Seducers in Ecuador and The Heir

`He found himself in such a position that he no longer dared to remove his spectacles at all; he could not face a return to the daylight mood; realism was no longer for him.' First published in 1924 and 1922 respectively, these exquisitely written novellas confirm Vita Sackville-West's gifts as both stylist and observer of her very particular world. Seducers in Ecuador, an amusing and ironic tale of the nature of truth and fantasy, is the story of Arthur Lomax, every bit the English gentleman in his white ducks and solar topee, enjoying the pleasures of an Egyptian cruise. But with the addition of a pair of blue spectacles to the outfit, Lomax's entire world changes - to alarming, deadly effect. Peregrine Chase, the subject of The Heir, is on first acquaintance a less colourful figure, the manager of a Wolverhampton insurance company. But when he inherits a moated Tudor house called Blackboys his resistance to change dissolves in the face of its beauty. Under the spell of house and garden, Peregrine's life - and heart - are transformed.