The Arrangement

Self-described as ""rash"" and ""headstrong"" Gail Saunders, proprietress of a riding stable and widowed mother of eight-year-old Nicky, has fended off suitors for years. Then she meets Raoul Melville, Earl of Savile, and follows her heart into an ""arrangement""--though she'd much rather be Raoul's wife than his mistress. Savile's late cousin George, Lord Devane, has left a bequest that leads to nasty speculation about Nicky's parentage, and a series of life-threatening accidents ensue. Suspects and red herrings abound; who'll gain the most from Nicky's death? Gail's the latest in a winning string of first-person narrators from the talented Wolf (The Guardian), whose Regency historicals are as delicious and addictive as dark, rich, Belgian chocolates. (Nov.)