THE STORY SO FAR: Although teenage heiress Alissa Jones has longed to travel and have adventures, she’s found herself constrained by expectations that she act and behave like a proper young lady, fulfilling her role in the polite society of 1902. So she’s thrilled when Uncle Glyn, her legal guardian, asks her to join him on a trip to Egypt, to visit a newly excavated temple. As soon as she arrives at the hotel in Cairo, Alissa meets a young Englishman, James Darrow, and his elegant Egyptian companion, Doria Fadel. But without warning, Doria approaches Alissa and warns her to take care – because ‘death’ stalks her in the shadows…

Alissa pulled her hand free and said shakily, ‘Wh-what do you mean by such words, Miss Fadel?’

The older woman stared at her as if seeing her for the first time, still holding Alissa’s hand.

A chair scraped across the parquet as James Darrow hurried over to say, ‘Miss Fadel – Doria. You are alarming the young lady. Please rejoin me for dinner.’

Doria dropped Alissa’s hand with a tiny frown between her brows. ‘Later, perhaps,’ she addressed Alissa, then she sashayed back to the table as if the incident was already forgotten.

Alissa stared after her in turmoil.

James Darrow, meanwhile, rubbed his dark hair, making it stick up even more in the heat. ‘I am so sorry, Miss..?’

‘Jones,’ murmured Alissa.

‘My apologies. I heard what Doria said.’ He hesitated. ‘Please do not become anxious.