A Wicked Pursuit

Bradford opens a Georgian trilogy, set in 1768, with this cloying bit of spun sugar. Charles “Harry” Neville Fitzroy, fourth Earl of Hargreave and eldest son of the Duke of Breconridge, decides to finally cease his wanton London ways and settle down in marriage. Miss Julia Wetherby, the loveliest maiden of the ton, is his chosen bride. On a whim Harry travels to her home in Norfolk, ring in hand, certain she’ll all but leap into his arms. Instead the coquettish Julia insists on a silly game of pursuit on horseback. The game ends with Harry thrown from the unfamiliar steed, breaking his leg and his pride. The airheaded ingenue panics. Fortunately, Augusta, her practical younger sister, takes immediate charge of the situation—and hapless Harry—while Julia flits off to London, unable to cope in a crisis. The ensuing romance between Gus and Harry is entirely predictable to everyone except the lovers, showing little promise for the series. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar.)