Architect and landscaper Charles Cabot, a descendant of dukes, finds himself much in demand. Wealthy landowners are enthusiastically improving their vast country estates. When Sir Eustace Lawrence, renowned King's Counsel, invites Cabot to visit his Berkshire home, Cabot plans to apply his talents to a modification of the grounds. But he soon discovers that other skills are called for. All is not well with the amiable Lawrence family. One daughter, Margaret, has for years drawn the unwelcome, jealous attentions of the powerful Earl of Sutcliffe. The earl has essentially placed Meg under siege. Meg has had ample proof of Sutcliffe's deadliness. She has not dared to bestow her hand or her heart on any suitor for fear of what may befall him. But she is unaware of the lengths to which their new family friend, Charles Cabot, will go in order to protect her. When her family visits London for the season and a confrontation looms, Meg and her awakened affections must face the ultimate test.
Description:
Architect and landscaper Charles Cabot, a descendant of dukes, finds himself much in demand. Wealthy landowners are enthusiastically improving their vast country estates. When Sir Eustace Lawrence, renowned King's Counsel, invites Cabot to visit his Berkshire home, Cabot plans to apply his talents to a modification of the grounds. But he soon discovers that other skills are called for. All is not well with the amiable Lawrence family. One daughter, Margaret, has for years drawn the unwelcome, jealous attentions of the powerful Earl of Sutcliffe. The earl has essentially placed Meg under siege. Meg has had ample proof of Sutcliffe's deadliness. She has not dared to bestow her hand or her heart on any suitor for fear of what may befall him. But she is unaware of the lengths to which their new family friend, Charles Cabot, will go in order to protect her. When her family visits London for the season and a confrontation looms, Meg and her awakened affections must face the ultimate test.
**
From Publishers Weekly
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.)
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Review
Sprightly...Ferguson's lively characters carry the day. --Publisher's Weekly