The Black Moth

The Black Moth (1921) is a Georgian-era romance novel by the British author Georgette Heyer. The story follows Lord Jack Carstairs, an English nobleman who becomes a highwayman. One day, he rescues Miss Diana Beauleigh when she is almost abducted by the Duke of Andover. Jack and Diana fall in love but his troubled past and current profession threaten their happiness. Excerpt: «Clad in his customary black and silver, with raven hair unpowdered and elaborately dressed, diamonds on his fingers and in his cravat, Hugh Tracy Clare Belmanoir, Duke of Andover, sat at the escritoire in the library of his townhouse, writing. He wore no rouge on his face, the almost unnatural pallor of which seemed designedly enhanced by a patch set beneath his right eye.»