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?

The Grand Tours of the Aristocracy