In 1928 Georgette
joined her husband in Macedonia, which was to be his last prospecting
job. In Macedonia she almost died from an anesthetic while in the
dentist's chair, and lived in a "haunted house" where she wrote Pastel. Hodge
posits that the climax of this book, where the main character, Frances,
has her baby, shows how Georgette's mind was working; she was ready to
have a baby. Pastel was dedicated to her mother.
Ronald
had never really wanted to be a mining engineer, anyway, so the two
decided to return to England. Georgette had shown that she could
support them with her writing, and that is what she planned to do while
Ronald looked about him for a new career.
By
1929 they were back in London, and for a time Ronald was a partner in a
gas, light, and coke company. Georgette continued writing. She had
tried five different publishers before settling on Heinemann. A. S.
Frere, Heinemann's managing director, became a lifelong friend and
confidante to Georgette. Hodge writes that Frere recalled that Georgette
was discouraged about her career when they first met; then after the
success of These Old Shades, Heinemann decided to take over the rights of her previous books, reprinting The Great Roxhythe and The Black Moth in 1929, and changing The Transformation of Philip Jettan to Powder and Patch in 1930.
In 1929 Georgette published Beauvallet
with Heinemann. This new historical novel was set during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth and was another fast-paced, swashbuckling story,
centering on the hero. She dedicated this book to her brother Frank.
Next Entry: Turning in New Directions, Part Two
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