Zan, Birth of a Legend (first chapter)

In 1908, on a mission to find a new breed of ape in central Africa, an unfathomable thing is discovered - a wild, white man, living amongst gorillas. In England, renowned photographer, Sullivan Vinson, investigates and discovers the likely explanation before going off to join the venture along with his niece and ward, Arianna. They do not find him but, unbeknownst to anyone, the untamed one watches Ari. Believing she is meant for him, he steals into her tent at night and captures her. Ari is rescued, the man is taken into protective custody and they are sent separate ways, the wild man to the care of an esteemed anthropologist, and Ari back home to England to try to fit back into her old life. An advantageous marriage proposal awaits, but thoughts of the man haunt her. Amidst the backdrop of London in the summer of 1908 as the Olympic Games are hosted and the Franko-British Exhibition is held, the man, Sebastian 'Zan' Shaffer returns to a London he does not remember with one goal in mind, reuniting with Arianna. Again and again, he and Ari are drawn together only to be ripped apart by circumstances, social convention and Marshall Derringer, the man determined to have her as his wife. But Zan is not the only one with an untamed heart.