My Dearest Duke
Chapters (46)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Epilogue
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- Back Cover
Front Cover
Title Page
Thank you for downloading this Sourcebooks eBook!
You are just one click away from…
• Being the first to hear about author happenings
• VIP deals and steals
• Exclusive giveaways
• Free bonus content
• Early access to interactive activities
• Sneak peeks at our newest titles
Happy reading!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Books. Change. Lives.
Copyright
Copyright © 2022 by Kristin Vayden
Cover and internal design © 2022 by Sourcebooks
Cover art by Judy York/Lott Reps
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Apart from well-known historical figures, any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
(630) 961-3900
sourcebooks.com
Contents
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Twenty-seven
Twenty-nine
Thirty
Thirty-one
Thirty-two
Thirty-three
Thirty-four
Thirty-five
Thirty-six
Thirty-seven
Thirty-eight
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Back Cover
Dedicated to my grandmother, Nadine Lainhart, who, through every season in life, found a reason to be joyful, even when it seemed impossible.
One
England, 1815
“Your Grace, the incident has been resolved.” His mother’s nurse spoke succinctly, eyes averted. “Your mother is resting now. The doctor would like to talk to you.”
The fire crackled as the silence stretched into several moments before Rowles Haywind, Duke of Westmore, acknowledged her words with a nod. “I’ll meet with him shortly. You’re dismissed.”
The nurse gave a quick curtsy and took her leave.
When the door to his study closed, Rowles let out a pent-up breath. His mother had grown progressively worse since his older brother’s untimely death. Robert, the late Duke of Westmore, had lost his life with several others in a fire at a party. The loss had cascaded through several powerful families in the London ton, shifting the mantle of titles to several younger sons—himself included.
His mother, Amelia Haywind, Duchess of Westmore, hadn’t been well even before Robert’s death, and once she learned her favorite son had passed, what was left of her mind fractured into shards like broken glass. It was frustrating to keep her under the watchful eye of her nurses and doctor, but Rowles saw no other way. Left to her own devices, she would run stark naked through Hyde Park.
She’d done it before.