Grand Tours of the Aristocracy

The bastard son of an earl. An Italian contes daughter. It's almost love at first sight for these two when they meet during his Grand Tour of Sicily. But why does her father encourage a courtship if he has already promised her to another? Donald Slater has been on his Grand Tour for nearly a year, keeping copious notes with the intention of writing a book for others to use as a guide when they take their tours. He's visiting the last island on his itinerarySicilywhen he comes face to face with his future. She's young, she's beautiful, and she's a flirt, at least according to her aunt. Nicoletta D'Avalos is surprised when her father encourages a courtship between her and the Englishman they met in the Prince of Biscari's gardens in the heart of Catania. She expected to be married off to an Italian aristocrat, one who could refill her father's dwindling coffers. She's more than happy to spend time with Donald, though, especially after she realizes she has feelings for him. In fact, she's quite sure she's in love with him. When these two learn what the conte has arranged, though, their fledgling courtship must end. For now. When it comes to Grand Tours, Donald knows there is always an opportunity to act as a guide for younger siblings and cousins. When it comes to Nicoletta, he also knows there is more at stake than simply an interrupted courtship. And when the time is right, he will claim what it his. They made a pact, and he's determined to keep it.

A spare heir on his Grand Tour. The daughter of a naturalist. When their reunion on the Nile seems to suffer a mummy's curse, she's determined to learn why. When Tom Forster embarked on a Grand Tour with his brother and cousins, he expected to tour temples and monuments, be humbled in the presence of pyramids and monoliths, and be amazed by the sites beyond the cerulean blue waters of the Mediterranean-including beautiful women. Despite being haunted by a kiss he shared with a young lady, he knows not to engage with any women. He has already paid witness to his oldest cousin and his brother losing their hearts-and bachelor status-to women they claim are the loves of their lives. That is, until he sees her-again-this time with a baby. The daughter of a renowned naturalist, Lady Helen has spent most of her life surrounded by the living things her father brought back from his numerous expeditions-including her mother. After three Seasons out, she has no desire to go through another Season in London. When she learns the young man she met and kissed at a ball will be in Egypt for part of his Grand Tour, she talks her father into an expedition to Egypt. While he searches for exotic plants, she can be on the lookout for Tom. When the families end up sharing accommodations, Helen is confused by Tom's stand-offish behavior toward her. She thought they parted on good terms. Promising terms. Despite confrontations with a crocodile, a frightful mummy, and a clue found in hieroglyphics, he's obviously avoiding her. If she wasn't in the company of a baby, she would hit him over the head with a sphinx to knock some sense into him. Doesn't he realize how perfect they would be together?

An heir to an earldom on his Grand Tour. An archaeologist's daughter intent on spinsterhood. Uncovering secrets from the past may force them into a future neither wants. Accompanied by several family members, Lord Randolph Foster is continuing his Grand Tour with a stop in Athens, Greece. He hadn't anticipated running into former classmates and second cousins-particularly not the woman clad in breeches, exuding an air of disdain, who he encounters in a temple on the Acropolis. Intrigued by her enigmatic research, he's determined to discover her motivations and, if possible, soften her frosty attitude in the process. Miss Diana Henley has always accompanied her father on his numerous archaeological expeditions. Viscount Henley's interest in Ancient Greek mosaics has landed them in Athens, where she's determined to search for clues in a mystery she's been trying to unravel on her own. The unexpected arrival of Lord Forster, with his upbeat demeanor and eagerness to help, only serves to annoy her. Can't he see that all she wants is to be left alone? When these two are found together-her with no chaperone-the prospect of a forced marriage might push her over the edge of the Acropolis while he has a compromise that just might dig them out of the hole they find themselves in-and reveal some secrets from the past.