
A Damsel in Distress
'A Damsel in Distress' Summary
Lady Maud Marsh, daughter of the widowed 7th Earl of Marshmoreton, is in love with Geoffrey Raymond, whom she met the previous summer in Wales. Maud has not revealed the man's name to her aristocratic family but has admitted that he is a penniless American. Her family, led by Lord Marshmoreton's haughty sister, Lady Caroline Byng, disapprove of the match and will not allow Maud to leave their home of Belpher Castle in Hampshire, in order to keep her from seeing the man. Lady Caroline wants her step-son, Reginald "Reggie" Byng, to marry Maud, though unbeknownst to her, Reggie is actually in love with Lord Marshmoreton's secretary, Alice Faraday. Lord Marshmoreton meekly listens to his sister, and to Alice, who is insistent that he write the history of his family, though he only wants to tend to his rose garden.
In London's Piccadilly, George Bevan, a bored and lonely American composer of successful musical comedies, sees a pretty girl in brown and laments that he has no justification to approach her, thinking that if only they were in the Middle Ages, he could approach her as a hero offering assistance to a damsel in distress. Depressed, George hails a taxicab, and is surprised when the girl in brown jumps into the cab and asks George to hide her. George wastes no time helping her hide from a stout, disagreeable, well-dressed young man. The man becomes angry and distracted when George knocks his silk hat off, allowing George and the girl to escape, but she soon disappears. George has fallen in love with her, though he does not know her name. Thanks to a newspaper report about the disagreeable young man (who spent the night in jail after punching a policeman), George discovers that the girl in brown was Lady Maud Marsh of Belpher Castle. He is not aware that she had sneaked off to London hoping to see Geoffrey.
The disagreeable man was Maud's brother Percy Marsh, Lord Belpher. At the castle, Percy mistakenly believes that George is the unsuitable man Maud is in love with, due to seeing her flee with him in a taxi, though Maud denies this. George, hoping to meet Maud again, rents a cottage near Belpher Castle. Meanwhile, George's friend and colleague Billie Dore, a chorus girl, visits the castle and bonds with Lord Marshmoreton over their shared love of roses.
George is able to see Maud again and offer further assistance to her, though Percy and Lady Caroline make it difficult for them to meet. Everyone at the castle comes to believe that George is the man Maud met in Wales, and George is delighted to hear from Reggie Byng and Lord Marshmoreton that Maud loves him. When George confesses his feelings to Maud, she explains that she loves a different man, Geoffrey Raymond. George is dejected, but remains a helpful friend to her. Reggie Byng elopes with Alice Faraday, and Lord Marshmoreton is relieved that Alice will no longer be his secretary. Billie tells the earl that George is rich due to his success as a composer and has good character.
Throughout these events, the servants of the castle are holding a sweepstake in which whoever drew the ticket with the name of the man Maud marries will win the money. At first, the cunning page-boy Albert is in a position to win if Maud marries "Mr. X" (an outsider, ostensibly the unknown American) and helps George, but after the butler Keggs (who drew Reggie Byng) blackmails Albert into trading tickets, Keggs becomes George's ally instead. Keggs convinces Lord Belpher to invite George to a dinner party at the castle, where George proves to be popular.
Lady Caroline and Percy continue to disapprove of George, but Lord Marshmoreton, who still believes George is the man Maud has wanted to marry all along, defies his sister and publicly announces that Maud and George are engaged. The earl also marries Billie. George suggests that Maud elope with Geoffrey to avoid awkward explanations. She meets with Geoffrey in London, only to discover that Geoffrey is nothing like she remembers. Though he has inherited a great deal of money, he is now overweight, talks only of food, and is being sued for a breach of promise case after a recent flirtation with another girl. Maud leaves Geoffrey and realizes she is in love with George. She tells George and they happily agree to get married.
Book Details
Authors

P. G. Wodehouse
England
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. Wodehouse was a prolific writer throughout his life, publishing more than ninety bo...
Books by P. G. WodehouseDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

War and Peace, Volume 4 (Maude Translation) by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace is an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. It depicts the lives of five aristocratic families during the Napoleonic Wars...

Chronicles of Count Antonio by Anthony Hope
Chronicles of Count Antonio is a historical novel by Anthony Hope, first published in 1896. It is set in 15th-century Italy and tells the story of Cou...

leven van Johannes Wouter Blommesteyn - deel 1 by Adriaan Loosjes Pzn.
The book, 'Leven van Johannes Wouter Blommesteyn - deel 1', tells the story of Johannes, a man who represents a failure and a flawed individual in the...

Poems of Jonathan Swift, Volume Two by Jonathan Swift
This second volume of Jonathan Swift's poetry delves into a wide range of topics, showcasing his biting wit and satirical commentary on the social and...

Christmas Duet by Joseph Ashby-Sterry
Christmas Duet, penned by Joseph Ashby-Sterry, is a Victorian-era poem from The Lazy Minstrel, published in 1888. It explores themes of love, music, a...

Hope by Emily Bronte
Emily Brontë's "Hope" is not a known published work. Emily Brontë is most famous for her novel *Wuthering Heights*, a passionate and gothic tale of l...

Sonata de estío by Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Sonata de estío, la segunda de las cuatro sonatas escritas por Valle-Inclán, sigue las aventuras amorosas del Marqués de Bradomín. Esta vez, el Marqué...

Burg von Otranto by Horace Walpole
Die Burg von Otranto erzählt die Geschichte von Manfred, dem Fürsten von Otranto, dessen Leben durch eine Reihe von unheilvollen Ereignissen und gehei...

Muerta Enamorada by Theophile Gautier
La Muerta Enamorada es un cuento romántico que explora la delgada línea que separa la vida y la muerte, el sueño y la realidad. La obra de Gautier es...

New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson
New Arabian Nights is a collection of short stories which include Robert Louis Stevenson's earliest fiction as well as those considered his best work...
Reviews for A Damsel in Distress
No reviews posted or approved, yet...