Rival

When Lionel DeVere, young heir to the earldom of Stanhope, vanishes, the old earl presumes that his second son, Garrick, is responsible and sends him into exile. But this Georgian by the author of Splendor really starts 14 years later when the earl summons Garrick home and demands that he accept his responsibilities--including betrothal to a young twit who bores Garrick to death. Garrick is much more intrigued by her companion, Lady Olivia Grey, who's married to his lifelong enemy, Arlen Grey, an evil man who brutalizes Olivia and her young daughter because both have ESP. As is often the case, these special powers tend to substitute for more banal, but also more meaningful, motivations. The lack of real sexual tension pulls down the plot, but it gains momentum when the long-lost Lionel suddenly reappears to claim his earldom, which raises the question of where he has been and even who he is. (Aug.)