In this Regency novel from Ferguson (The Honorable Marksley
), Charles Cabot's quality landscape architect work nicely complements his noble lineage. A routine visit to the estate of Sir Eustace Lawrence quickly draws Charles into Lawrence family tensions: middle daughter Margaret has an obsessive stalker in the powerful, sadistic earl of Sutcliffe. Since Sutcliffe has already killed a young male friend of Meg's and gotten away with it, she has maintained an emotional distance from all men, fearing Sutcliffe will repeat his violence. But in spite of Meg's determined coolness, both she and Charles feel stirred by romance, and Charles, dressed in his aristocratic finery and flanked by his high-born cousins, baits Sutcliffe to show his hand. There's too much dialogue, but it's sprightly, and Ferguson's lively characters carry the day. (Aug.)
