THE MARQUIS AND MISS JONES

Not nearly as brightly turned as Regency Rogue (p. 283), this new period popover by the busy Ms. Ashfield (a.k.a. Bennetts and James) is stronger on swashbuckling than on neat repartee. Pretty Martina, daughter of the gravely ill Earl of Summerscale, had promised never to reveal the secrets of her flighty nursery-companion Natalie, daughter of naughty Lady Annette Trowbridge. Therefore, when Martina is in London for a season with Aunt Edwina, she can never tell: (1) that Lady Annette is owner/operator of a gaming-hell called Badger's; and (2) that she herself had spent an evening there disguised as a gaming-hell wench, thanks to thoughtless Natalie. The ill Earl, meanwhile, has his secret: he has arranged that Martina should marry young Adrian, the Marquis of Rothwell--but, for reasons too filmy to be noted here, Martina has never been told whom she's to marry. So who does Martina meet on that fateful night at Badger's when she's in low-woman disguise? Adrian, of course--who's smitten with desire for this ""loose"" woman. In Versailles they meet again just when the Revolution is heating up: Adrian is certain that ""Miss Jones,"" as he calls her, is masquerading as Martina; Martina thinks that Adrian is to marry Natalie; the nasty Comte de Tourzel, another Badger's habituÉe, enters with blackmail on his mind; Martina is forced to accept his proposal of marriage. And when the Comte spirits her off to Paris, there's a grand chase by Adrian and last-minute confusions/revelations. Silly but active--and mildly diverting.