They say you learn from your mistakes but what if theyre not your ownAfter four Seasons and no prospects Lady Samantha is resigned to life as a spinster Her aunt Caroline Fitzsimmons Viscountess Chamberlain insists they set sail to Italy for a tour she hopes might allow her charge to meet and marry a European aristocratHis coal mines having suffered a multitude of disasters Ethan Range Marquess of Plymouth is determined to secure a recent invention from an Italian count to alleviate the danger of fires Hes none too happy to discover Lady Caroline traveling on the same ship as he is to Rome He knows her secret and is rather incensed shes been able to hide Samanthas true past from the tonWhile taking a latenight stroll on deck Samantha is confronted by the scowling marquess Incensed by his assertion that Caroline is really her mother Samantha barely has time to slap the man before a sudden storm sends a wave of water onto the ship washing them both overboardForced to save each other the two end up as castaways on a deserted island in the Mediterranean Although they face perils a plenty during the week theyre stranded they have far more to fear from one another than from hunger weather and pirates Can the two overcome their circumstances and realize the mistakes of the past are not their own Or will their week on the island lead to more turbulence The heart may be the best life preserver in The Passion of a Marquess