This is one of the most unusual of Heyer's Regency romances. For one thing, it's not even set in the Regency period but a long generation earlier, during the 1770s. For another, the plot is much more sophisticated and the characters, both leading and supporting, are far more multidimensional. And there's far less dependence on impenetrable sporting cant -- except for the highwayman, of course, whose jargon confuses even some of the young gentlemen.