Dreaming

What immediately comes to mind when reading Barnett's ( Bewitching ) early 19th-century English romance is the famous Abbott and Costello baseball routine, ``Who's on first.'' The Earl of Downe, an infamous rake, is the Abbott figure--the straight man--full of sage advice and clever comebacks. Letty Hornsby is Costello. She not only twists and turns everything she says into nonsensical babble, but she's a walking catastrophe as well. Anyone who comes within a hundred yards of her is asking for trouble. Indeed, Letty is a bit of a scatterbrain--but never does she come off as stupid. Instead, her character is ingenuous and sweetly innocent. For years Letty has been in love with the earl: ``Richard was her hero. Her everything. Her dreams, her hopes, and every moment existed only because he did.'' Sent home by his friends to recuperate from his overindulgences in alcohol, women and gambling, the earl has an accidental encounter with Letty, aka the hellion, and before he knows it the two of them--and her dog Gus, whom the earl calls the hellhound--are captives aboard a smugglers' ship. One hilarious incident after another keeps the story's pace clipping along to a satisfying, very romantic conclusion. Barnett has a rare knack for humor. Her characters are joyously fresh and her style is a delight to read--a ray of summer sun. (June)