An Affair Downstairs

Browning’s second Edwardian historical (after Thornbrook Park) further fleshes out the passions and drama at an English manor in 1907. Lady Alice Emerson, younger sister of Thornbrook Park’s mistress, Lady Averford, has no intention of marrying, despite societal expectations and family pressure. However, she still wants to experience love and pleasure. To that end, she has her sights set on the rugged estate manager, Logan Winthrop, a brooding loner with a dark past. Logan has likewise fallen for the impetuous, independent Alice, but he knows they can never give in to their desires. As Lady Averford finds her sister one unsuitable marriage prospect after another, Alice and Logan are inevitably forced to choose between love and propriety. Browning skillfully plays her characters off one another in a slow, charming manner, developing the relationship in a gentle fashion that doesn’t disguise the simmering fire. The shifting morals and social rules of the time provide the perfect impetus for Alice’s evolution and the story’s resolution. Agent: Stephany Evens, FinePrint Literary Management. (Jan.)