverdale, who both belong to ‘The Quality’, are paired with their

social inferiors- namely Miss Steane and Mr. Nethercott respectively. To restore the social order, there

must necessarily be a regrouping of sorts- by establishing relationships between Lord Desford and Miss

Silverdale, and Miss Steane and Mr. Nethercott, the ‘natural’ order is restored.

The class disparity among the characters is not merely apparent within the interactions of the

seemingly ‘privileged’ gentlemen and ladies. It is also evident in the explicit exclusion of the rustic and

the rural components of society in the country side. For instance, the country Squire who served as the

trustee for the fortune of Sir Charles Silverdale, Henrietta’s brother, remains unnamed throughout the

text. Further, the life of the working class, especially the servants, is visibly sidelined. This is apparent in

the way that the servants are represented- their only contribution to the narrative is through the role of

devoted workers to the gentry. For instance, Lord Wroxton’s butler, Pedmore, treats Desford indulgently

and attempts to defend the eccentricities of the Earl to him. Further, Desford’s groom, Stebbing, is also

involved in the role of a concerned employee only. He mentions, “…I’ve served you faithfully ever since

you was pleased to accept of me as your personal groom, and I couldn’t look myself in the face if I didn’t

make a push to stop you doing something so caper-witted(Heyer, “Charity Girl” 67).” Even Tain, Lord

Desford’s valet, shows his sincere concern and investment in the Viscount’s life- “Tain had quite

deliberately refrained from rousing him until an hour later, saying mendaciously, but with complete

sangfroid, that he had misunderstood his instructions. What he did not say was that when he had softly

entered the room at six o’clock he had found the Viscount sunk in a profound sleep from which he had

not had the heart to rouse him (Heyer, “Charity Girl” 133).”

The novel, in fact, silences the voice of the working class when it does not address the wellbeing

of the gentry. When Mr. Carrington, Lord Desford’s brother, visits Desford’s London house, he hastily

brushes aside the domestic concerns of Desford’s servants-

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“Which, Mr. Simon, we are expecting him to do at any moment, Mrs. Aldham being poised, as

you might say, over the kitchen-stove, with a pigeon pie ready to be popped into the oven, and

a couple of collops – ” “The devil fly away with the collops!’ interrupted Simon wrathfully.

‘Where’s his lordship’s man? Where’s Stebbing?” (Heyer, “Charity Girl” 217-8)

The country house carries an air of condescension towards the class of people that do not quite

fit into it, yet aspire to do so. While Mr. Nethercott’s character is indulged by the country house society,

it is only because he acquires his property through the ‘natural’ order of succession. The same

sympathies are not extended to Lord Nettlecombe, Miss Steane’s grandfather, for his is an acquired title

and a gifted property. Lord Nettlecombe is merely the second Baron of Nettlecombe, and therefore

cannot command the same sort of credibility that an older title possesses. His fortune comes through

trade, and his origins are vulgar at best. Thus, he can easily be subjected to the prejudiced

preconceptions concocted by the elites for the bourgeois, merchant life. He ends up marrying his

housekeeper, and is unable to appreciate the significance of a country house. Instead, he views

Nettlecombe Manor as an income-generating avenue. The country house was a status symbol for the

aristocracy, a marker of their rich heritage. Leasing the house was practically blasphemous, yet

Nettlecombe is not averse to doing so. In fact, he willingly gives it away to an ambitious Cit, Mr. Tugsley.

Mr. Tugsley, in the novel, represents the ambitions of the merchant class. The middle class that rose

through the expansion of trade struggled to find its place in the dynamics of the societal structure. The

distance between them and the lowly working class compelled them into emulating the methodologies

of the rich. They aspired to become like the aristocrats, and strove to forge an inherited identity for

themselves. An important aspect of this adoption of an elite identity was acquiring a ‘country seat’. The

Tugsleys unabashedly proclaimed this desire to incorporate themselves into the aristocratic ranks

through their conversation with Desford. Desford, ever the ideal gentleman, humored them, for “He

never willingly wounded the susceptibilities of his social inferiors (Heyer, “Charity Girl” 118).”
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The theme of the ideal gentleman also becomes pertinent in the novel. Lord Desford rises up to

the typecast role that his society creates for the perfect country gentleman. He plays the role of

confidant, protector, and the ‘errant knight’. He embodies propriety while dealing with the

gentlewomen in the novel, and takes multiple measures to ensure that Miss Steane’s reputation is not

compromised through the imbroglio. It also becomes essential to discuss the idea of the country lady in

the English society. The English novel developed into a medium through which female authors could

bring domesticity to the forefront. As Judy Giles mentions, “By writing about and through domestic

ritual and the domestic sphere, and by their attentiveness to the minute, women writers across cultures

bestow[ed] literary value on domesticity and domestic space (Giles, “Women, Identity and Private Life in

Britain”).” Henrietta represents an important aspect of female domesticity that is initially ignored, but

eventually valued as a dependable comfort that provided shelter and security to the various characters.

Desford initially is unable to appreciate the appeal of the domestic, represented by Henrietta. However,

once he has been embroiled in resolving Miss Steane’s distresses, he begins to truly appreciate the

worth of stability and comfort. Inglehurst, by extension, comes to represent the value that Henrietta

holds for him, and for all of the characters in the book. Miss Steane, too, finds validation, and eventually,

love, within its welcoming atmosphere, and Desford looks upon it as a source of dependence and trust.

The country house, as discussed earlier, exerts a converging force over the characters of the

novel. It becomes the focal point at which equity and balance is possible, and must therefore be the site

of the final resolution. The novel therefore ends with the gravitation of the characters towards the

country house to facilitate the completion of the plotline. The country house, thus, lures the characters

into a sense of community and kinship.

The Country House as a character in ’Envious Casca’

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The novel, Envious Casca, by Georgette Heyer was first published in 1941. Like Agatha Christie’s

‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’, it follows the aftermath of the murder of a country house gentleman,

Mr. Nathaniel Herriard, and its consequences on the list of suspects.

As seen in Charity Girl, the country house continues to exert a converging force on the

characters in the novel. However, the shift in the force it exerts is subtle, yet evident. While the

traditional, romantic country house is alluring for its domesticity and is seated within a comfortable

assertion of virtue and heritage, the country house of the twentieth century tries to forge its position in

the social hierarchy, and therefore compels the characters into associating with it. The convergence,

thus, is forced, so that the modern, bourgeois country house can create some cultural and historical

weightage for itself. In the Envious Casca, the compelling force that draws the characters into the folds

of the country house is Joseph, ‘who hankered wistfully after a real English Christmas (Heyer, “Envious

Casca” 3).’

The position of the country house in the social make up of the twentieth century is intriguing, as

it is seen to be representative of the growing mercantile class’s desire for settlement and the

construction of a firm, rooted identity for themselves. A family seat was considered to be a sign of

credibility and belongingness in the higher rungs of the social hierarchy; therefore, all wealthy

merchants wished to acquire it. “Lexham was a Tudor manor house, considerably enlarged, but retaining

enough of its original character to make it one of the show-places of the neighborhood. It was not a

family seat of long standing, Nathaniel, who was a wealthy man (he had been an importer from the East

Indies), having purchased it a few years before his retirement from an active share in his flourishing

business (Heyer, “Envious Casca” 1).” The country houses of the twentieth century were therefore

bought, unlike the heirloom-like houses of the previous century, which were passed on from generation

to generation.
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The purpose, however, of the English country house remained the same. Even though its owners

shifted from landed gentry to the rising merchant class, they still were viewed as symbols of tradition

and acquired heritage. Throughout the Envious Casca, the desire of Mr. Herriard to pass on the legacy of

the ancient household to his nephew is reinstated. Although the property was bought through trade

money, it was imperative for him to see it pass down to his ‘heir’, something that even Joseph Herriard

echoes on multiple occasions.

The converging power of the country house proves to be of advantage to the crime narrative. It

sets up the location for the crime, and interestingly, also makes it possible for the criminal to commit

the crime. In the novel, Joseph brings together a large number of people into Lexham household. “In the

end, quite a number of persons forgathered at the Manor for Christmas, since Paula brought with her

the unknown dramatist to whom Nathaniel had taken such violent exception; Mathilda Clare invited

herself; and Joseph decided, at the last moment, that it would be unkind to break the custom of years

by excluding Nathaniel’s business-partner, Edgar Mottisfont, from the party (Heyer, “Envious Casca” 4).”

Ostensibly, his purpose seems to be heartwarming- he wishes to have a family Christmas. In reality, his

maneuverings help formulate a pool of suspects that diffuse the intentionality of the crime across a

larger group. Each of the members present at the party in the household possesses a plausible motive

for the murder, because of which the narrative becomes more gripping and compelling.

While the constructed sense of community in the narrative does facilitate the maintenance of

the anonymity of the criminal, it is also instrumental in his discovery. The closed circle narrows down the

scope of the perpetrator, and works in favor of the detective. The criminal must necessarily be a part of

the pool of people residing in the house, and that helps discern the unconventionalities in behavior that

the criminal may depict when put under surveillance. Inspector Hemingway stresses on that during the

last leg of his investigative process, when he says, “Well, now I’m going to let it be deduced that I don’t
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fancy Stephen after all. Throwing the lead, so to speak. If I know anything about the minds of murderers,

I ought to get some interesting reactions (Heyer, “Envious Casca” 201).” The discovery of Joseph’s

criminality is also made feasible through the interaction of the various characters- the emphasis laid on

a particular book, namely the Life of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, during the entire novel by all of

the characters helps Hemingway read into how Joseph executed the mechanics of the crime and

ensured that it was nearly impossible to discover the true identity of the criminal.

Despite the inclusion of the merchant class into the old English family seats, the class dynamics

of the country house system still remain unchanged. Typically, the Golden Age detective fiction did not

depict the working class to be majorly involved in criminality. Their involvement, if evident, was left to

be base and minor. In the Envious Casca, too, the serving class only features as pawns in the larger

narrative- for instance, the butler, Sturry, only serves the purpose of helping Joseph negate the

righteous heredity of Mr. Stephen Herriard by proving the will to be null and void. Thus, the country

house narrative continues to be exclusionary in nature across both texts. The ‘lower rungs’ of the social

hierarchy are marginalized and their voice is subdued.

The country house narrative across genres integrates the country house into the narratives as a

character that influences the narrative and assists in its conclusion. It is established as an alluring force

that creates a sense of unity and community. However, the country house tradition’s exclusionary and

classist nature cannot be overlooked, as it reinforces a hierarchal order on the characters involved.

Despite its limitations as a classist literary trope, “the house goes beyond providing a mere setting to

constitute a unifying symbolic structure that represents and defines the relationship of the central

characters to one another, to themselves, to the world (Chandler, 1).”

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WORKS CITED

Austen, Jane. Emma. Penguin, 1994. Print

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin, 2015. Print.

Chandler, Marilyn R. Dwelling in the Text: Houses in American Fiction. University of California Press,

1991. UC Press. publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft167nb0r5&brand=ucpress

Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Harper, 2013. Print.

Giles, Judy. Women, Identity and Private Life in Britain, 1900–1950. Macmillian, 1995. B-ok.org. b-

ok.cc/book/2675517/402bb9
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Heyer, Georgette. Charity Girl. Sourcebooks Casablanca. , 2008. Print.

Heyer, Georgette. Envious Casca. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2010. Print.

Hughes, Helen. The Historical Romance. Routledge, 1993. B-ok.org. b-ok.cc/book/963032/28e6e4

Mezei, Kathy and Briganti, Chiara. “Reading the House: A Literary Perspective.” Signs, Vol. 27, No. 3

(Spring 2002), pp. 837-846 JSTOR. www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/337928