Book excerpt: Hoping to get over her first love, Mary heads with her socialite friend Kitty to Venice. There she finds herself faced with a terrible dilemma when Kitty's aristocratic fiancé, Arthur Malmesbury, declares his love for her. Should Mary make her way to fame, fortune and financial independence by marrying him, or stay loyal to her friend? Back in London, she hears dark rumours about Arthur and decides to turn him down. But can she warn Kitty about his true nature before it's too late?