Hmmmm. See, this IS one of your tropes - and it would probably help to know that the first chapter starts in medias res, with Prudence-as-Peter and Robin-as-Kate rescuing Letty, Robin's future love interest, from Markham, one of the main jerks of the books. That might be enough. But, yeah, Heyer is very big on Georgian dialogue, and it took me a few chapters to get comfortable with it.
Also, seriously, you will need to brace yourself for the sudden and dramatic change once Prudence puts on skirts. It's very noticeable. (I try to read books by chapters; I rotate through a whole bunch at once, a chapter at a time. A book that is really gripping is one where I read several chapters at once (or, more rarely, finish the whole thing without interruption). A book that is really painful is one where I read less than a chapter at a time. So that should tell you what it means that for me this book went from two chapters at a go to two PAGES at a go when Prudence changes clothes. FYI.)
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Also, seriously, you will need to brace yourself for the sudden and dramatic change once Prudence puts on skirts. It's very noticeable. (I try to read books by chapters; I rotate through a whole bunch at once, a chapter at a time. A book that is really gripping is one where I read several chapters at once (or, more rarely, finish the whole thing without interruption). A book that is really painful is one where I read less than a chapter at a time. So that should tell you what it means that for me this book went from two chapters at a go to two PAGES at a go when Prudence changes clothes. FYI.)