Arnold Bennett 
The Adventures of Denry the Audacious 
The Card & The Regent

‘The Card’ chronicles the rise of Edward Henry ‘Denry’ Machin from washerwoman’s son to Mayor of Bursley. This is accomplished through luck, initiative and a fair bit of cheek or chutzpah. At age 12, Denry begins his career by altering his marks in a test sufficiently to earn him a scholarship to grammar school. At 16, he leaves school to work for Mr. Duncalf, the town clerk and a solicitor. When Duncalf organizes an exclusive ball, Denry ‘invites’ himself and takes lessons from dance instructor Ruth Earp. On a bet, he audaciously asks the energetic, beautiful Countess of Chell to dance, and he thus earns himself the reputation of a ‘card’ – a reputation he is determined to cement.
‘The Regent’ is sequel to ‘The Card’ in which Denry Machin returns, as the slightly more mature Edward Henry, a self-made success in the Midlands, who still relishes his reputation as a bit of a card. He has money, charm and ingenuity, but no taste. Despite his wealth and influence he is still in a need for an adventure so he decides to have a take on London theatrical society.