IMO Quentin was at his absolute best in those first few weeks of 1897--a charming, exquisite, boozing, womanizing ROGUE. He actually had quite the nasty streak as when he all but strangled poor dithering old Grandma-mama-mama in his effort to convince her of some significant fact of life or other. I loved those scenes where he would get in Beth's face and even though she hated herself for it she couldn't resist.
Quentin in early 1897 brought DS to a more "adult" level, reflecting the cultural shift between 1966 and 1969 in the US (maybe I am over-interpreting here?).
For similar reasons, one of my favorite Angelique periods is herself in the beginning of 1795, when she's scheming to get all the goodies "Mamselle Josette" has for herself.
G.