Love Is Innocent — Barbara Cartland

The Duke of Atherstone had been driven to a frenzy. Every debutante in London wanted to marry him. Their determined mothers had transformed all of England into a matrimonial obstacle course.

Fleeing to the safety of his yacht, the Duke set sail for Monte Carlo. But even the dissipated society of the gaming tables provided no respite: Atherstone's charmingly jaded mistress soon launched her own marital plans. Furious, the Duke pulled up anchor again, heading for Algiers.

Foolishly convinced that no eligible young lady was waiting to entrap him, the Duke allowed himself the luxury of admiring an exquisite young English girl on sale in the Algerian Slave Market. As he moved closer to appraise her beauty, the terrified girl looked straight into his eyes, whispering: "Save me ... save me!"