title: Merits and Mercenaries (The Bath Novels of Lady A~, Book 1)
author:  Lady A~ 
description: "Gorgeous!" Patricia Rozema, Writer/Director, <i>Mansfield Park</i>.<br /><br />"A dashing and imaginative work, I loved it!" Laurie Kaplan, Professor of English and Academic Director of George Washington University's English Center, and former editor of <i>Persuasions</i>.<br /><br />
zlib_text: ![](Images/image00158.jpeg)
  
  _**Cleopatra’s slave girl**_
  
   _and an enemy Roman soldier..._
  
  Egyptian slave Wen-Nefer is wary of all men. But she can’t help but be
  captivated by handsome Titus, adviser to Julius Caesar, even though he is
  commanding and intolerant of bold women like her. Their affair is as all-
  consuming as it is forbidden. But is he a man who will go to any lengths to
  love her despite their boundaries...or a sworn enemy she must never trust?
  
   **“Gilbert’s passion for ancient history imbues her tales with authenticity
  [and] immerses readers in a long-lost culture.”**
  
  — _RT Book Reviews_ on _The Spaniard’s Innocent Maiden_
  
   **“Gilbert’s desert romance is a tale to prize... Definitely a must.”**
  
  — _RT Book Reviews_ on _Enslaved by the Desert Trader_
  
   _ **He bent down and kissed her lips.**_
  
  She tasted of grapes and innocence, though he believed she was a sorceress in
  truth. Her body had grown stiff with the surprise of his touch, but quickly
  relaxed beneath it. Stil