The Surrender of Miss Fairbourne

In this 1790s quartet opener, Hunter weaves a suspenseful and romantic but improbable tale. Darius Alfreton, earl of Southwaite, is the secret partner in a successful auction house. When the owner dies suddenly, Darius assumes the business will close; Fairbourne’s son was lost at sea two years before, and his plain and forthright daughter, Miss Emma Fairbourne cannot legally inherit. Emma, however, plans to run it from behind the scenes until her brother returns. As Darius and Emma engage in a battle of wills, sizzling chemistry draws them together despite a number of amusing miscommunications, their difference in stations, and the mutual threat of betrayal. Unbridled passion, tender affection, and escalating intrigue balance the unlikely resurfacing of Emma’s brother and the unthinkable union of a tradesman’s daughter and a peer of the realm. Agent: Pamela Hopkins, Hopkins Literary Associates. (Mar.)