All Smiles

""It's not easy being a ghost,"" grumbles Sir Septimus Spivey from his favorite spot on the staircase newel post at 7 Mayfair Square in 1821 London. The magnificent home Sir Septimus built for his family has now been divided into apartments and turned into a boarding house. He intends to get rid of the boarders one at a time, starting with Meg Smiles. If his ghostly meddling works, Meg will secure a position with Count Etranger as advisor and companion to his sister, Princess Desiree, and leave the house for good. A job is just what Meg needs; she is in ""reduced circumstances"" since her odious cousin cut her allowance from her father's estate. But the chore of turning a drab, graceless, bad-tempered princess into a charming creature in time for the forthcoming Season is more than a little daunting. Meg's growing attraction to the handsome count doesn't make her job any easier, nor does the fact that someone is apparently out to do her in. This second installment to the Mayfair Square series is sure to please historical romance fans who enjoy steamy love scenes combined with a little mystery, all penned with a lively hand. (Mar.)