Secrets in Satin

Royal Cavaliers and rebel Roundheads clash in Smith's sweeping English Civil War novel (after Shadows in Velvet). Future King Charles II spitefully maneuvers the handsome warrior Garrett, Viscount Creighton, into marriage with widowed Elizabeth, Countess of Ravenwold. The two had taken each other in mutual dislike years before when she'd thought him a rake and a rogue; he thought of her as a frigid witch rejoicing in her husband's demise. But it turns out that years of spousal abuse were responsible for Elizabeth's icy demeanor and Garrett sets about thawing her through slow nurturing. But just as happiness seems within reach, illness, war and death threaten it. Smith delivers intelligent, sensitive--but not saccharine--historical romance for readers who expect more from the genre. (Apr.)