This slow-moving addition to Beverley's Company of Rogues series (St. Raven
, etc.) fails to hold the reader's attention, despite its likable protagonists. Laura, "Lady Skylark" to the London elite, was a dazzling 18-year-old when she married Hal Gardeyne, the heir to the Caldfort estate. Six years later, Laura, now a widow, finds herself a virtual prisoner at Caldfort, kept there because she can't leave her son, Harry, in the hands of Hal's forbidding family. Worse, she suspects that Harry may be in danger because he's next in line to inherit Caldfort, and if something were to happen to him, his possibly malevolent uncle Jack could claim the estate. When Laura discovers a mysterious letter implying there may be a missing heir to the estate, she teams up with her old friend, Stephen Ball, and devises a plan to whisk Harry to safety and uncover the secret behind the missing heir. For much of the novel, Laura and Stephen secretly pine for each other as they share close quarters in a little seaside town, but their scruples prevent them from acting on their shared passion. The mystery, which hinges precariously on some overheard phrases and unfounded suppositions, develops just as slowly, and readers may have a tough time holding out for the denouement. Agent, Meg Ruley
. (May)
