It's in His Kiss

In 1825, Gareth St. Clair is about to lose his inheritance: his father, who despises him, wants to ruin the family estates. All he gets is his grandmother's diary, written in Italian, which he can't read. Hyacinth Bridgerton, the youngest of the family, clever and sharp-tongued, offers to translate it, even though her Italian is shaky. Hyacinth reads to Lady Danbury, Gareth's grandmother, every week, so the two already know each other a little. The diary holds family secrets and a clue to hidden jewels, which they set out to find. Along the way they fall in love, and Gareth ends up proposing to Hyacinth.

1. Behind the scenesSlightly wonky Italian

   To make Hyacinth's translations sound clumsy, Julia Quinn had passages put into Italian and back into English. Author Eloisa James helped.

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2. ReferenceLady Danbury's grandson

   Gareth is Lady Danbury's grandson. Hyacinth reads to her every week from Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, a book within the book that turns up in several of Quinn's novels.

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