He would give her the answer-for a price. Just one man held the secret, the one she feared most in the world-the iron-willed Comte de Saint-Vire, deadly enemy of the Duke. And neither the glittering soirees nor the young aristocrats who so ardently courted her could still the question that plagued her young heart. Yet her true origins remained shrouded in mystery. While, titian-haired Leonie, ward of the dashing Duke of Avon, has all Paris at her feet. But the duke hadn't expected Leonie's breathtaking transformation or the tender emotions she awoke-and he'd already set his dangerous scheme in motion. The duke's plan was simple: parade delicately handsome Leonie in front of his enemy and transforming her into the toast of the town, before his innocent ward reclaim her birthright, destroying her true father in the process. Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, is a reprehensible rake with an axe to grind. Leonie Bonnard is being drawn into a twenty-year-old feud. These Old Shades is read by Alexander Vlahos, star of Versailles. The Duke suspected the truth about his page-she was really none other than the wicked Comte de Saint Vire's legitimate daughter, deprived of her heritage by the comte's dastardly desire for a male heir.Īmong the splendours of Versailles and the dignified mansions of Georgian England, Justin begins to unfold his sinister plans, and Leonie should play a fine part in Duke's long-over-due schemes to avenge himslef on the Comte de St Vire. Author: Georgette Heyer Narrator: Alexander Vlahos Brought to you by Penguin. The Duke buys Leon, a redheaded urchin with strangely familiar looks, who is in fact Leonie, and she serves him with deep devotion.

In a dark Parisian back alley, he is accosted by Leon, a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. Society believes the worst of Justin, who is clearly proud of his sobriquet, 'Satanas'. Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France, and Lord Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon, known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer