Dreams of Empire

Kept in a cage of a marriage by a cheating yet charming husband, Margueritte Verdier has escaped, embarking on a journey to find what she had always been missing. It is an adventure that would pair her up with none other than Napoleon Bonaparte and consume her with the mystical air of Cairo. An expedition to Egypt is also what Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to Napoleon's enemy the Ottoman Empire, has in mind. Each in pursuit of a fresh start, these three are also all in search of a prize only rumored to exist: an ancient artifact known as The Woman Carried Away. Their hunger for exotic booty fuels their desire. Their inquisitive, adventurous natures are what may bring them to ruin. You see, the Woman Carried Away is said to carry a curse and bestow supernatural powers on the one who carries it. Napoleon has plans for such powers. Lord Elgin has plans for these powers. But what of Margueritte? What will she do when the fate of the world hangs between a rock and two men, when her future could be either free or cursed? She knows what the others don't; she knows the secret history of the pharaohs. Margueritte is Napoleon's personal illustrator and it is her keen eyes and powers of observation that open up the epic and colorful past of Egypt in another age. She illuminates a journey between times, between a fallen empire of pharaohs and two competing empires of Europe. With all the powers of this world and more up for grabs will it be enough to satisfy the heart and dreams of this single indomitable woman?