The Rose of Lisbon
A Regency Romance

In the poetic Portuguese countryside, a dandy and a governess live an unexpected romance.

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Albion Eden is a dandy in disgrace. Once known as the Prince of Almack's, this gentleman was excluded from high society after his reluctant fiancée exposed his gambling debts.

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Forced to sell the family estate to settle his debts, with no bride and a poor reputation, it is with a weary and broken spirit that Albion escapes to continental Europe, to heal his shame and guilt away from the eyes of the ton. Just as he has become a faithful proponent of the bachelor life, this gentleman becomes the unwilling confidante of his friend Lewis Monck, who has developed a strong attachment for the dowry of Miss Emília Menezes, the eldest daughter of a wealthy diplomat.

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Throughout his stay at the fine villa of the Menezes family, Albion journeys through the world of aristocratic Portugal that arises after the Napoleonic invasions. He visits the theatre, attends the opera, experiments local gastronomy - all while being far from imagining his own heart may be endangered.

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Rosana, the impoverished cousin turned governess by the circumstances of life, is a defiant lady, questioner of social norms, occasionally meddlesome, always obstinate. Their romance is kindled in sunny Lisbon palaces, before the move to an old castle in Norfolk puts it to the test.