Eliza Haywood 
Love in Excess 
Or the Fatal Enquiry

This classic eighteenth-century novel follows the romantic antics of a rakish French count and the women who conspire to have him. Two wealthy young women, Alovisa and Amena, compete for the rake D’Elmont’s affection. Count D’Elmont drives women crazy, who must go to great lengths to subtly catch a man’s eye. But then, D’Elmont conspires with his friend Baron D’Espernay to seduce a young woman in his care by throwing a ball. When things go wrong, D’Elmont finds himself in Italy where he must deal with a kidnapping and a murder . . . Love in Excess was originally published in 1719 and depicts female desire at a time when it was socially unacceptable to do so. It is Eliza Haywood’s first and one of her most popular works.