Prologue
1838 – Tuscany
Lisbeth, the daughterof the Earl of Adnin, forced herself to smile as she watched her betrothed, Thomas Easton, excitedly speak with a man in one of their favorite cafés in Tuscany. Her heart ached because she was about to destroy everything between them—not because it was her choice but because there was simply no other option.
Thomas rose and made his way to the table where she sat. He smiled as he took the seat across from her. “Antonio said there are some smaller homes for sale closer to the water—ones I think we can afford. The city of Livorno should be our home base when not in Syria working to find antiquities with the Calverts.”
Why, of all days, did Thomas want to discuss where they would call home? She choked back tears. She loved him so much. Lisbeth had run through a dozen scenarios in her head since her brother’s urgent but impromptu arrival in Tuscany, insisting she return home. None of them ended with her marrying Thomas. He frowned at her. “Is something amiss, Lizzie? You’ve seemed out of sorts for the last couple of days.”
He mustn’t know that I am leaving him, she reminded herself. Lisbeth shook her head and forced herself to smile. “No, of course not. I’m simply tired. I didn’t sleep well.”
Thomas reached for her hand and stroked the inside of her palm. His brows furrowed, and she feared he could see throughher lie. They’d grown up together. Of course, he could, but she suspected he would let it go for now.
“Do you still want to attend the business meeting about the potential relics found in Sardinia? I could send a missive to Benjamin Calvert and inform him you are unwell. We can miss the appointment.”
“No, it is nothing serious. You meet with them. I will return to the hotel and rest. After a few hours of sleep, I will be good as new.”
Thomas started to shake his head. “I will stay with you—”
She squeezed his hand. “This is a good opportunity for us. You can walk me back to the hotel, then depart.”
“If you are sure?”
“I am,” she said even as her heart screamed for him not to leave her.
Benjamin Calvert had arranged an appointment with a Sardinian nobleman to discuss traveling to the island to catalogue some recently discovered artifacts. It was the perfect opportunity for Lisbeth to depart with her brother to England. It seemed unfathomable that she was leaving, yet she was. Thomas rose and held his arm out. She looped hers through his, and they quietly made their way to the hotel.
The Calverts were staying there as well, but were also in the middle of acquiring a house in the city. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and forced them away. She was losing the man she loved and the make-shift family they’d become part of.
They stopped in front of the charming but crumbling building where they were staying. Thomas grinned at her and kissed her hand. “Go get some sleep, my love. I want to talk to you about our future when I return.”
Lisbeth wanted to confess the truth to him, but didn’t. He would never let her leave if she did. “Goodbye, Thomas.”
Her words escaped her with far more seriousness than she’d planned. He frowned, and she forced herself to smile for the second time today. “Go.”
Thomas, reassured, nodded and turned, heading down the quaint street. Lisbeth made her way into the hotel, wiping at the tears rapidly falling. She needed to calm down. Lisbeth didn’t head to her room, but to the one her brother was residing in, unbeknownst to everyone but her.
She knocked on the door, and Justin opened it. He sighed and began pacing back and forth. “We only have two hours before the ship departs for London. We should be back in ten days. The wedding is expected to be the week after that.”
Lisbeth closed her eyes, wanting to rage that she didn’t want to wed a duke’s son. How could her own brother be so oblivious to her pain? Lisbeth was trading the man she loved for financial stability for her family. Her brother stopped pacing and tapped on a piece of paper on the small desk. “First, you need to finish the letter. You should have done it yesterday.”
“Don’t rush me,” she snapped.
He studied her, frowning. “You have to understand this is the best choice for everyone. Without your marriage, Father and the estate will be destitute.”
“I understand that this needs to be done, but don’t pretend this is best for me,” she exploded. “You are asking me to choose between the man who loves me and saving my family.”
Silence hung between them. Contrition, finally, rippled across her brother’s face. “I’m sorry.”
“Just don’t say this is best for everyone. It is best for you, Father, and the rest of our family. It isn’t best for Thomas or me. I love him so much. I hope you will never understand what it is like to break the heart of the person that matters most to you.”
More tears streamed down her face. Justin strode to her and wiped them from her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Lisbeth. If therewere any other way, I would gladly take that path. I’ve tried everything. The men, whom Father owes money to, roughed him up pretty badly before I left. I don’t have any other options.”
Lisbeth saw the anger that her brother kept so deeply bottled up within himself. Their father had lost a fortune at the gaming tables and then continued to play, using loans. His debts were all being called in, but the family had nothing to pay them. Well, except for a guarantee of money when Lisbeth married the future Duke of Lusby. A man whom she’d spoken to three times in her whole life. However, they’d been betrothed since she was twelve through a gentleman’s agreement between their fathers.
She took a deep breath. As much as she loved Thomas, she couldn’t allow her family to lose everything. Lisbeth had been shocked when Justin showed up in Tuscany, insisting he needed to speak with her.
She and her family’s housekeeper’s son, Thomas Easton, had run off together more than a year ago, hoping to work with famed antiquities explorer Benjamin Calvert. Not only had they found him, but he’d offered them employment. Lisbeth loved her life with Thomas. She loved that they toiled away studying artifacts from the past. Until Justin arrived, she planned to do that forever as husband and wife.
