'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' - this is really just a condensed version of The Scarlet Pimpernel; the Baroness believed in recycling! A worthy but lonely man, Deroulede, falls hopelessly in love with a flighty blonde whom he worships as an 'angel', and has his heart broken when she betrays him. Unfortunately, I Will Repay has neither the depth of character or the subtlety of TSP, and so the whole process is rather forced. Juliette, the object of his veneration, is by far better as sinner than saint, tortured by her mad father's oath and her very Catholic guilt, instead of merely standing around looking 'ethereal'.

Some good speeches from Sir Percy to make up for the deja vu, however - pre-empting Deroulede's mad plot to rescue the Queen because of his understanding of 'the idiocy of mankind in general', plus a grand and sympathetic speech on what it is to love: 'when you understand your idol has feet of clay that you'll learn the real lesson of love'. (He also labels his wife's best friend, Suzanne de Tournay, and her mother as a 'stiff-necked pair of aristocrats as ever deserved the guillotine for their insane prejudices'!)

Deroulede is an honourable man of the people, Juliette an aristo with issues; they both feature in the next sequel, 'The Elusive Pimpernel'. A cameo from Citizen Brogard of the Chat Gris also provides continuity with TSP.

Much bluff and bluster from the League to escape Paris - there are only so many ways to dodge the guillotine! - and a lot of hearty 'la!'s, 'gadzooks' and 'demmed' from the Pimpernel - good fun. ( )

A man loses his son in a duel, and requests that his daughter help him do something about the man that did it, even though it was in a duel. In this book the Pimpernel is a supporting character, and he is needed later, after the young woman gets herself into trouble with Robespierre's committee.

She also learns that the surviving duellist is really not such a bad bloke after all, and, in fact, is rather attractive.

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5090

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2007/0... ( )