April Lady is a 1957 historical romance novel by Georgette Heyer.
Helen "Nell" Irvine is from a family of Impoverished Patricians. Giles Merion, Earl of Cardross, falls in love at first sight with her and proposes, ignoring his friends' warnings about her relatives' gambling habits. Nell loves Giles, but follows her mother's advice and keeps him at arm's length while using his money to pay off her father's and brother's debts. After their marriage Giles notices how much money Nell is spending, and begins to worry if she cares for him at all.
Contains examples of:
- Arranged Marriage: Actually a love match that both participants think is an arranged marriage.
- Beta Couple: Letty and Mr. Allandale.
- Big Secret: Nell's bill from the dressmaker. Leads to a half-serious case of Mistaken for Cheating.
- Bratty Teenage Ward: Letty combines this with Annoying Younger Sibling and Drama Queen (but still manages to be lovable).
- Credit Card Plot: A Regency variant, with Nell's bills in place of the credit card.
- Elopement: Hilariously averted by the ever-respectable Mr. Allandale, even when Letty has strong hysterics to persuade him.
- The Gambling Addict: Dysart.
- Love at First Sight: Nell and Giles fall in love at first sight with each other.
- Regency England: The book is set in 1813.
- Unable to Support a Wife: The reason Giles isn't worried about Allandale and Letty trying to elope. Letty would take more supporting than the average wife. Things change when Allandale gets the offer to go to Brazil.
- Uptight Loves Wild: Allandale and Letty.
