Love is Innocent

Love is Innocent is #26 in the Bantam series and was published in November 1975. Francis Marshall paints 2 interesting covers for this story. In the Bantam cover, our couple is in a boat on the sea. Note the wicker deck chairs and other ships in the water. Our heroine wears a beautiful blue gown with slit sleeves. The Arrow version shows our couple in an embrace by the sea.

The Duke of Atherstone leaves England for North Africa in 1887 after excitement and in Algiers, is taken to a slave market, where he rescues Selina, an English girl. They escape to Monte Carlo and fall in love, Cartland style!

Traffic of young European girls to North Africa was common in the 19th century. Many countries had this problem of kidnapping and worked hard to solve this crime. Girls answering ads were lured or captured and kept drugged until they became inmates in brothels. Many never escaped.

Monte Carlo is still a travel destination that people flock to every year. The area in Monaco is very beautiful and well known as a destination for the rich and famous. It is well known for its casinos and gambling. It lies near the French and Italian borders on the Mediterranean Sea.