THE BUTLER DID IT

Despite his five-year absence, eminently eligible Regency bachelor Morgan Drummond, Marquis of Westham, expects his lordly residence to be in tip-top shape when he unexpectedly returns to London for the social season to find a suitable wife. After all, he has Thornley, the perfect butler. Instead, he finds a motley cast of social-climbing perfect strangers already in residence. Making the most of their cachet as the marquis's "houseguests" are a 70-year-old con man with a scheme for turning lead to gold, a nouveau rich seamstress who's possibly a killer, and the entire formidable (if impoverished) family of debutante Emma Clifford—who's hunting a wealthy husband. Who's responsible for the mayhem? The butler did it. And Michaels has done it again, too. Witty dialogue peppers a plot full of delectable details exposing the foibles and follies of the age. Real historical figures include a roguishly unrepentant William IV, who's referred to only as "the King" or by his nickname, Florizel. The heroine is appealingly independent minded; the hero is refreshingly free of any mean-spirited machismo; and supporting characters have charm to spare. Almost a quarter-century after The Belligerent Miss Boynton , the RITA Award–winning novelist's 86th book is another playfully perfect Regency-era romp. Agent, Karen Solem at Spencerhill Associates Ltd. (Sept.)